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enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 315 |
I am interested in knowing how many (or how few) of us are non-native English speakers.
I would like to share with them the two faces of this experience for me:
1) to accept that I am not perfect - here, that I cannot avoid mistakes,and that I have to accept to show them to an audience of well English writers - is not a shame, but just a way to be open to the world and to the people
2) anyway, how frustrating is not to be able to express your idea unless in a simplified form, for lack of words!
Ciao
Emanuela
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
If it makes you feel any better Emanuela, perhaps we should have an Italian day where we all posted our replies in Italian - I'm sure that our efforts would keep you amused for ages. Arriverderchi (no idea how to spell it!  ) Jo
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Emanuela--
Again, I think you are very brave and I admire you tremendously. Thank you for giving us such a good example!
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Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 724
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 724 |
Hi Emanuela
I would like to respond to your message - since English is not my native language.
I too struggle with wanting to be perfect and speak English like all the rest. I use the board as a learning and note down phrases and words that the others have used, and use them myself. The other day during a very Indian occasion I said "Dagnabbit" (that Anna had used sometime), it sounded so odd and out of place. My one fear is to use what we call Indianism - constructions arising out of translation from Indian languages. One example is "Don't speak in the middle" for "Don't Interrupt". The question is what is perfect? It is relative, isn't it? French style of speaking English sounds perfect when the French speak it. Yes, it is frustrating not to have enough words to express oneself. That improves with more writing and speaking. As for being self-conscious - in a place where every one knows you it shouldn't really matter if a word is where it shouldn't be. You're absolutely right - the lack of language should not succeed in keeping the world and people away.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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awadadiddies diddy dum diddy doosLove that, belM 
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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(I'll let Anna off and anyone with windpowered Macs.)'preciate the consideration, there, Jo  And as for you, Avy, I have never ever uttered or typed the word "dagnabbit" until this very moment!  (but your point is taken) ... I became bilingual rather late in life and will still often misuse a term in Portuguese. If I were to give examples, though, I'd be guilty of YARTing in public. And this is something ladies do not do.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 347
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 347 |
Avy,
On a similar note to Jackie's reply to Emanuela, I too admire you, Emanuela and all other non-English-speaking contributors to this board. I know I approached my first few postings with some trepidation, despite being an English speaker! Now I have a more relaxed what-the-hell attitude.
Just before I hit the Continue button to post this, I did a search on "dagnabbit" and found that Anna had already beaten me to the punch with a reply, and confirmed what I suspected. I don't want to waste all these precious characters that I've typed (would they go to the dead letter office if I deleted them?), so here's my say, anyway..[
I too learn a lot about words and expressions from other people's postings, but I would urge caution in your approach. As you probably realize by now, some of the words and expressions in use here are "made up", some are obscure references that not every one would understand, some are specific to a particular country (perhaps slang) and some are deliberate (or accidental?) misuse/mis-spelling of the "correct" word. I, for example, had never heard/seen the word "dagnabbit" in my life before Anna used it, and I suspect most of my circle of family/friends/acquaintances would look at me rather strangely if I used it.
Oh, and there's a big category here for jokes of all kinds, lots of puns, and many recurring themes or "in" jokes (i.e. only understood by one of the "group") - eg cycling fish. I guess once you understand all of them, you'll know you've "made it". You'll be doing better than I. You'll also be a little weird.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 347
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 347 |
...and Anna, I think you're splitting hairs there. Does cutting and pasting not qualify as typing? Your response to belMarduk's use of the phrase "dag nabbit": http://wordsmith.org/board/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=words&Number=6149I do excuse you - I know two weeks ago puts it in the old-history-purge-from-memory category.
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I will confess that I am the likely culprit who first posted this substitute for cursing, that I picked up from my Tennessee cousin. But I am not the one whom Anna
quoted.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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anyone with windpowered Macs.I hope that's not a subtle way of calling me garrulous!
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