My musings on the lack of grammar nazis

[Etherealicer]

Whenever I see the prizes on MTs here in Switerland, I think "Give me a brake, they cost a fifth in the US".

... that should summon Zoids

 

Almost 27 minutes... what took you so long?

[Etherealicer]

Whenever I see the prizes on MTs here in Switerland, I think "Give me a brake, they cost a fifth in the US".

... that should summon Zoids

I've never been in Switerland. Is it that much more expensive than Switzerland?

... its actually not that bad, princes have come down quite a bit, so after all I've gotten my brick. Its not about the content of the phrase but the words used. After all, it is a threat about making spelling mistakes.
Second mistake... YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SWITZERLAND

[pfrsantos]

Whenever I see the prizes on MTs here in Switerland, I think "Give me a brake, they cost a fifth in the US".

... that should summon Zoids

I've never been in Switerland. Is it that much more expensive than Switzerland?

... its actually not that bad, princes have come down quite a bit, so after all I've gotten my brick. Its not about the content of the phrase but the words used. After all, it is a threat about making spelling mistakes.
Second mistake... YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SWITZERLAND

The only threat is your spelling...
 

This is a post, on a thread!
 

[kkokkolis]

No, I have been to Switzerland, it's Switerland I have never been in. 

I think that a lot of the mistakes are produced while the person translates literally from his own tongue to English.

In Greece we often laugh translating literally some Greek expressions. They really make no sense in English and they just sound funny (or offending). I guess that happens with every language.

What about:
It says!
It counts
I've played them!
It doesn't exist we say
It happened the come to see.
Are you working me?
Ι am not fighting her...
You changed my lights
I stayed bone!
Welcome my eyes the two
Better five and in hand than ten and waiting
Better donkey-bonding than donkey-searching
They played wood.
On the deaf man's door, knock as much as you want.
To the down-down of the writing
Are you asking and the change from over?
He returned me the entrails.
Like the unfair curse.
Something's running down to the gypsies.
It didn't sit on us.
He gives her to me.
You take him and you incline
It brakes her to me.
He owes me his horns.
Who pays the bride.
He made them sea
I came out of my clothes.
This place is at Devil's mother.
It rains chair legs.
Hairs curly.
I don't have face to come out in society.
How from here morning morning?
I don't know my blindness.
The blind man's rights
I see it pale.
He is de-watered!
Did he tell her to me now?
You are for the festivals.
Three-blanket party.
You catch me?
They don't chew.
Does the goat chew taramas?
Slow the cabbages!
Catch the egg and give it a haircut.
Are we gluing coffee pots?
Marrows drums!
Marrows with olive & oregano.
I saw Christ a soldier
Does the cat spin on gogurt?
It will be of Popi.
Leave them to go.
He is blowing the money.
You bloated ours.
One and to be hot.
 

And so on.

It's the same phenomenon that happens not for comical effect but because one doesn't know the precise expression in English.

Don't forget that I have to use a lot of Greek words when writing in English, but in a non Greek mode. That's confusing too.

[Etherealicer]

No, I have been to Switzerland, it's Switerland I have never been in. 

Fallen for my own tarp

[Etherealicer]

Whenever I see the prizes on MTs here in Switerland, I think "Give me a brake, they cost a fifth in the US".

... that should summon Zoids

I've never been in Switerland. Is it that much more expensive than Switzerland?

... its actually not that bad, princes have come down quite a bit, so after all I've gotten my brick. Its not about the content of the phrase but the words used. After all, it is a threat about making spelling mistakes.
Second mistake... YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SWITZERLAND

The only threat is your spelling...
 

This is a post, on a thread!
 

I always thought its sbelling, because it rings so nice

[Syncop8r]

 

[pomsbz]

I have been to Switzerland, quite a few times. My sister in law lives there. Most incredible sausage I've ever eaten. Oh and woooooow high prices on everything.

Although I am English born and bred, I didn't have formal English language education further than GCSE level (age 16) when I left school. In addition I speak a foreign language most of the day, a factor which doesn't really help my grammar or vocabulary retention. Don't even start me on spelling.

I'd add another factor. Although the English language has defined rules of grammar, these vary somewhat dependant on location but more so usage. The language used when writing; a university thesis, a business case, a novel, an instruction sheet for an appliance, a letter to your bank, a letter to your girlfriend and most of all in spoken conversation, will be vastly different. This is language usage however the strict grammar usage will also change in conjunction. Especially when switching to spoken English which in itself will have various categories of language usage. With all of that in mind, what category would we define forum conversation to be? Is it transcribed spoken word? Or is it perhaps a fully written style of communication. If so just how informal is the language use allowed to become? Until we've defined that, I'm not sure that any style of forum grammar policing can be interpreted as anything but individuals projecting their own views on the subject to a usually disinterested audience. Especially in an age where social media has developed its own 'open source' styles or genres of English language usage.

That said, written language requires clarity of intention. Regardless of the style of writing, if the message is ambiguous or unclear, there will be a lack of successful communication. This is seen most often due to the use of transcribed  spoken language missing required tonal cues which provide contextual intent. Even emoji use has become mostly ambiguous or indeed intentionally misused on the internet further exacerbating the issue.

In conclusion, yes this is an exceptionally relaxed and friendly forum.   

[pfrsantos]

Whenever I see the prizes on MTs here in Switerland, I think "Give me a brake, they cost a fifth in the US".

... that should summon Zoids

I've never been in Switerland. Is it that much more expensive than Switzerland?

... its actually not that bad, princes have come down quite a bit, so after all I've gotten my brick. Its not about the content of the phrase but the words used. After all, it is a threat about making spelling mistakes.
Second mistake... YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SWITZERLAND

The only threat is your spelling...
 

This is a post, on a thread!
 

I always thought its sbelling, because it rings so nice

Sbelling is acceptable, but only when you have a cold.

 

[ThePeacent]

Things like "I should of" instead of "I should have", "opps" instead of "oops", they're their there who's whose etc.

I'm happy to have learned many words and things in English here, it's a very good place to practice and see mistakes/errors/tendencies of both native English speakers and non-native members.
I try my best and I'm aware of most of my mistakes, unfortunately that happens some time after I've made my post and re-read it (like days after,  ). I don't try to correct anybody's gramatical mistakes because I'm the first one to do them, and only if it's a recurring thing or frequent, very awkward error do I tell that person, because I want to spare them further ridicule. But that rarely happens.

As for mistakes that many English speakers do, especially on Bladeforums, these kill me:

- Knifes
- Than/Then

and the one that I can't stand and makes me really angry everytime I see it, especially from a native speaker (truth is, it's often native English speakers that do this mistake), as Syncop8r said:

- should of / could of.... 

just in case anybody was thinking "what's wrong with should of?"

http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/blog/english-mistakes/should-have-vs-should-of/

[pomsbz]

and the one that I can't stand and makes me really angry everytime I see it, especially from a native speaker (truth is, it's often native English speakers that do this mistake), as Syncop8r said:

- should of / could of.... 

just in case anybody was thinking "what's wrong with should of?"

http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/blog/english-mistakes/should-have-vs-should-of/

Thing is, referencing what I wrote above, although it's incorrect, 'should of' is common usage in relaxed spoken English and usually ignored. Call it 'slang' English usage. As a result you are seeing on forums is people 'speaking' with their fingers.

[Huntsman]

In your case, Lister's, pfrsantos' and many other people on this forum, for whom the first language is not English, if I didn't knew better, I would think that your first (and primary) language was English. 
........

FTFY...
 

In Lister's, pfrsantos' and your cases, and for many other people on this forum, for whom the whose first language is not English, if I didn't knew know better, I would think that your first (and primary) language was English. 

FTFY ....

[Don Pablo]

In your case, Lister's, pfrsantos' and many other people on this forum, for whom the first language is not English, if I didn't knew better, I would think that your first (and primary) language was English. 
........

FTFY...
 

In Lister's, pfrsantos' and your cases, and for many other people on this forum, for whom the whose first language is not English, if I didn't knew know better, I would think that your first (and primary) language was English. 

FTFY ....

[pfrsantos]

Thanks. My grasp on the english language is not as perfect as I'd like. I've learn from movies, TV and songs.
 

Here are a few songs that helped me become the cunning linguist I am today:

Show content

These tracks are from a portuguese group, Cebola Mol. They have an album inspired in Pulp Fiction, with excerpts from the film remade by them. It's like Monty Python meets Benny Hill.

 

[Huntsman]

Thing is, referencing what I wrote above, although it's incorrect, 'should of' is common usage in relaxed spoken English and usually ignored. Call it 'slang' English usage. As a result you are seeing on forums is people 'speaking' with their fingers.

Just because it's common it does not mean it is correct 
- There is no question that 'should of' is gramatically incorrect - and should not be used even in spoken English.
And I don't think there is such a thing as 'relaxed spoken English' in the way you imply with a different set of rules !!

And I gotta disagree with this too:

......
Although the English language has defined rules of grammar, these vary somewhat dependant on location but more so usage
......
however the strict grammar usage will also change in conjunction. Especially when switching to spoken English which in itself will have various categories of language usage.

This is total codswallop 
Yes accents, words, the spoken word, mannerisms, colloquialisms, dialects etc change - Grammar does not - The rules are fixed

Yes I do agree spoken/forum English is more informal than 'proper' written English.
And grammatical rules may not be applied by an individual to the spoken word, but that does not make that spoken word correct - even if it is common! 

Jumping off my soap box now !!

All that said - We have some amazing non-native English speakers on this forum
Many speak/write (and spell!!) English better than many of our native speakers

[lister]

Well this must be the most active thread I've ever started! 

Since I joined this forum my writing skills improved. Before I felt uncomfortable communicating in English. Now I can write without much trouble. Although I still regularly look up definitions of words and phrases to avoid making mistakes. And spell checker is a godsend for someone who learned most of his English through listening.

Speaking English is a whole different beast to me. I am told that I sound like a Russian with extensive vocabulary. Also a beer or two supposedly increases my ability to speak English well. Anything more than that changes the trend sharply. 

As for learning English as a second language as opposed to some other language: It is easier to learn English as there is so much of it. I presume that is why my quest to learn German is still a failure. There is simply not as much of it around and it is thus harder to learn it through sheer diffusion. 

[pomsbz]

Yes accents, words, the spoken word, mannerisms, colloquialisms, dialects etc change - Grammar does not - The rules are fixed

I'm no linguist but I have a feeling that the above statement might be up for discussion. Especially when seen from a historical basis. I have a feeling that the rules of grammar are indeed evolving as is the rest of the language albeit at perhaps a slower pace. I would be amazed if the common usage of grammar in 1945 and today were identical. There is nothing 'holy' about an evolving and ever changing language which might suggest that the rules of grammar are sacrosanct and utterly unchanged by the winds of time.

Just my thoughts, I'm not a professional linguist by any means and my in depth and historical studies into language structure have all been in a different and far more ancient language.

[Don Pablo]

Yes accents, words, the spoken word, mannerisms, colloquialisms, dialects etc change - Grammar does not - The rules are fixed

I'm no linguist but I have a feeling that the above statement might be up for discussion. Especially when seen from a historical basis. I have a feeling that the rules of grammar are indeed evolving as is the rest of the language albeit at perhaps a slower pace. I would be amazed if the common usage of grammar in 1945 and today were identical. There is nothing 'holy' about an evolving and ever changing language which might suggest that the rules of grammar are sacrosanct and utterly unchanged by the winds of time.

Just my thoughts, I'm not a professional linguist by any means and my in depth and historical studies into language structure have all been in a different and far more ancient language.

+1. 
The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and riffle their pockets for new vocabulary.
-J.N

[El Corkscrew]

Yes accents, words, the spoken word, mannerisms, colloquialisms, dialects etc change - Grammar does not - The rules are fixed

I'm no linguist but I have a feeling that the above statement might be up for discussion. Especially when seen from a historical basis. I have a feeling that the rules of grammar are indeed evolving as is the rest of the language albeit at perhaps a slower pace. I would be amazed if the common usage of grammar in 1945 and today were identical. There is nothing 'holy' about an evolving and ever changing language which might suggest that the rules of grammar are sacrosanct and utterly unchanged by the winds of time.

Just my thoughts, I'm not a professional linguist by any means and my in depth and historical studies into language structure have all been in a different and far more ancient language.

+1. 
The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and riffle their pockets for new vocabulary.
-J.N

I was just reading about that in a journal I bought at a mall kiosk...

[kkokkolis]

In the meanwhile, I searched for "grammar Nazi" on the net, because I wasn't taught about this term at school. I got some very interesting results.

[Syncop8r]

And spell checker is a godsend for someone who learned most of his English through listening.

Is the spell checker part of the forum?    It keeps wanting to make me use US spelling instead of actual English. 
There are some words where the S is replaced with a Z in the American version (eg: apologise/apologize, realise/realize) and if I'm not sure I throw an S in there anyway. 

Oh I think we should probably steer away from the N-word too...

[Syncop8r]

Oh I just thought of something I really hate.... when a word that English has borrowed from another language is misspelt (I just had to look that up) by native English language speakers...

eg: "....and WALLA!" 

[Don Pablo]

Oh I just thought of something I really hate.... when a word that English has borrowed from another language is misspelt (I just had to look that up) by native English language speakers...

eg: "....and WALLA!" 

Miss Pelt!

[ColoSwiss]

Most people here are doing better than this.

[El Corkscrew]

 

[Poncho65]

 

 

[Syncop8r]

I need that for my toenails... 

[Huntsman]

Most people here are doing better than this.

What's wrong          - Manicure is spelt absolutely correctly   

[Etherealicer]

Most people here are doing better than this.

When I was still working in science I used a laser scanning microscope, that requires microscopy slides of exact thickness. Sadly for a company that produced such an expensive product, they didn't know the difference between "microscopy" and "microscopic". It made me smile every time I got precision microscopic slides

[lister]

Oh I think we should probably steer away from the N-word too...

Changing the word does not change the feelings of people. Black people in USA were called negros, niggers, people of colour, African Americans and they still are not seen as equal by large portions of white population. Homosexuals rebranded themselves as gay and now gay no longer means happy but something lame. Changing words changes nothing. You have to change the attitudes.

For the most of our history my nation was as a little more than slaves and cannon fodder for other European nations. One of the possible etymologies for the word slave derives it from the word Slav, which is the ethnic group I belong to. In the regions of Italy that border on our county Slovenians are still sometimes called slaves, as the word are also similar in Italian. In the WWII we were occupied by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, and both pretty much saw as utermenschen. Despite that we still call ourselves Slovenians.

I am an atheist and politically lean towards communism, anarchism... Stuff that is not popular in USA. Do I mind if they call my a dirty commie? Not so much. And we all like gadgets. That is why I am here. So even if someone does not agree with me on these things mostly we will get along just well. 

Basically what I am saying, most of the world is not USA. Don't be a smurf to other people. But not using a word nigger does not magically make you a non-smurf. This forum is just to international to avoid cultural shock. We mostly manage to get along despite it.

And that is the true power of multitools. 

 

Ps: I just realised that you might have the word nazi in mind? Well as far as I am concerned the same goes for it. Grammar nazi is an saying that is in common usage. Anyway if either of the words makes to many people uncomfortable just add them to the smurf filter. Although don't add Slovenian to the filter. I don't want to be a smurf! I am to tall and not blue enough for that title.