HUZZAH! Banned from Rentech.com!
ElviraGoth:
Actually, I love all accents. Used to try my best to imitate them as a child. In fact, in high school, I was in the play "Mouse on the Moon" and got to play the character Terry Thomas played in the movie. (Except that I was Miss Spender instead of Mr.) I got the part because I could do the British accent!
I have to correct something I said earlier. We didn't say "warsh", we said "woish". Yes "oy", like oil. My mom and I talked about that awhile back, and laughed about how that was how everyone talked around there! (She now lives in Missouri, which, where I'm from, ends in the "ee" sound, not "uh".)
And it's funny, but since I grew up in Iowa, I never considered Pennsylvania or Ohio to be part of the Midwest. They were always part of the eastern US to us.
And, no, Iowa is not the same as Ohio. I hear that a lot, too. (Mostly from the military people around here. They seem to think it's funny every time, like they're the first person who's ever said it.)
As for spelling, one thing I have noticed on this board is that a lot of people have trouble with "there" (that place), "their" (belonging to them) and "they're" (contraction for "they are".) And we expect people from other countries to get it right? This is confusing to a lot of people in our own country! I'm not critisizing, just pointing out how hard it is for people who grew up here and were taught this in school from an early age to get it right. I know a lot of people who have a hard time with these, as well as other homophones.
ZephyrZodiac:
I think you'd find those people from other countries who learned English in school will probably understand the difference between there, their and they're as they will have been taught the underlying grammar and syntax. People who will have problems will be those who are mainly self-taught, and as such do not deserve to be criticised as they have at least tried....so many people today expect the host country to bend over backwards to accommodate them, but make no effort in return!
breyerii:
Quote from: ZephyrZodiac on 2005 August 19, 00:56:16
I think you'd find those people from other countries who learned English in school will probably understand the difference between there, their and they're as they will have been taught the underlying grammar and syntax. People who will have problems will be those who are mainly self-taught, and as such do not deserve to be criticised as they have at least tried....so many people today expect the host country to bend over backwards to accommodate them, but make no effort in return!
I'm sorry, ZZ, but I never, EVER studied English at school, yet I would never do such a mistake.
ZephyrZodiac:
Then you must have taught yourself well! Congratulations for being someone who did make an effort!
breyerii:
Well, it's not that difficult, really. IF, and only IF, you learn English from books, the difference just stands out. This may sound paradoxical, but one can confuse those things much more easily if his/her knowledge of English stems mainly from conversation.
A textbook example for people learning English is three/tree/free - this will give you an idea of how deceptive spoken English can be...
EDIT: at least for an Italian, that is.
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