when are you "new"?

[FrankenSchwinn]

with this english language???? it's not my native language, far from it, but i do make an effort for typing it properly because of the sheer respect as to what and "who" are the readers of this forum. where is the line drawn as to where is improper english drawn?


i only espect this to be deleted or a closed thread, which would prove more than my point.............

[janneppi]

Me not understood the whole post. :)
Quite a few memebers here are using English at best their second language, me included, while i concider being pretty good in it, i still have to use a dictionary or google to look up words or the way they should be spelled. Biggest isssue for is that Finnish has a rather different sentence structure. Not to mention word plays and sayings wont always work .

[CarlMetro]

I must say that generally the standard of English from those who type it as a second/third/fourth language has always impressed me on here, even some of the Americans get it right sometimes :p : ;)

What I find slightly more annoying is the standard of grammar and spelling produced by those who speak English as a first language :\

[Mark]

Agree with Carl. I have no problem with people who don't have English as a first language making an effort to make themselves understood. We made one of them a moderator! ;)

What I do have a problem with is with people who do have English as a first language who can't be bothered to use spelling and grammar correctly.

[bowler]

We are fortunate to have a significant number of people who do not have English as their first language. The input from them adds to the depth of the forum, especially in the Rally section where I live.

English is not an easy language to master fully, and I have nothing but respect for those here who try (mostly very successfully) to contribute here.

[Storm]

I have no problem with people who don't have English as a first language making an effort to make themselves understood. We made one of them a moderator! ;)

:laugh:

I don't get what exactly is meant by 'improper' English. Like CM and Mark said , sometimes the standard of English grammar and especially spelling is unbelievable for people who actually have it as their first language. For most others who only learnt it in school and do not speak it every day with many people, I still think the majority of us on here are perfectly good at conveying our thoughts (atleast in writing :p : )

I started learning English when I was 4 yrs old hence it is almost my 1.5th language and we tend to use it on day to day basis as well in many places so I try to avoid any mistakes as I can while typing over here.

[Erki]

I don't know about you, but my mental chatter is very often in English.

[Donney]

My mental chatter is mostly in English too but the problem is there´s nobody to correct the mistakes I may make in my head.

Anyway I think most of the non-english speakers are very impressive in their command of the aforementioned language and I find it motivating to keep improving.

[janneppi]

I do the same, but only when writing in forums. If uses a finnish sentence structure, some critical words may leave out or sentence may become unclear. :p :
So it's better to think in engish from the beginning.

[BaldyMan]

The worst people are those that use text as if they are using a mobile phone.
Our friends from other country's no problem, at least they make the effort!
Even someone as old as me can understand them, if every word is not correct, at least you have used words not text.

[ArrowsFA1]

We are fortunate to have a significant number of people who do not have English as their first language. The input from them adds to the depth of the forum, especially in the Rally section where I live.

English is not an easy language to master fully, and I have nothing but respect for those here who try (mostly very successfully) to contribute here.
:up:

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Me is just gerally xero gud at spelling and grammer :dozey:

[Hazell B]

I don't know about you, but my mental chatter is very often in English.

Wish mine was :p :

Yes, some of us Brits are ashamed of our countrymates with their(there/they're) dreadful grasp of something they've used all of their (there/they're) lives.

Some are downright poorly educated and have no interest in getting it right - some call themselves intelligent yet still can't sort the 'your' from the 'you're' however many times they're (their/there) told.

We all make mistakes of course, but not even bothering to try and learn is poor going. I offer an apology for our education system :down:

[Donney]

I'm afraid you brits are not alone in this crusade, you should visit some Spanish forums, you would feel like plucking your eyes out if you could understand the atrocity of the grammar and spelling there.

[Hazell B]

I wouldn't - my por quality UK education left me with a French O Level yet zero grasp of any language other than my own :mark:

[johnny shell]

I think it's great that you all are learning English. it is the universal language, after all. it might come in handy one day if you ever, for example, meet someone from another planet since they all speak english too! (according to the movies I've seen anyway!)

[schmenke]

I was fortunate to grow up in a bilingual city so apart from my mastiry of the Queen's English I understand that ordering a croque monsieur in a café will get me a ham and cheese sandwich. :mark:

Oh, and I can also cuss in Finnish :D

(prkl)

[Eki]

I think it's great that you all are learning English. it is the universal language, after all. it might come in handy one day if you ever, for example, meet someone from another planet since they all speak english too! (according to the movies I've seen anyway!)
Take me to your leader... On second thought, please don't.

[Captain VXR]

Tiepos are okay but txt spk is not alowd here.

[Gannex]

We are fortunate to have a significant number of people who do not have English as their first language. The input from them adds to the depth of the forum, especially in the Rally section where I live.

English is not an easy language to master fully, and I have nothing but respect for those here who try (mostly very successfully) to contribute here.
I agree completely, bowler. But I have to take issue with you, Hazell, and others, who have said that they are annoyed by native English speakers who misspell or write ungrammatically, treating them, almost, as inferiors. The fact is that some people, whether through lack of education, or lack of opportunity to practice, or maybe just from lack of aptitude, are lousy spellers and bloody awful writers. That's no reason to run them down, in my opinion, any more than you would run someone down for being unmusical. Even the less articulate among us have their story to tell, and I don't think it would be right to make them feel excluded or looked down upon just because they weren't lucky enough to have great English teachers or lots of time for reading.

Now if the post is rubbish just because the writer can't be bothered to write clearly, that's another thing entirely; but in most cases, it's inability, not lack of effort.

[Eki]

I agree completely, bowler. But I have to take issue with you, Hazell, and others, who have said that they are annoyed by native English speakers who misspell or write ungrammatically, treating them, almost, as inferiors. The fact is that some people, whether through lack of education, or lack of opportunity to practice, or maybe just from lack of aptitude, are lousy spellers and bloody awful writers. That's no reason to run them down, in my opinion, any more than you would run someone down for being unmusical. Even the less articulate among us have their story to tell, and I don't think it would be right to make them feel excluded or looked down upon just because they weren't lucky enough to have great English teachers or lots of time for reading.

Now if the post is rubbish just because the writer can't be bothered to write clearly, that's another thing entirely; but in most cases, it's inability, not lack of effort.
Exactly, Gannex. There's also this thing called dyslexia, and the people who have it aren't stupid or lazy, it's just the way their brains are wired. I think it's a bit like being colour blind:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexia

[schmenke]

Exactly, Gannex. There's also this thing called dyslexia, and the people who have it aren't stupid or lazy...

Neither are the lazy or stupid.















:uhoh:

[Quattroporte]

i dnt no wot u pepl r taklin abot wot is rong wiv my speeelin i am lots grate at my riteing!




:p

[jso1985]

I'm afraid you brits are not alone in this crusade, you should visit some Spanish forums, you would feel like plucking your eyes out if you could understand the atrocity of the grammar and spelling there.

agree! I specially hate those morons who replace "c" and "q" with "k". not to mention morons who think they're cooler if they use some(with bad spelling) English words

[Storm]

agree! I specially hate those morons who replace "c" and "q" with "k". not to mention morons who think they're cooler if they use some(with bad spelling) English words

Yes I have read that too,...it looks quite stupid IMO....alguien k habla etc.. :s

[Donney]

That's the common text speaking your example would read like:
"algn k abla" instead of "alguien que habla"

[walrus81]

agree! I specially hate those morons who replace "c" and "q" with "k". not to mention morons who think they're cooler if they use some(with bad spelling) English words
I agree. It can get rather confusing on the occasions when I go on a spanish speaking forum (with my dodgy spanish) and see a k on it's own.

[Ian McC]

I'm afraid you brits are not alone in this crusade, you should visit some Spanish forums, you would feel like plucking your eyes out if you could understand the atrocity of the grammar and spelling there.


Actually that answers a question I was going to ask, I was beginning to believe that only the English were the ones that text speak!

[Ian McC]

I have respect for anyone that has learnt a second language, we British are so lazy in this, mainly because we feel we can get away with it.

[schmenke]

Is second language instruction not compulsory in British schools?

[Ian McC]

Is second language instruction not compulsory in British schools?

I don't know these days, even if it is I don't think people are really that bothered about it.

[GridGirl]

You dont learn a second language in British schools till seconday school age. Its much easier to start learning a second language at a younger age compared to when your 12 and dont really care about your 2 hours of French each week.

[Storm]

Yup starting at a younger age is much better like GridGirl says....
Over here we start learning first language (whatever your mothertongue is..sicne we have 20+ official languages in the country :s ), generally English as the 2nd language right from KG/primary school and Hindi from the secondary school (age 9). On top of that we have options of learning other languages from Std 7 (age 12) - Std 10 (which ends high-school) + 2 more years of junior college.....e.g my school offered Sanskrit and Russian :eek:
Most schools offer German or French which are also taught in the 2 yrs after high school. :)

[Donney]

I agree. It can get rather confusing on the occasions when I go on a spanish speaking forum (with my dodgy spanish) and see a k on it's own.

A k on its own equals "que" in text speaking.

[janneppi]

My spanish knowledge consists of Fawlty Towers episoded and Chris Waddle.
Basil: Manuel!
Manuel: Que?
smack!

[Donney]

Poor Manuel, Fawlty Towers was funny though.

[Hazell B]

But I have to take issue with .... Hazell ... who have said that they are annoyed by native English speakers who misspell or write ungrammatically, treating them, almost, as inferiors. The fact is that some people, whether through lack of education, or lack of opportunity to practice, or maybe just from lack of aptitude, are lousy spellers and bloody awful writers. That's no reason to run them down ...

And I to take issue with your inability to read my post :rolleyes: I did not put anyone down. In fact I said we all make mistakes, just some are too lazy to bother getting it right.

Some does not mean all ;)

[Mark]

By the time I was 12, 2 hours of French a week didn't mean anything to me. Consequently I can only speak a few words now, and most of them are from actually going to France, not from school :(

If you want to teach foreign languages then you need to start from as young as possible, preferably the first day of primary school!

[speedy king]

Agree with Carl. I have no problem with people who don't have English as a first language making an effort to make themselves understood. We made one of them a moderator! ;)

What I do have a problem with is with people who do have English as a first language who can't be bothered to use spelling and grammar correctly.

Might i just take this thread to add a little thankyou to the forum...I joined when i was about 11 years old i think, i was in lowest sets for English at school and on learning dissabilities. I kid you not, i sware the 4,000 or something posts i've done on here must have actually contributed to the fact that i am no longer classed as having dissabilities in English as rather than sat down texting i'm actually spending a few hours a day/week typing properly :)

[Donney]

Congratulations! Something good had to come out of the habit.

[Mark]

Might i just take this thread to add a little thankyou to the forum...I joined when i was about 11 years old i think, i was in lowest sets for English at school and on learning dissabilities. I kid you not, i sware the 4,000 or something posts i've done on here must have actually contributed to the fact that i am no longer classed as having dissabilities in English as rather than sat down texting i'm actually spending a few hours a day/week typing properly :)

Cheers :) . Captial I, boy! Captial I. Sheesh I dispair ;)