04-30-2001, 09:45 AM | #21 |
Lord Ao
Join Date: March 3, 2001
Location: London, England
Age: 30
Posts: 2,023
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Slightly ot.
Hi Father Bronze just because you made a reference to spelling. I always find it kinda funny that the English language abroad is often taught with American spellings, which in some ways (no offense intended) make it a bastardized English. ie Grey and gray or colour and color or even in your post licence and license. I wonder how these changes came to be made in the first place. Just a natural progression (as are all languages) or did the first American English teachers just teach some words wrong in the first place and the mis-spellings stuck. Accepted, I don't think too many people would sign up for "bastardized English" classes anyway. I just wondered what your take on this was. ------------------ One love, peace. |
04-30-2001, 09:59 AM | #22 |
Anubis
Join Date: March 1, 2001
Location: Up in the Freedomland Alps
Age: 60
Posts: 2,474
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Hey Charlie, I think it is because a language has a life of its own when people speak it, and it evolves ! English vs. American is a bit like French vs. Canadian French : Canadian people speak like us, but with a weird accent and bizarre expressions (to our ears anyway, a Canadian would say that it is US who have the bizarre accent and expressions ! ).
I have never been able to remember which was the English spelling for the words you mention ! (Color/colour, gray/grey, ...) So I use both alternatively, hoping to keep everyone from getting mad at me ... I am glad that languages evolve, BTW. In France anyway, I have noticed that the people wanting the language to stay 'pure' are the same who want the foreigners out ... ------------------ The world is my oyster ! |
04-30-2001, 10:04 AM | #23 |
Gold Dragon
Join Date: March 5, 2001
Location: smyrna, tn, usa
Age: 46
Posts: 2,506
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i just spell every thing how ever i please.
i dont find spelling to be very important. as long as you get my point. ------------------ *Lord of the Screen Shot* Get My IronWorks Winamp skin |
04-30-2001, 10:15 AM | #24 |
Dracolisk
Join Date: January 8, 2001
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Age: 44
Posts: 6,541
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Charlie, American English actually is closer to Middle English (spoken in 1100-1500, the ancestor of Modern English) than British English. It can be deduced that AE has stayed closer to its roots than BE . I do agree with you though, I tend to get annoyed about how many Europeans spell and especially pronounce their English in the American style, even when I do make some mistakes myself sometimes.
------------------ Melusine, Archbabe of the OHF and the LH Your voice is ambrosia |
04-30-2001, 10:23 AM | #25 | ||
Baaz Draconian
Join Date: January 8, 2001
Location: Northern Illinois
Age: 55
Posts: 719
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Quote:
Ahem: Quote:
------------------ Most Subtle Official Straightman of the Laughing Hyenas -- Grammarian Brigade. |
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04-30-2001, 10:36 AM | #26 | |
Baaz Draconian
Join Date: January 8, 2001
Location: Northern Illinois
Age: 55
Posts: 719
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Sorry for the delay, Charlie, I had to do the Slakerboy thing first.
Quote:
My guess is that language will continue changing in the future. Very few people use the word "whom" (even Language Instructors). I figure it is just a matter of time until it's gone. I have mixed feelings about spelling. First, let me make myself clear that I enjoy the diversity of spellings from British to American English. But when it comes to laziness, I find myself fairly intolerant. I find too many of my students would rather use a spellchecker than bother to learn the language (As a note here, I'm referring only to my students and not the members of this board. All in all, the quality of writing here is very good. It's when my students write phonetically and make no attempt whatsoever to write in standard spellings that I have a philosophical problem. Slackerboy's previous post is a good example. He wrote "please" instead of "pleez"). Maybe that's just me being a teacher and hoping my students learn rather than take the quick way out. But sometimes I am genuinely concerned that spellings are going to go so far from "standard" that they become unrecognizable. I fear that such irregularities would erode the common bond language. In short: Long live Esperanto! (There's nothing like a living dead language to make things right in the realm of communication) ------------------ Most Subtle Official Straightman of the Laughing Hyenas -- Grammarian Brigade. Edited for conciseness, clarity, and spelling (oops! ) [This message has been edited by Father Bronze (edited 04-30-2001).] |
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04-30-2001, 10:38 AM | #27 |
Gold Dragon
Join Date: March 5, 2001
Location: smyrna, tn, usa
Age: 46
Posts: 2,506
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no your right father bronze. my english teachers had it rough.
but they all liked me, i read alot. i'm very literate and can spell well when i try. i just find it takes to long to spell properly. ------------------ *Lord of the Screen Shot* Get My IronWorks Winamp skin |
04-30-2001, 10:48 AM | #28 | |
Baaz Draconian
Join Date: January 8, 2001
Location: Northern Illinois
Age: 55
Posts: 719
|
Quote:
And a slight admission on my part . . . I didn't really get too concerned about spelling and punctuation until I decided to become an English Teacher. Then I figured it was pretty much expected of me to clean up my act. But don't worry all, for the most part I consider myself "off duty" when surfing the board. ------------------ Most Subtle Official Straightman of the Laughing Hyenas -- Grammarian Brigade. |
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04-30-2001, 11:10 AM | #29 |
Lord Ao
Join Date: March 3, 2001
Location: London, England
Age: 30
Posts: 2,023
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Thanks for the reply Father Bronze.
Melusine, sorry love but can you elaborate a little upon your American English and English English comments, I personally fail to see how this is correct, particularly when considering how young the country is in terms of British colonisation . This country was still speaking French and Latin in a large part of the period that you mention, hence places like Marylebone Station (Mary le bon) or Mary the Good if you prefer, which still exist today. ------------------ One love, peace. |
04-30-2001, 11:15 AM | #30 | |
Gold Dragon
Join Date: March 5, 2001
Location: smyrna, tn, usa
Age: 46
Posts: 2,506
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Quote:
i almost never do either, i use ,'s and ?'s alot though ------------------ *Lord of the Screen Shot* Get My IronWorks Winamp skin |
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