| 3/8/2008 9:38:42 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
lin37
Comstock Park, MI
age: 38
| Maybe I'm getting on my soap box again. Maybe I'm being too picky. Maybe I was just born with a stick up my A **. BUT!!!!!
I have a BS in Journalism and a minor in English, yet I get to read about 5 messages a day from people who can not speak English apparantly. It sounds like English. It even looks a little like English. However, it must be some dialect from the jungles of Noman's Land, USA.
Let's disect a simple email that I recently received.
GOOD MORNING LET ME INTRODUCE MY SELF TO YOUMY NAME IS _________________________ . HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS MORNING SWEETIEI AM DOING O.K I SEE THAT YOU WAS ONLINE I WANTED TO SAY HELLO TO YOU DARLINGYOU HAVE A NICE DAY AND HOPE TO HERE FROM YOU O.K SWEETIE
The first problem is that it is in all caps. A pet peeve of mine and I'm dealing with that.
Secondly, the entire email is run on sentence that needs to be broken into several phrases. Good Morning. Stop. The second sentence starts with Let me and runs with no punctuation between the prepositional phrase (to you) and the obvious break needed at a point starting with My name is. etc. I'm sure you're intellegent enough to figure it out from here.
Thirdly, am I a Sweetie or a Darling? Personal greetings like these are reserved for after one has known someone for longer than say two minutes. And please, stick to one or the other.
Forth, again with the lack of punctuation. I'll over look that since we discussed that already. "I see that you was online". STOP STOP STOP with the mixing of person and tense. When using the first person, you will need to conjegate the verb are in the present participle and say "I see you are online". You may throw the word that in there if you feel the need to waste a word. Either way, the sentence is now correct.
I wish we could stop mutilating pronouns, twisting verbs, destroying preposition and shackling our sentences to stones so that may be drawn and quartered. I want the English language back.
Don't even get me started on double negatives.
Lastly, in the words of George Carlin, what if I don't want to have a nice day? What if I've had 100 nice days in a row and I want to have a crappy one? 
[Edited 3/8/2008 9:55:37 AM]
|
| 3/8/2008 9:45:21 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
garnetlady
Cincinnati, OH
age: 48 online now!
| Foreign, scam artist. I block and delete.
|
| 3/8/2008 9:49:47 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
iamnumber5
Saint Augustine, FL
age: 48 online now!
| I've seen enough of them, definately scam. That is how they start out.
|
| 3/8/2008 9:51:35 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
lin37
Comstock Park, MI
age: 38
| This guy is from NY. Seems he is just really bad at talking.
Still, scam or not, there is an English difficiency.
|
| 3/8/2008 9:59:20 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
unc005
Seagrove, NC
age: 25 online now!
| I hear y'all, ladies. Overall, for me, I overlook grammatical and spelling errors. I pride myself on being proficient in grammar, etc. (because I SUCK at math! LOL!), so...that's been a big deal for me as well.
However, I overlook things if the person seems nice, is trying to get a point across/express him/herself, etc.
I just...go with the flow (LOL).
Hope y'all are having a wonderful weekend .
unc
|
| 3/8/2008 10:15:04 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
garnetlady
Cincinnati, OH
age: 48 online now!
| English difficiency, very much so. Folks from NY, NJ is usually where these types of email come from. My motto is...If you can't speak proper English, don't even talk to me. That might sound harsh but I'm not wasting my time with scam artists. Now those who just genuinely misspell, use incorrect english..that is different. I can overlook that. It does bother me but that is my issue to deal with.
|
| 3/8/2008 10:15:15 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
im_vika
Brooklyn, NY
age: 33
| I agree with you, Lin...I hear language like that everyday. And it bugs me to no end.
I came to this country a little over 10 years ago with no knowledge of English whatsoever and I made it my priority to learn the language as fast as I can possibly do. I buried myself in grammar and dictionary books for months and months and months. It was a long and a difficult process, and, although, I know I am in no way near being proficient, I think I am doing pretty damn good considering I started at zero point.
But I honestly can not understand when someone who is claiming English as their "native" language (and in most cases, this is the only language they can speak) can't even bother to learn a few simple grammar rules. 
|
| 3/8/2008 10:18:48 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
lin37
Comstock Park, MI
age: 38
| Vika...I am sincerly impressed with your speaking/typing. You sound like you've been speaking English all your life. THANK YOU!
I think people who speak English well have so much more respect for themselves and others than people who mutilate the language.
[Edited 3/8/2008 10:19:30 AM]
|
| 3/8/2008 10:19:51 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
desertspider
London
United Kingdom
age: 27
| Oh dear!
|
| 3/8/2008 10:22:20 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
flowergirl62
South Australia
Australia
age: 46
| I totally agree desertspider 
|
| 3/8/2008 10:32:59 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
twohawks
Bothell, WA
age: 69 online now!
| Here's my ten cents worth:
English is a very difficult language for a non speaker to learn. We have many words that sound the same and are pronounced the same, but have different meanings and spellings. Flour and Flower is an example. Lead (as to guide) and Lead (the metal) is another example. Read (past tense with a book) and Red is a third example. Along those same lines: I will read the book. I have read the book. We are fortunate in that we don't have male/female designations for some words like in Spanish and French and possibly other languages. In most languages....one word pronounced one way has one meaning.
As for the "darling" "sweetie" and other terms like that. In an initial letter if you get that...walk away from it! You just DON'T use that kind of language in an initial meeting! That is something one would use to gain your attention for purposes unknown.
And that's my dime's worth!
|
| 3/8/2008 10:37:41 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
lin37
Comstock Park, MI
age: 38
| I understand completely that this is a hard language to learn. But, my issue is with people who were born and raised here and supposedly have been speaking this language from birth.
|
| 3/8/2008 10:45:15 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
dancinglynx
Reedsburg, WI
age: 44
| I tend to agree with the majority. I know my grammer or spelling isn't up to par, but when I get e-mails like that one, I delete them. It's not that hard to use a period or a comma. I hate run on sentences. It make the person sound like a little kid. That's just my opinion, I may be wrong....
ps)I loved that George Carlin bit.
|
| 3/8/2008 10:54:06 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
garravesh
New Harmony, UT
age: 36
| I would say that a lot of people have skills in speaking and also writing but after years of talking in chat and online their skill might have deteriorated. I know alot of people who even talk in those emoticons in real life...
As to it being a pet peeve....I am a chef.....I do not eat other peoples food because they don't practice safe and sanitary practices..I HATE CHURCH POTLUCKS....So I can understand where you come from in the grammatical sense..
On a lighter note...SHEESH I guess I will never email anyone..I don't want to be disembowled if I make a grammatical error or a typo.!!
|
| 3/8/2008 11:01:01 AM | Is English that hard to speak? | |
dancinglynx
Reedsburg, WI
age: 44
| garravesh, if I don't bug ya about grammer would you come cook for me?
|