On Secret Dubai's piece on smoking, I came across this comment;
caz said...
I have just read the reasons for smoking and non smoking. Absolutely hysterical, very very funny, the grammar equally mind boggling.
I agree there were some hysterical comments, which I thouroughly enjoyed reading. But "the grammar equally mind boggling" was a comment that comes up all too frequently for my liking, laughing at people who are communicating in a second or third language.
I've always had real trouble with languages, which I've always blamed on my terrible memory - although that's probably just an excuse, not a reason. Maybe that's why I've always had enormous admiration for people who can master other languages. My admiration grows for those who not only speak but read and write second or more languages. And it knows no bounds for those whose mother-tongue uses a different script - Russian, Arabic, Indian, Chinese and so on.
I wonder how well the fun-poking critics could contribute comments to, for example, an Arabic-language forum?
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I don't mind about bad grammar spelling in blog comments, unless sum1 is deliberately trying 2 txt spk (arrghh!)
Or if they are accusing others of being stupid, while having limited English themselves. Glass houses/stones etc. It may be unfair, but if you are less literate than the people that you want to slag off, use a spellchecker, it's not hard.
There is simply no excuse however for professional writers - and this includes journalists, PR people and copywriters - who do not have 100% flawless, international-quality English. Doesn't matter if it's their second, third or tenth language.
There is simply no excuse however for professional writers - and this includes journalists, PR people and copywriters - who do not have 100% flawless, international-quality English. Doesn't matter if it's their second, third or tenth language.
Agreed - but even less excuse for the media not to employ a competent English-speaking proof reader to double-check.
unless sum1 is deliberately trying 2 txt spk (arrghh!)
One of my pet hates! Up-themselves pretentiousness! There's absolutely no excuse for abbreviating, especially words of only two or three letters, on a forum.
Agreed - but even less excuse for the media not to employ a competent English-speaking proof reader to double-check.
I know. It just beggars belief that so many of them don't. I put it down to the stunning ignorance/arrogance combination.
"The arrogance of ignorance" as I so often call it.
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