201
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

For other ESL speakers who had problems parsing this headline, swifts are a type of bird:

[-] altphoto@lemmy.today 1 points 1 day ago

Golondria or golondrinas in Spanish.

There's a song in Mexico "las golondrinas". They sing that at your funeral. I don't know why, maybe the shape of the bird looks like a pastor or maybe because it lives on churches?

I think those birds look crazy cool and they fly crazy fast too. Totally not something related to a funeral. So I don't understand. But its Mexico, they're weird over there. In their own charro hat way.

[-] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 69 points 2 days ago

English is my first language and I was still confused about what fast bricks were for.

[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

I knew they were birds but wondered what the bricks are for. It’s not an efficient way to drive away pests

[-] prex@aussie.zone 18 points 2 days ago

Also a programming language developed by apple.

[-] Valorie12@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Fuck, why'd you have to remind me of that garbage

[-] prex@aussie.zone 5 points 2 days ago

Because the subject of this thread was just too wholesome.

[-] Toes@ani.social 3 points 2 days ago

Objective C was so much better I agree

[-] Flyswat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago

Buildings already must have Windows

[-] Aatube@thriv.social 14 points 2 days ago

I'd say it's not an ESL problem so much as a "common swift not endangered nor news here" problem.

[-] lena@gregtech.eu 12 points 2 days ago

Ohhhhh I thought this was about the SWIFT banking system at first lol, TIL

[-] cannedtuna@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

I thought it was about the speed the brick could fly at when thrown, so yeah…

[-] lena@gregtech.eu 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This is quite weird, your comment was downvoted by a bunch of accounts (that are now banned) that joined about 15 hours ago: https://lemvotes.org/comment/lemmy.world/comment/21934464

[-] cannedtuna@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Yeah there’s someone on this site who makes throwaway accounts constantly. They create accounts, post a bunch of stuff in comics and news communities, then self deletes after a couple hours before they can be banned.

Any time someone calls them out on it they use their throwaway accounts to go through your recent history and downvote everything you post. They also like to make impersonation accounts to spam from.

There’s a couple threads calling this shit out here in c/comicstrips and c/support

[-] lena@gregtech.eu 2 points 2 days ago

LMFAO that's hilarious. What's next, high-speed roof tiles?

[-] Jake_Farm@sopuli.xyz 8 points 2 days ago

More like non-uk inhabitants

[-] CyberEgg@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 2 days ago

English is my second language, but instead of swift bricks I had to web search what ESL stands for... When addressing non-native speakers, please don't use cryptic and ambiguous acronyms.

[-] PoastRotato@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

ESL (English as a Second Language) is an incredibly common and widely recognized acronym (at least in the US, not sure about other countries).

[-] CyberEgg@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I researched this term (I read the wikipedia page) and apparently it is used in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US. In Ireland and the UK, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) is more common, and some other terms are floating around in the anglosphere. Where this is notably not used is where English is not a native language.

Again, when addressing non-native speakers, using cryptic (and ambiguous, I as a German mostly know ESL as an abbreviation for Electronic Sports Leagues, swiss people could first think of l'École Suisse de Langues, etc) terms is really not the best idea.

[-] xploit@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I have now spent majority of my life speaking English/living in English speaking country and yeah they love their acronyms. Unnecessary useless acronyms. I suspect they're wired for it from young age and don't even realize, because despite starting to learn English at a young age, there was no incentive for me to start coming up with or learning acronyms.

[-] ScoffingLizard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago

No we're not. I fucking hate them and don't understand things at work because there are too many to know.

It was used in my (German) university's English classes.

To be fair, they are taught by native speakers. But still!

[-] brian@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago

notably not used is where English is not a native language

I mean, not to be blunt, but duh?

it would only really make sense to even talk about English as a second language if the general population does speak it as a native language. in the US people arent ever going to say something like french as a second language, because there's no need for the distinction

[-] CyberEgg@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

But most people with English as an additional language live outside countries where English is a native language. So again, when addressing people who speak English but not as their native language, why use terms that are exclusively used in countries with English as a native language?

Or do you think the internet exists only in countries where English is a native language?

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago

So again, when addressing people who speak English but not as their native language, why use terms that are exclusively used in countries whith English as anative language?

As an English speaker in a city with many people whose first language isn't English, it was probably just habit. I didn't originally know it wasn't a well known term either.

[-] brian@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 days ago

the likelyhood of talking about ESL (an initialization of English words to begin with) wouldnt generally happen where English is non-native, though. you don't have two Germans asking if the other speaks English as a second language

[-] Aatube@thriv.social 1 points 2 days ago

unfortunately ESOL is the less common/more cryptic term generally. we all learn a lot every day!

[-] CyberEgg@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 days ago

I figured as much. That's why I thought it might be helpful to explain the cryptic term to make communications easier. Hoped it was helpful.

[-] Saapas@piefed.zip 12 points 2 days ago

incredibly common and widely recognized

(at least in the US

LOL

I mean, you don't need to know what ESL means for my comment to be helpful. The helpful bit is in the second part without any confusing abbreviations.

[-] CyberEgg@discuss.tchncs.de -1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

So? I mean, while honorably clearing up some confusion, you created another point of confusion for someone else to clear up.

[-] tauonite@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

why do we want to brick birds

[-] prex@aussie.zone 4 points 2 days ago

Birds need homes too.

[-] heydo@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

The swift swift swiftly swifted in the swiftest way possible.

[-] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

You ever think about the word "saw"? It's a motorized power tool used for cutting. But it's also the past tense of having seen something. So if you see a saw, later can say you saw a saw. And it's also a verb. So if you watch a saw cutting another saw, you will have saw a saw saw a saw.

English is weird.

[-] Rcklsabndn@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago

You can also play on a seesaw.

[-] SanctimoniousApe@piefed.social -4 points 2 days ago

If your goal was to seriously derail the topic of discussion, I applaud you for a job extremely well done.

I just wanted to help because the headline really confused me. Then it took on a life of its own.

[-] SanctimoniousApe@piefed.social 3 points 2 days ago

Yeah, sorry - my comment was meant to poke fun, but unfortunately came out more accusatory. Not what I meant, so sorry about that. I just thought it amusing how quickly and thoroughly things veered off in another direction.

[-] AntiBullyRanger@ani.social -1 points 2 days ago

Adoring your generosity here.

I conceptualized perfectly the first time, but I am glad you helped others🧵

this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2026
201 points (99.0% liked)

Uplifting News

18041 readers
58 users here now

Welcome to /c/UpliftingNews (rules), a dedicated space where optimism and positivity converge to bring you the most heartening and inspiring stories from around the world. We strive to curate and share content that lights up your day, invigorates your spirit, and inspires you to spread positivity in your own way. This is a sanctuary for those seeking a break from the incessant negativity and rage (e.g. schadenfreude) often found in today's news cycle. From acts of everyday kindness to large-scale philanthropic efforts, from individual achievements to community triumphs, we bring you news—in text form or otherwise—that gives hope, fosters empathy, and strengthens the belief in humanity's capacity for good, from a quality outlet that does not publish bad copies of copies of copies.

Here in /c/UpliftingNews, we uphold the values of respect, empathy, and inclusivity, fostering a supportive and vibrant community. We encourage you to share your positive news, comment, engage in uplifting conversations, and find solace in the goodness that exists around us. We are more than a news-sharing platform; we are a community built on the power of positivity and the collective desire for a more hopeful world. Remember, your small acts of kindness can be someone else's big ray of hope. Be part of the positivity revolution; share, uplift, inspire!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS