Brianwarnock
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If somebody is trying to clarify then they should ensure clarity, not expect the reader to do research.
Brian
A request to Americans posting on threads. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ColinEssex
- Start date
If somebody is trying to clarify then they should ensure clarity, not expect the reader to do research.
Brian
SyntaxSocialist
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Col, 'offense' and 'offence' are alternative spellings of the word. Just as 'color' and 'colour' are both acceptable, but depend on where one is from. Anyway, this is all very silly. I was just bringing up the point that knowledge of the state abbreviations clearly wouldn't be useless to you, so I thought it might be beneficial for you to go out and learn them. But if you don't want to, then hey, you're a free agent. Do yo' thang.
It was just a suggestion.
It was just a suggestion.
ColinEssex
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Typical American reply.
I am aware of the mutilation of English by the North American continent, I was merely pointing out the correct spelling.
Col
I am aware of the mutilation of English by the North American continent, I was merely pointing out the correct spelling.
Col
KenHigg
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As far as "mutilation" of the language, didn't "My Fair Lady" include this theme?
"Why Can't the English" (teach their children how to speak...)
"You, sir, did you go to school?" "Whaddaya taike me for, a fool?" "No one taught him 'take' instead of 'taike'"
I dare say we have ALL met those poor souls whose pronunciation would leave one close to tears. But it doesn't matter as long as we recognize the humanity that is in all of us. And try very hard to not laugh when we hear a minor verbal transgression.
"Why Can't the English" (teach their children how to speak...)
"You, sir, did you go to school?" "Whaddaya taike me for, a fool?" "No one taught him 'take' instead of 'taike'"
I dare say we have ALL met those poor souls whose pronunciation would leave one close to tears. But it doesn't matter as long as we recognize the humanity that is in all of us. And try very hard to not laugh when we hear a minor verbal transgression.
For a language that is "horrible" to learn, that hasn't stopped English from being effectively the language of the World. Moreover, the French government,
that most Chauvinistic of bodies, is now telling French students to learn English in order to be competitive in the Worlds job market. And the German government, whilst seeking to prevent the dilution of their language by the insinuation of English words, now requires all civil servants to be able to speak
English.
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Oh, it would be so grand if only we could get some USA civil servants to be able to speak English.
However, they are bound up in Gov-speak, which is incomprehensible on its best day. At their worst, they have the same effect on sanity as some of the Lovecraft demons.
I say that as a person who has worked around civil servants for 25 years. I have finally begun to understand the dialect a bit better now. The biggest hurdle is the government's alphabet soup. SMS texting is EASY to read once you've learned the recipe for the USA federal alphabet soup.
What chance do have you of getting US civil servants of speaking English if their English counterparts don't ? Of course they choose not so merely to be able to
clothe their comments with ambiguity and vagueness. What better way of avoiding the consequences of their comments than by employing smoke and mirrors ?
Mind you, even that is a nothingness compared to their fondness of signing their
letters with a non de plume ! Apparently, they do this in order to avoid getting their house fire bombed or their dog poisoned. I truly knew that the World had finally gone to pot when a tax official signed his letter to me
as " George Orwell " !
Stroud1977
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I worked in a law firm for a few years and my speech deteriorated (or improved depending on your perspective) into jargon heavy, cold, corporate legal mumbo jumbo.
I had to get our of there just so my friends could understand me again.
I had to get our of there just so my friends could understand me again.
