Why people who speak English love to pick on others?

[ps2huang]

I hardly heard that when someones speak Japanese with minor grammatical errors, other people just pick on the ones who speak, same thing goes to Mandarin and other languages. But even just an unobvious, minor error made in English, people right assume your first language is not English, why?

[MistaCloudStrife]

If you're talking about yourself.... well, you've made several grammatical errors in your thread title and post. So much so, that I really can't make much sense out of your post.

And right now I believe english isn't your first language.

Perhaps you THINK you've only made a slight error in your sentences but in reality you just can't really spot your mistakes.

[ps2huang]

If you're talking about yourself.... well, you've made several grammatical errors in your thread title and post. So much so, that I really can't make much sense out of your post.

And right now I believe english isn't your first language.

Perhaps you THINK you've only made a slight error in your sentences but in reality you just can't really spot your mistakes.I DON'T see any mistake on my topic.

[Eris]

There are two types of errors, grammatical errors, such as getting words in the wrong order, or using "is" where "are" is due, these types of errors native or exprienced English speakers rarely ever make.

The second type is spelling errors, which comes in two categories: Typos and non-typos, spelling "time" "itme" is a typo, and a result of inferior proofreading, whilst spelling "color" "coler" is not a typo, and usually a result of lacking knowledge in the language.

And your first post is riddled with grammatical peculiarities, just because you don't see them doesen't mean they don't exist.

[Manhattan_Project_2000]

I hardly heard that when someones speak Japanese with minor grammatical errors, other people just pick on the ones who speak, same thing goes to Mandarin and other languages. But even just an unobvious, minor error made in English, people right assume your first language is not English, why?
I underlined the really weird parts, but your syntax is just weird. It should have read something like.

300
I rarely hear of someone being picked on for speaking Japanese or other languages with minor errors. But if you make even the smallest error in English, people assume it isn't your first language.300

Which is completely factually incorrect. Every people on earth can tell when someone’s syntax or pronunciation indicates that the person doesn't speak their language as a first language.

http://www.kindofcrap.com - A defunct blog I used to read a long time ago. It’s about a JET living in Japan. In the first couple pages, there should be references to his students making fun of his pronunciation.

[Miss Moonlight]

It depends. Sometimes, online it's harder to tell.

People can assume your english is not your first language because of the way you word your sentences, like the way you did.

It does seem to me that english is not your first language, but that's ok.

[Fast_as_Fire_]

Ok it doesnt matter online, so could we just drop this whole thing??!! Talking about grammar online is a waste of time and space, cause no one really uses proper grammer(<--prime example) online! cause no one can hear you on the internet so how'd they know if you actually SPEAK unproper grammmar? You know what, your just wasting my breath so just drop it and leave grammar alone. grammer is for school

[Knuffle Bunny]

English isn't my first language, but you can't really tell that by reading my posts. Partly because im been living in Canada since i was four. In your post, you've made alot of grammatical errors. Your spelling is fine though. I think the reason people can tell english isn't your first language is because if you translate a mandarin/japanese/whatever other language sentence literally into englsih, word for word, it sounds like what you wrote there.

[Eris]

Ok it doesnt matter online, so could we just drop this whole thing??!! Talking about grammar online is a waste of time and space, cause no one really uses proper grammer(<--prime example) online! cause no one can hear you on the internet so how'd they know if you actually SPEAK unproper grammmar? You know what, your just wasting my breath so just drop it and leave grammar alone. grammer is for school

You're confusing grammar with spelling. Grammar makes a world of difference, and is of utmost importance to communicating your ideas. Grammar isn't as much how you pronounce words as which order you use them, or when you use them.

If you don't use proper grammar, there is a high risk of misinterpetation.

Example: If I want to ask you if you like pizza, one proper way would be to say "Do you like pizza?". Communicating that idea through "Would you like pizza?" is gramatically wrong (even though the sentence is gramatically correct) and even though you do like pizza, you might say no since you don't want pizza at this moment, based on which the person asking the question thinks you don't like pizza at all.

There is a number of possible variations that generates the same level of confusion, such as "Did you like the pizza?", "What pizza do you like?", "Are you like pizza?", and so forth.

[† Lynn †]

Ok it doesnt matter online, so could we just drop this whole thing??!! Talking about grammar online is a waste of time and space, cause no one really uses proper grammer(<--prime example) online! cause no one can hear you on the internet so how'd they know if you actually SPEAK unproper grammmar? You know what, your just wasting my breath so just drop it and leave grammar alone. grammer is for school
I don't agree with you. Recently studies have been comprobating that it matter. Not so much for who is a little older and is far away from school times. But to people around 10 to 17 years it matters.

Here in Brazil this is in discussion all the time. The effects of internet language are only in the begning. And we can already see some negative stuff.

"... grammer is for school"

If you think this way you have big chances... to get nowhere. I don't know how old are you, but i'm sorry for you. Hope one day you see how important is speak, write wherever you are.

See, my english isn't perfect, but since i started to use international forums, it's much better. Because i found people who wanted to help me, and first of all, i want to learn something new everywhere I go.

[Kristen]

That's a very broad and rude generalization. o_O English is my first language and I've never made fun of someone else for not being able to. (Unless English was also their first language and they're just an idiot.)

[Daenerys]

Same with Idoll. If you can speak english and you type retardedly, leik dis and den u laffbecuz i can spel an u catts! lozlozlz

Then obviously, I'm gonna make fun of you for typing like a retard.

[akiko_kalla]

I agree, there are many people who do not make fun or pick on someone if they speak English poorly. If they are consistantly making mistakes that make it unable to decipher a meaning or make it annoying to read I might mention it but just a mistake or two I won't comment on at all.

Grammar and spelling are very important online as they are the only things conveying your meaning. There are no nonverbal ques to read and without hearing the tone of voice it is often difficult to decide if the person is being sarcastic or serious unless you have seen him post repeatedly or know him personally. If you don't care if people understand you, then I suppose grammar and spelling aren't important but if that's the case, why would you post in a forum?

As for other cultures...that just depends. In some cultures it is considered rude to correct a stranger so even if you butcher their language they will just pretend they can't talk to you or try to understand. It can actually be quite frustrating. In other countries there are enough native speakers that speak poorly so many people are used to correcting errors and just don't think of you as "different" from the next person. And then there are people who correct you nicely and those that are just rude. Correcting has its advantages and not correcting has its advantages...a lot of it just depends on the situation and the people involved, having little to do with the actual language being spoken.

[Rageling]

If it's your first language then you should be able to speak it correctly. The fact that we are all reading what everyone else is trying to say instead of saying it just makes it all the more important. If you mispronounce a word or use bad grammar in a real life conversation someone will usually be able to understand what you are trying to say based on body language and other factors, but when we type instead of speak we eliminate these factors and our grammatical skills become more important.

[Howling Star]

Well read this. http://objection.4camp.net/go.php?n=177598

[zodiak]

Well i havn't seen anyone make fun of another because of a small typing error. But people that are way off and have huge sentence fragments are made fun of. But whatever. :glare:

[ps2huang]

Or maybe we use different words. Some people prefer those words to be their sentences while others are not.

I think I know the most common English phrases that are important to be constructed for sentences: pick on, go on, go for something, do it, do for something, think of, think up, made up of, make up.

[LXnekket]

Simply because it's easy. Engrish provides all sorts of entertainment.

[ps2huang]

English is not that easy because it's composed of many grammatical elements of other foreign languages. And the conjunction parts is the hardest part in English.

[Manhattan_Project_2000]

Or maybe we use different words. Some people prefer those words to be their sentences while others are not.

I think I know the most common English phrases that are important to be constructed for sentences: pick on, go on, go for something, do it, do for something, think of, think up, made up of, make up.

No. You use weird word order that labels you as a non-native English speaker. It isn't a matter of preference. It's not standard English syntax; it's not even an English dialect's syntax. These things may not stand out to you, but to anyone who is fairly fluent in the language your syntax stands out like a sore thumb. It’s not as though everyone on the board is lying to you about your word order being odd.

[Krsnik]

Many people do not judge others when speaking english. Many assume that it's not your first language because you make SO MANY mistakes in such massive amounts. It also could mean you're a callous noob. Don't make such broad generalizations.

[ps2huang]

But my grammar is ok, right?

[Princess Minako]

grammar IS word order and syntax, and no its not ok.


Or maybe we use different words. Some people prefer those words to be their sentences while others are not. Some people prefer those words to be IN their sentences while others DO not.

grammatical error 1, words cannot be sentences. They can be IN sentences.
grammatical error 2, you imply that people do prefer, you have to say that others do not prefer. They don't exist prefering.



I think I know the most common English phrases that are important to be constructed for sentences: pick on, go on, go for something, do it, do for something, think of, think up, made up of, make up. I think I know the most common English phrases that are important in sentences. To be constructed for sentences doesn't really make much sense. Its improper usage of words. And those really arn't the most common anyway.

Your grammar is not good at all. You mix up words, confuse meanings and don't use the right verbs in the right areas. Most native speakers don't make these rudimentary mistakes. (confusing do and are, and in and be). English is hard, its one of the hardest due to our many words that sound the same, spelled completely differently and mean totally different things. Their, they're, there.... wait, weight. Or even two words spelled the same meaning different things, bat and bat. And lastly words that sound totally differently than they're spelled "Through" "although" and ironically "Phoenetics" . It takes native speakers many years to master it as well... But don't claim to know it when people have pointed out many of your mistakes, just because you don't feel that they are there, doesn't mean that they arn't. You may think that you speak it correctly, but in reality you don't. Sorry.

The Goddess has Spoken

[gene the man]

How mean Minako. Although that was a completely obvious and truthful answer. You should have went a little easier on him.

[Storm Strife]

I think she was right on the button. Not too harsh, not too soft.

[Princess Minako]

The OP said that his mistakes are "small and unobvious" which is a fallacy, then went on to say that maybe it is us, the english speakers, that do not understand when he is just choosing to use a different word (implying that the different word would make just as much sense). This also is false.

I'm being blunt, I don't sugar coat things, I don't water them down. I didn't insult the OP in any way, I just told the truth and how what he was saying was wrong and not unobvious and not small. As my father always told me, if you don't like the answer, don't ask the question.

If I am mauling german I'd hope that Nighthawk would correct me. How else would I ever learn? I'd go through thinking that I'm speaking correct German and I actually sound like an idiot. Isn't that, in truth, much meaner?

The Goddess has Spoken

[gene the man]

Well yes and no...I understand where you are coming from. I know that it is better to be blunt and tell the truth but it makes one come off as a jerk and other things...I know that what you did you thought was best,and believe me it was, yet, it could have been a little softer in tone...

[Princess Minako]

Why? what point would a softer tone have made? It seems to me that you are giving my posts voice inflection that they may or may not have. Don't assume what you don't know....

The Goddess has Spoken

[Eris]

I agreed with Storm Strife.

In any case, the best way of learning English is to use it. Read lots of books, communicate over the 'net, watch TV shows in english without reading the subtitles, that sort of thing. And if someone corrects you, don't get upset about it, instead try to learn from it--in most cases they're probably trying to help you, not offend you.

My English was just terrible back when I first joined what was the equivalent of this board back in '01, seriously, I have no idea how people actually understood a sentence I wrote back then, but I kept posting, and here I am 5 years later with a comprehension of the language that's on par with the average native practitioner.

Another tip is to look up any word you're not certain of what it means, no matter how difficult the word sounds. Even though it may or may not stick in your head, if you keep doing it you will eventually without thinking of it start using words like hitherto or dichotomy.

[Fast_as_Fire_]

You guys are seriously makin' me mad. I'm not going to do anything else on here.

THERE, PROPER SPELLING (or whatever) NOW ARE YOU HAPPY?!

[Ωmega]

Well, when you spend 13 years of schooling learning 'this is wrong, this is right' then people do tend to get picky about grammer and such. I guess its kinda like 'thats not fair, I had to learn proper english crud, and yet so-and-so is typing/speaking/writing like that! COMPLAIN!!!'

[Manhattan_Project_2000]

You guys are seriously makin' me mad. I'm not going to do anything else on here.

THERE, PROPER SPELLING (or whatever) NOW ARE YOU HAPPY?!
You don't have to agree with us. However, it doesn't change the fact that his syntax makes it hard for him to be understood. He doesn't have to change his grammar. i mean fo exampl i coud talk lik dis al day if i wantd!!!1!! However, his word order is unpolished, and people will call him on it, both on here and in the real world.

[Eris]

Well, when you spend 13 years of schooling learning 'this is wrong, this is right' then people do tend to get picky about grammer and such. I guess its kinda like 'thats not fair, I had to learn proper english crud, and yet so-and-so is typing/speaking/writing like that! COMPLAIN!!!'

Except, I didn't spend 13 years learning proper English, and I'm still a grammar Nazi.

[Darklord]

Ok, can someone explain to me the real subject of this thread?

Hmmm...I wonder, did I make a grammatical mistake?

[Overlord Darth Fluffles]

Becasue America and England suk majorly