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10/05/2008, 8:46 Cat Joined on 21/01/2005 ------- Forum Moderator ------- Lot Posts 3,192 Re: English as she is spoke ?  Dick Smith wrote: Is it a peculiarly British thing, that we can take advice from someone who tells us about plumbing, and show respect to that person, but someone who has any form of 'academic' knowledge is instantly ridiculed? To what inadequacy does it speak? If we follow your logic...I can take advice about plumbing, especially if I ask for it, but if a plumber were to walk totally uninvited into my bathroom and start ridiculing the plumbing system, I might reasonably be expected to take umbrage and tell him to wind his neck in.  Cathy Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...    Report

10/05/2008, 11:33 Dick Smith Joined on 23/08/2004 Surrey and Manche (Pays Mortainais) Posts 8,817 Re: English as she is spoke ? Is that a message that I am unwelcome on this thread as well? Or that you agree with Krusty in ridiculing the educated? Regards Dick Smith Nowhere is there warmth to be found Among those afraid of losing their ground    Report

10/05/2008, 11:46 Will Joined on 22/09/2004 Sussex & 50 (Mortainais) Posts 4,931 Re: English as she is spoke ? I could have some sympathy with Cat's point of view if this was one of the topics where the criticism of English was an unrequested side issue to the main subject, but, unless I have totally misunderstood, this thread was started with the purpose of discussing the use (or abuse) of the English language on the forums. So therefore I am totally in agreement with Dick - surely the point of the forums, as enshrined in the code of conduct, is free, good mannered discussion. Not merely agreement with the moderators. My personal view - and one with which I know the moderators disagree, so presumably I risk a warning myself - is that this forum represents, online, a stable of glossy magazines that should have high standards of production. So at least its moderators, as flag-bearers for the publications, should set an example themselves and be able to not only write in good English, but also encourage its correct use. I certainly discourage poor grammar and spelling on the web site for the magazine with which I am professionally involved, and would expect others to feel likewise. Will intentionally blank signature http://www.vienormande.com    Report

10/05/2008, 11:51 Dick Smith Joined on 23/08/2004 Surrey and Manche (Pays Mortainais) Posts 8,817 Re: English as she is spoke ? I think there is also a cognition issue. Regards Dick Smith Nowhere is there warmth to be found Among those afraid of losing their ground    Report

10/05/2008, 11:59 Will Joined on 22/09/2004 Sussex & 50 (Mortainais) Posts 4,931 Re: English as she is spoke ? Style points: Re: 'cream of the crop' - see http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20010608 This also highlights other illogical idioms, which no doubt, like 'cream of the crop' owe their popularity to their alliterative sound. Two examples given are 'fit as a fiddle' and 'head over heels' - which, when you think about it, really means 'the right way up' rather than its more commonly accepted definition. Also single and double quotes - my magazine style guide reserves double quotes for actual quotations, so single quotes are used in other cases (including the 'quote within quote'). This is common in journalistic style, but that doesn't necessarily make it any more or less correct than other uses. I would certainly disagree with the observation that using single quotes is, in some way, 'wrong'. Will intentionally blank signature http://www.vienormande.com    Report

10/05/2008, 12:33 krusty Joined on 13/08/2006 haute vienne (87) Posts 2,581 Re: English as she is spoke ? I am not wanting to ridicule the educated , but think of new comers who may be put off posting if you get slated for not using the correct grammar. But if people state their disdain of poor English , so too am I entailed to my opinion. This forum is a mine of useful information and it comes from all classes of people.    Report

10/05/2008, 12:42 Gengulphus Joined on 30/01/2008 Saône et Loire Posts 84 Re: English as she is spoke ?  LyndaandRichard wrote: There is no excuse imo for those people, it's lazyness. The Firefox browser has a spell checking add on that can be used and this is useful when using forums… There is no certainly excuse for lazyness if you have a spell-checker! It's good, provided it lasts… Letizia Bonaparte    Report

10/05/2008, 13:09 Dick Smith Joined on 23/08/2004 Surrey and Manche (Pays Mortainais) Posts 8,817 Re: English as she is spoke ?  krusty wrote: I am not wanting to ridicule the educated , but think of new comers who may be put off posting if you get slated for not using the correct grammar. But if people state their disdain of poor English , so too am I entailed to my opinion. This forum is a mine of useful information and it comes from all classes of people. Yes, it was ridicule. Whatever you try to say the morning after... Have you seen the title of the thread? What do you mean by 'entailed to your opinion'? Making typos is easy, isn't it? On the point of class, I was born and raised working class in a council house by concerned working class parents. I am not 'lah-di-dah' (note spelling). I am a south London bloke, always have been. Just educated, to a degree cultured, and intelligent. So I don't really see what point you are making, other than ridicule. Do you feel threatened in some way by this discussion? Regards Dick Smith Nowhere is there warmth to be found Among those afraid of losing their ground    Report

10/05/2008, 13:10 Dick Smith Joined on 23/08/2004 Surrey and Manche (Pays Mortainais) Posts 8,817 Re: English as she is spoke ?  Gengulphus wrote:  LyndaandRichard wrote: There is no excuse imo for those people, it's lazyness. The Firefox browser has a spell checking add on that can be used and this is useful when using forums… There is no certainly excuse for lazyness if you have a spell-checker! That's an interesting point, because there is no good reason why [lazyness] shouldn't be correct. But the spellchecker doesn't like it, beecause it follows that old, Dr Johnson Latinate spelling diktat. Regards Dick Smith Nowhere is there warmth to be found Among those afraid of losing their ground    Report

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