User talk:Ikiroid/Archive 4

The Two Vowels

"The persian pronounciation of "æ" is somewhat more pure," and, "This means that when you learnt english, you had to learn it as a new vowel because it was so different," concisely encapsulate the point I was trying to make.

To attain a better comprehension, listen to . Here is the transcript.

Hello its me Peter Watson. Good on you comrade keep doing it.

Howdy,

The two vowels are extremely similar yet distinguishable.

Let me give you a few examples, in Californian English, I say “bad,” in persian “bad.” Here I say “accent, “but using the persian vowel I would say, “accent.” Here, I say, “cat,” but in persian I would say, “cat.”

Also, I don’t think close my mouth completely as I move from 1st the syllable to the 2nd in the word “ratiocination,” which I do when I say “cat.”

The persian word for door is “dar”, but in California “r” changes the preceding "æ" to “e” as in "dare". So in California, I would pronounce “dar” as in “dare” if I didn’t want to assume a foreign accent.

I suggest that you listen to the 2nd paragraph at least twice. I hope this made things clearer.--03:46, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I meant that you listen twice to the paragraph that has the word "bad," but I am too lazy to revise the file and upload it again.--

Wow! Thank you for uploading that sound file. It helps me understand what you mean. I listened to it twice (by the way, you have a very nice accent). It seems that part of the pronounciation has to do with speed too. Much of it is the length of the vowels and the speed of the language, is it not? A lot of it is the fact that English is Stress-timed, whereas persian is Syllable-timed. In a Syllable-timed language like persian, you differentiate between long and short vowels. In Stress-timed ones (like English) you never differentiate vowel lengths, although they do change a lot. In you persian accent, you were pronouncing it as a short vowel in persian (I think, correct me if I'm wrong), but in English you almost always had pronounce it as if it was a long "æ" in persian followed by a schwa. It is often difficult for people who speak one type of timed-language to learn another, because it changes their perception about speed and vowel structure (you can read more about timing and stuff at Timing (linguistics). Am I correct about this, or way off on what you were aiming for?--The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 14:43, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

• I cannot affirmatively comment on whether persian is syllable-timed. The main reason is that I picked up the phonics of persian when I was a child and didn't pursue any systematic study using phonological books.

But I can tell you that "æ" is just one of scores of just I had to learn. I was really a pain in the neck because I had to spend so much energy just to speak like an average person. Don't forget vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, grammar with numerous tenses and subjunctives. I really hated it. I wish everyone in this world spoke just one language. What is the use of Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Pashtun, even persian, scores of African dialects, and so many other languages. It just puts people who speak these languages at a great disadvantage in life whether they want to use the Internet, consult scientific books, or travel abroad. After I came to America, I was so mad about this inequity that I refused to speak persian for many years until recently. This is because you can't get a nice-paying managerial job unless you speak English way better than a native speaker. However, if you know a technical field at a doctoral level like Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, Werner von Braun, or you can come to an English-speaking nation with good financial backing, then the disadvantage is less disproportionate.

Currently, I very seldom speak persian to anyone and I have almost entirely forgotten the persian script but somehow the phonics remain firmly sunk in my head and I can still engage in a basic communication. This is because unlike, for instance, Stephen Harper who is immersed in both French and English and uses both languages in written and verbal communication, I don't have such interactions. Iran is on the opposite side of the globe and I don't communicate in persian with anyone here.

However, Voice of America has a persian Web site that delivers news to Iranians as opposed to the trash the mullahs feed down the people throats with their state-run media. I found this site a few months ago. You can go there http://www.radiofarda.com/ and listen to a short sound clip for research purposes — you don't need to be able to read persian — by just clicking on a Windows media player icon.--15:30, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

First of all, I'm sorry for not responding earlier, as you can see from my contribs, I went on a impromptu 48-hour wikibreak.

Thank you for the links to sound files....from them I can conclude that persian is most likely syllable-timed, or at least the dialects in those recordings are.

I've tried, and I am still trying, to learn a variety of languages, so I can relate somewhat to your troubles of learning a language. Each time you master one part of a language, you learn about two more things you have to work on, and it overwhelms you. I'm trying to learn French and chinese, and the amount of grammar and vocabulary that one has to learn seems virtually endless. Nonetheless, I still try. I can't imagine how frusterating it is to learn English, because it's so bizarre and irregular that even native speakers make foolish mistakes. And the spelling system is basically governed by about four different systems, and our culture advertises this irregularity by holding spelling bees and whatnot.

Please don't be ashamed, or angry, about you Iranian nationality. There is a trend in the US to ignore one's culture and nondiscriminantly and act extremely neutral towards everyone; it stems from our culture's concious effort to eliminate racism. While it's good to keep this in mind and follow this ideal often, there's nothing wrong with hanging out or communicating with people who share the same feelings and problems as you. Almost everyone in the United States has ancestors who came from another country. I do. All of my great-grandparents and some of my grandparents were born in other countries. You can use your knowledge of persian and your Iranian heritage to your advantage: perhaps help a business integrate themselves into working with customers of the Iranian community. You will find that your ability to look at the American and Iranian cultures from a third-person view will help you make decisions with your future.

And also....don't lose the hope that things will change! Everyday people like you and me have the capacity to change our world, even if only by a little. I know Iranians have the capacity to steer their country in the direction they want it to go, and I believe they will. Don't let the crazies and cynics of the world destroy your belief that the world can become a better place!

I hope that this helps....I don't want to sound like a politician or anything, but I don't want to see a person like yourself become jaded and lose hope. Best regards, The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 18:45, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

A new userbox you might like

Hi Ikiroid,

I couldn't resist making the following userbox after reading the attached link. After being insulted on numerous occasions by trolls I decided to fight back the best way I know how -- with a witty userbox! Feel free to remove this from your talk page if you don't appreciate the humour. = )

Cheers,

 Netsnipe  ^(Talk)  06:00, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

WP: Policies & guidelines This Wikipedian is proud to be a “Bureaucratic F**k”.

Clever, but I'm not an admin. Perhaps if/when I become one I'll add it to my userbox page ;). You know, there are tons and tons of parodies and criticisms of wikipedia......it's kind of ironic: the ones that claim to be serious, like Wikitruth, are almost parodies of themselves in the fact that they resort to ad hominem attacks on Wikipedians. I find uncyclopedia's article about NEVER clicking links the funniest. Dramatica seems to be a weird cross between Wikitruth and Uncyclopedia. BTW, it seems your userbox got salted as I was writing this. The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 14:20, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your supportive comments. I've filed for a deletion review using the arguments listed at User_talk:Netsnipe/User_Bureaucratic_Fuck. Cheers,  Netsnipe  ^(Talk)  18:07, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I will delete. No problem

Will delete now. --Ancheta Wis 02:26, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Userboxes and WP:GUS

Hey Orannis, I noticed you removed your Islam userbox from your userpage a while ago (I assume because it was changed and reworded). Well, now a lot of religious userboxes have been created in the userspace, and you can pick from a variety of them. This page seems to give you the biggest variety of choices. Anyway, cheers! The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 01:46, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

I've heard about the German userbox solution, I just forgot about it. But thanks for reminding me! I'll get around to it.

And by the way, concerning The Gallery, what would you think of as a good image to identify myself with? I'm named after a fictional character who was bound in a silver sphere that was split in half, so I was sort of thinking around those lines. And I've no idea of how to make it myself.--The Ninth Bright Shiner ^talk 03:28, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

You don't necessarily need an avatar, per se, a banner of your name, or a cool, weird pic you like on your page would do. If you do want to go with an image, I'd suggest something that fits your personality, interests, and fascinations all in one picture. My pic was drawn with a sharpie, scanned onto my computer, edited down a bit, than uploaded.

Since I try to reveal little about my sex, generation, and ethinicity, I picked an abiguous, quasihuman face. The outfit is loosely based on what men wore in the United States to work in the 1930's, 40's, and 50's. The era was regarded as clean, happy and efficient on the outside, but struggling with a changing world on the inside, as I do. The appearance is also an attempted hybrid at several psychological Jungian archetypes, namely, the Animus (the figure's face), the Child (the figure's height and physical disposition), and the Wise Old Man (its stare and reserved manner). They represent the way I approach judging things in the world, I use each perspective as an argument against the other while developing an opinion. Of course, you needn't make your picture have such a deep meaning, but it's a few things to keep in mind when you create your own.--The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 19:23, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Wow. I had no idea of the depth a mere picture could hold. Well, if the process is that simple, I'll think something up. Thanks!--The Ninth Bright Shiner ^talk 02:19, 15 July 2006 (UTC)

My Opinion

I have posted a response to your comments on my talk page.--Patchouli 19:19, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

• I have posted a few more comments for you on my talk page.--Patchouli 19:52, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

• I added a comment on vocabulary.--Patchouli 14:32, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

I apologise for not getting back to this issue earlier

I have been off of the computer for a few hours, but I will promptly address the situation now.--Conrad Devonshire ^Talk 03:30, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

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Re:Spelling and Such

As for all of the spelling changes in Commonwealth format, all parts of those articles I altered were pieces of information that I oroginally added. It's just that someone keeps changing my contributions to suit them so I'm afraid we have a conflict. I do not delete more useful information added to my contributions, I just hate it when people change the spellings of things that I originally added. I might as well not contribute to Wikipedia.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.109.186.127 (talk • contribs)

Thank you for the support!

		Thanks for contributing to my successful RfA!
		To the people who have supported my request: I appreciate the show of confidence in me and I hope I live up to your expectations! To the people who opposed the request: I'm certainly not ignoring the constructive criticism and advice you've offered. I thank you as well! ♥! ~Kylu (u|t) 07:30, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

Your arguments in my favor helped, thanks! ~Kylu (u|t) 07:30, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

My username

Yes it's Russian, as my family speaks Russian. I was like three when we moved to the US, so I speak more or less well, but I have a small vocabulary and I read/write really slowly (and sometime incorrectly). That's more or less how it'd be written, except instead of э, I think it's е. — Ilyanep (Talk) 19:51, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

I really should pursue Russian more, since I already have a start in it :). It does have quite a sophisticated repository of literature; one I can barely read much less understand :P — Ilyanep (Talk) 00:36, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

Cleanup Taskforce

I added Paramount Canada's Wonderland to your desk. It looks like copyediting. Please take a look at it and either accept or leave a note on my talk page and I'll reassign it. Thank you. RJFJR 02:16, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

Wow! Thanks for the task. I'll hop to it!--The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 13:51, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

ANI

Thanks for the reminder. Tintin (talk) 14:18, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

Advice on your RfA

As a bit of advice, try to scan all your comments/replies for typos, it will go a long way towards inspiring the confidence of those commenting on your RfA. Themindset 22:13, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

OK, sorry about that. The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 22:27, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

User:Misza13's pile!

Thank you for contributing the impressive the pile of supports gathered on my RfA, which passed with a final tally of 0x0104/0x01/0x00. I'm happy that so many people have put faith in my abilities as an admin and promise to use the tools wisely and do my best not to let you down. If I ever may be of assistance, just leave a note on my talk page. Misza13, the rouge-on-demand admin wishes you happy editing! NOTE: This message has been encrypted with the sophisticated ROT-26 algorithm. Ability to decipher it indicates a properly functioning optical sensor array.

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My RfA

Thank you so much for voting in my recent RFA. It passed on the relatively narrow vote of 38/8/8. It was also one of the least-participated-in RFA nominations in several months, so pat yourself on the back, and join the party on your left, but first, take your cookie! NOTE: I can't code HTML to save my life. I copied this from Misza13. I guess I should write him a thank you note as well. Cookies sold separately. Batteries not included. Offer not valid with other coupons. May contain peanuts or chicken. Keep out of the reach of small children, may present a choking hazard to children under the age of 3. Do not take with alcohol. This notice has a dark background and therefore may be eaten by a grue at any time. The receiver of this message, hereafter referred to as "Pudding Head" relinquishes all rights and abilities to file a lawsuit or any other litigious activities. RyanGerbil10, Jimbo Wales, and the states of Georgia, North Dakota and Wisconsin are not liable for any lost or stolen items or damage from errant shopping carts.

Thank you so much! RyanGerbil10(The people rejoice!) 03:43, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

My Pleasure

I purposely didn't archive my talk page. Even so, if you wish to retain my statements should I delete my account in the future, then you can retrieve them from my history page.

By the way, I recently became aware that BBC broadcasts news in Persian[1], too.--Patchouli 18:58, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

Me no count good

Thanks for fixing my error with the tally-count on Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Ikiroid. I think I was looking at one thing and typing another. Multitasking is not always the way forward! Agent 86 23:19, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

It's not your fault......I think Clyde Miller messed up the numbers when he changed his vote. The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 23:36, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

No Hard feelings

Oh, no offense taken. I'm not a fan of participating in discussions, it's not exactly what I came to Wikipedia to do. It's not that I took personal umbrage, it's that I just don't like to participate in policy discussions, which is why I didn't, and won't. By the way, good luck on your RfA. RyanGerbil10(The people rejoice!) 02:51, 27 July 2006 (UTC)

Re:Cigarette (moved from User talk:Ikiroid/Help Me Improve)

Sorry about overwriting whatever I did. I didn't know I couldn't re-edit my own writing. I had some message on my screen about a version conflict. It didn't explain what to do. I wasn't completely satisfied with my edit. I am not sure who you are or what you are talking about in regards to my article being a POV. Just because I don't think all merchants sell to kids, doesn't mean a support selling to kids. I am just being logical. Only someone attacking merchants would write the article in the way they did. It is illegal. Those who sell to kids are breaking the law. That's a fact. The entire original article from the top to the bottom isn't about the object known as a "cigarette", it is about smoking being evil. It is totally slanted. It is clearly written by someone with an agenda. I tried to add that some people break the law, but not all. To write that cigarette merchants are trying to sell to children is clearly an attempt to alter the facts. It is against the law to sell to children. Most companies follow the law. Not only that, I work in a grocery store. We are very rigourous about checking for minors. I don't smoke and I don't sell to children. If some little two bit convenience store does, then they probably sell alcohol, pornography and hand guns to children too. Does that mean every one does. No. Not only that, half the country works in the service sector. Does that mean we all sell to kids. Try to be objective. Ps. I don't smoke, drink nor eat meat. I run 3 miles everyday. I am fair however. Are you? So before you start pointing fingers at me, read the whole article closely and ask yourself, "Is this really objective?"

Here is another thing to think about. Wikipedia is turning into a bunch of mini reichs. Each article has one or two people hanging around it trying to keep it slanted in their direction. I see this everywhere. It is not supposed to be that way. What are you going to do to change it?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.146.213.66 (talk • contribs)

RfA

Well it was about as close as they come, but I didn't feel I could call it a consensus to promote. See what you can do to address the concerns raised, especially demonstrating you have knowledge of the important policies admins deal with. With that and some more experience it appears most people would support you in the future, so I wasn't concerned that if I didn't promote now you'd never get it. Good luck, don't take it too hard, and above all, have fun editing. - Taxman ^Talk 17:04, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for leaving me a note about it—towards the end, I realized my chances were slim, as it dipped below 75%. I trust your judgement though...I can see that you are one of the most active bureaucrats in promotions. It appears that the four points of opposition were:

1. More encyclopedia edits—logical, this is an enyclopedia
2. More participation in AfDs
3. Badly written self-nom
4. Staying out of situations I don't know enough about

So basically, I probably won't apply again till I have at least 1500 mainspace edits, and I have some experience with deletions, merges, and when I have a really good nom with well-written answers. But I do appreciate your time in communication with me, as I appreciate everyone who took the time to discuss/vote/opine in my RFA. The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 17:53, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

Hi Ikiroid,

As your RfA was directly below mine, I followed the progress regularly. I'm sorry you didn't quite make it, though it clearly was very close. I hope you'll try again, when you're ready. Having a failed RfA can be devastating, but it appears from your note above that you're still in good spirits, and your ideas for firming up your editing sound good. I'm glad you can remain positive and are already planning an eventual return to RfA; that's really impressive. Anyway, see you around, and happy editing! :) --Firsfron of Ronchester 20:34, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for the words of encouragement Firsfron. The RFA didn't mess me up very much emotionally......I was just bothered that it didn't pass, and that there wasn't really any way to figure out my problems before the RFA. I had a feeling that there were users who had qualms about me that they weren't going to mention until my RFA. I should probably write down what I learned and some goals to set based on this experience.....maybe in User:Ikiroid/RFA and reaction or something. But congratulations to you on your adminship! It appears that I didn't vote in it. Well, consider this a post-RFA support vote to you. The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 21:49, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your separate notes here, and on my talk page, Ikiroid. As for your post-support vote on my RfA... heh! Thanks! That's actually pretty cool. :) You know, on my RfA, I was very worried that people would drag up old stuff, but it just never really happened. I guess I don't have very much "dirty laundry", but I was worried anyway; it was a stressful week, despite the results. On RfAs, I don't know of a good way to tell if people have qualms about the candidate's suitability. There just doesn't seem to be a good way of gauging the reaction until you've already submitted the RfA, at which point it's too late. Clearly, though, your positive attitude on this RfA will help you on the next one; people like to see that an admin candidate can accept criticism, 'cause those vandals (or upset users) aren't going to always be polite.

Have you considered Admin coaching? I know it helped me considerably. My admin coach was able to sort of "whip me into shape" and suggest areas I could improve. I found it quite useful, although maybe you'd rather not. I figured I'd at least throw it out there. Anyway, take care, and happy editing! :) --Firsfron of Ronchester 22:51, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for the response. I've considered admin coaching, though the line is long enough that I'd probably be a bureaucrat by the time they got to me :). Still, I'll add my name to the list....it would be nice to recieve guidance (it worked quite well for you, didn't it?). As you said, it's always wonderful to recieve constructive criticism. It's partly why I filed an RFA.....either I'd become an admin, or I'd recieve a lot of suggestions for improvement. A win-win situation, eh? The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 16:12, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

RE:Your RFA

How'd you like that long support? :-P GangstaeB help me improve! 00:47, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

You've done diverse, valuable work with a very refreshing attitude that keeps WP positive and growing. Unlike many, I have no "standards" for voting on RfA and go by instinct. We need admins like you. I'm sure you'll meet the criticism and points for improvement given very soon. Rama's arrow - this Fire burns always 01:15, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

It's too bad your nomination failed. However, I look forward to seeing your name up again soon, so I wish you the best of luck! Cheers, Merovingian - Talk 01:30, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

I'm sad to see you nomination failed. :( We constantly need more admins and someone like you is well qualified for the job. I'll put Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Ikiroid 2 on my watchlist already. Happy Editing! Misza13 ^{T C} 08:55, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Your RFA failed? :( Too bad. I thought you would make a great admin! Ah well. I'm sure you'll wield that legendary proverbial mop someday.--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 00:33, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

You weren't far off at all. Wait 2, or preferably 3, months. Follow the advice given, and I think you should be home. Tyrenius 21:47, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

It is very much to your credit that you have seen the RfA in such a positive way, and confirms my support in future (all other things being equal...). Tyrenius 01:52, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks....I am wonderfully surprised by the huge amount of post-RFA support I've gotten—hopefully I can garnish more of your support in these upcoming months! The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 16:12, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Highway's RfA

Flower power!

Request for Adminship

---

Thank you for contributing to my my request for adminship. Although I wasn't promoted to admin status, with a withdrawn vote count of 14/27/14, I am very happy with the response I received from my fellow Wikipedians. I was pleasantly suprised at the support, and was touched by it. I will also work harder on preventing disputes and keeping cool under stress. Hopefully I will re-apply soon and try again for the mop. Thanks again, Highway ^{Return to Oz...} 13:33, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Why I left WP:EA

Although that was one of my reasons for leaving that was not my main reason. My main reason was something I no longer have proof of, and I would most likely be scolded for sharing it. Damn Cabal. ILovePlankton 02:42, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

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Dear Ikiroid

Dear Ikiroid, please allow me to sit here with you for a while, can I? I just wanted to bring you these flowers and a great *hug* to cheer you up, now that it's clear you're not having a good time. I must tell you I feel guilty now to see good people like you having their dream of attaining adminship postponed. You are a valuable contributor and a great person, and while I missed your RfA, I've taken the time to read it and I was very impressed by your humbleness in recognizing your mistakes, of which none of us is above. You will make it, and sooner than you think - and when you do, I hope you'll remember our little conversation now. You-are-great, Ikiroid! Now try not to think about it, you have many friends who enjoy your company and your many contributions are much, much appreciated. Share a hug with me, and if you ever, ever need my help, you know just where to find me, right? :) Your friend, Phaedriel ♥ The Wiki Soundtrack!♪ - 22:39, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Hello Phaedriel, how nice of you to drop by! I'm doing quite fine, thanks....but how are you? My RFA is over, but you're still in the middle of yours! Even with so much support, I imagine there is still so much stress you are feeling! I hope it doesn't get you down! Don't worry about me, there are a lot of people who need a hug more than I do (including yourself) so here's a *hug* for you! Best of luck as an administrator Phaedriel, I know you'll be a great one! (*Hugs* again) The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 16:12, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Your RfA

Thanks for letting me know about your RfA. I felt I had to ask you those questions as I felt the accusation of a personal attack was a step too far. From all I saw there, that user was taking revenge on you for a legitimate oppose vote. I am sorry to hear your RfA was not successful, but if you leave it about 6-8 weeks, and get back to me I would be happy to propose you for adminship. Thanks for your comments, Seivad 16:15, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, they did have a legitimate complaint. Perhaps it would have been better off for us to work it out outside of the RFA, but I do have to take responsibility for my actions. In retrospect, I realize I was haughtily assuming bad faith based on the situation, something that I won't do again. Regarding adminship......I probably won't reapply for a while (I want at least 1500 article edits, and a lot more AfD contribs before applying again). So, it might be a few months.....but if you still will want to nominate me by then, I'll be happy to have you do so. Cheers, The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 18:40, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

"Title-Override"

I see you changed the appearance of your user page title with User:SushiGeek's template. Why, exactly? Why would somebody need to override the title of a page? Just wondering.--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 20:33, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Oh, just experimenting--change keeps things (and people for that matter) new, you know. Perhaps I'll get rid of it in a while. FWIW it says "Ikiroid's" in Russian and "Userpage" in chinese. I figured a bit of randomness/cosmopolitan flair was in order ;). The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 21:40, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

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G'Day! i wonder if you can help me!

I have been editting the page on Wollongong.

Some nice person has put up the name in phonetics. The only problem is- they have got it wrong.

Even without having a deep knowledge of phonetics it is clear to me that this is the case.

the reason being that the first ong doesn't rhyme with the second ong. Or rather it DOES and it didn't orter, if you take my meaning.

My meaning is that the place is called, most plainly, and impossibly, Woollen-gong.

Not Wal-ong-gong, (that's Wal as in Wally Wombat, OK?)

It should be Woollen as in Onkaparinga. And Gong as in Order of Australia.

See ya!

--Amandajm 13:41, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

OK, I read the article's transcription, which is [wʊlɒŋgɒŋ]. I read up on the phonetics of Australian English to make sure we are on the same page. I'll assume you described it in Australian phonetics.

• The first syllable, [wʊl], has the same vowel as "foot." So I guess this is right.

• You are right about the vowel [ɒ] in the last two syllables (ong and gong), it doesn't even exist in Australian English. It's the "a" in the british prunounciation of "what." Originally, it was the vowel in words like "lot," "cloth," etc. but it changed into [ɔ].

• You said the first vowel is prunounced more like "en." Is it like the vowel in "dress" and "bed"? If it is, then the correct way to write that vowel is simply [en].

• I'm not quite sure what you mean by "Gong as in Order of Australia." Are you referring to the "or" in "order"? If so, then you'd write it as [ɡoŋ]. But if it's closer to the vowel in "goat," you'd write it as [ɡəʉŋ].

So you'd write it as [wʊl.en.ɡoŋ] (unless, of course, the vowels are different from what I described). The full-stops/periods seperate the vowels, you can remove them if you want.

Please tell me if you need any more help. It's a pleasure to work on phonetic transcription. The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 14:26, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

Hi there!

Thank you for getting back to me!

This time, I will try to be very serious and not make silly Australian jokes!

Firstly- the "o" sound as in English "hot" and "what" does exist in Australian English. I use it, and I am Australian.

Secondly- My reference to Woollen as in Onkaparinga is because Onkaparinga were (until about 1980) the largest manufacturers of woollen blankets and dressing gowns in Australia.

So it's not Wool-en, it's wool'n, as in reason, bitten, given. The wool part is oo like foot, not ool like school.

Thirdly- "gong". A gong like the big round thing that's used to start a Rank Organisation movie, or summon people to dinner. Like "song" and "wrong"

In Australia, the main award of honour is the Order of Australia which is a very large gold medal which is often called a "Gong". The term is sometimes used for medals in England as well, but as far as I know, it originated with the Order of Australia because it looks exactly like on. Hope this is clear!

--Amandajm 14:12, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Then based on your description, it's [wʊl.ɪn.ɡɔŋ] if you pronounce "en" like "in". If you pronounce the "en" in those words like "un," then it's [wʊl.ən.ɡɔŋ]. I don't know which way is the standard in Australia, but perhaps you do. By the way, I'm sorry I didn't understand the Australian cultural references....I try to be international in the way I do things, but there is some stuff that just goes over my head. Anyway, cheers, The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 20:59, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't know how that looks on your computer but in what you've written, how it looks to me is as if all three vowels are identical, which is not the way it is.

oo as in foot, the next vowel is barely pronounced at all, like Allen, Colin and Dylan. the third vowel is o as in long, song etc.

the first ng is pronounced as n-g, as is "Go man, go!" the second ng is pronounced as in long, song and gong.

Maybe I need to find an Australian who can fix it! The pronunciation of Australian Aboriginal place names is inconsistent. Canberra is often pronounced Can'bra, Cairn'bra or Cairm'bra. And Canowindra, which one would expect to be Canno-wind-dra is K-noun'dra. !

--Amandajm 12:14, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

OK, I'm taking it to the language reference desk. Perhaps we could get a third opinion, to clarify which part of the transcription needs work. It seems the only part that could be wrong are the second and third vowels. The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 13:32, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

Your Userpage

Hello Ikiroid! I just want to let you know that I have nominated you userpage for the Esperanza Best User Page Award! That's all. ;) Viva La Vie Boheme 00:55, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you, but take note that User:Sango123 came up with the initial design. If my page wins, give the award to her, or at least most of it. I've just added text, links, and more headers since her redesign (see the changes since her redesign).

Oh, and happy birthday, from The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 01:12, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Maria Ozawa

You closed the discussion but neither removes the AfD tag from the Maria Ozawa nor put a "nominated for deletion blah, blah, result was keep"-tag and the discussion page. Since I have no clue how to do the latter, I won't attempt to fix this myself. -- Koffieyahoo 03:02, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, problem fixed :) The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 03:04, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Actually, for future reference for me, is there a page that describes how to close an AfD properly? -- Koffieyahoo 03:10, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

The best place is Wikipedia:Deletion process#Articles for Deletion page. Don't worry, many admins don't know how to close an AfD properly. The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) 14:21, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Village Pump Help

[2] I replied to your request for help at the Village Pump. I hope you find it useful. MECU≈talk 20:47, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Another reply. MECU≈talk 21:42, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Regarding ==IPA==

Edit summmary?100110100 21:25, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

Regarding ==IPA==

The article doesn't represent a worldwide view because it has bigoted towards US. [More on IPA's talk page.]100110100 21:32, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

RfA thanks

Thanks so much for voting, Ikiroid! Thanks so much for your support vote on my request for adminship! With a final vote count of (82/5/0), it succeeded, and I'm now an administrator! I am thrilled with the overwhelming positive support from the community, and sincerely thank you once again for taking your time to voice your opinion. Feel free to contact me with any comments/suggestions in the future! —Mets501 (talk) 03:48, 13 August 2006 (UTC)