Why the nastiness? [Archive] - ClothesFree Forum

pukunui

12-13-2006, 05:41 AM

I can never understand why so many of you jump on other "posters" for spelling, grammar mistakes etc.

It's stopped me from posting more than once and even turned me right off this forum for a time. I was just looking through the topics and find you are still at it. NakedGary is one of the worst but by far not the only one to do it.

I'm not a good speller and there's bound to be mistakes in this.

Just make sure you don't hurt yourselves when you all jump together to correct me.

It would be nice if everyones writing skills were perfect. But the world is not perfect. People aren't perfect. And just because people are not educated that doesn't mean that they're unintelligent.

There are posts on this site with good comments and questions and the only replies they have received are by some who correct, insult and try to belittle them.

Isn't the important thing here the fact that they're communicating?

Maybe you should listen.

pukunui

12-13-2006, 05:41 AM

nacktman

12-13-2006, 05:54 AM

Well said, very well said. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/applause.gif

garbo

12-13-2006, 06:03 AM

I don't necessarily agree that some posters are not educated, but I do believe that many may be lazy and just type what they think off the tops of their heads. Many people do not take the time to go back and check their spelling and grammar and there is no spell check in this forum that I know of.

Agreed, some of the spelling and and grammar is downright aweful. At least most do not post with strings of computer abreviations. I would not understand that at all. My suggestion to those who are offended by spelling and grammar-challenged people is just to move on to the next topic.

BEE-1

12-13-2006, 06:44 AM

AMEN pukunui,couldnt agree more. We all love to be naked or we wouldnt be on here, why beat people up over such little things? http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/sad3.gif

usmc1

12-13-2006, 08:09 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BEE-1:
AMEN pukunui,couldnt agree more. We all love to be naked or we wouldnt be on here, why beat people up over such little things? http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/sad3.gif </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hah! Cuz thets da weigh peepos is. Sum uv dem is rill obssesical over sech and all and stuff. Yah know.

I got me one uv dem dere ajunts an editurs ta make me rite wright so peepos pay me to reid it and all and stuff.

And, personally, when posting here soemtimes I do go back and correct soemthing that is just glaring and egregiously wrong. But, truthfully, there really are more important things.

One thing I've noticed, the earlier in the day...before the first cup of joe...my spelling is atrocious.

And, you know what, being the petty, perverse sort of butt-head that I am, I enjoy annoying the sort of people who get annoyed by typos and spelling errors.

Doncha jest know it, and all and stuff. Huh? Doncha?

Pete Knight

12-13-2006, 10:42 AM

I have to agree that any alterations to a post could change what the poster wished to express, and it is often possible to identify a person by is poor grammer and/or spelling, but it doesn't make him a lesser man.
I had a huge disagreement with the owner of a UK based forum on this very subject, several posters objected too, some even left the forum in disgust, lets not have that happen here please!!!!

About the only thing I seriously object to is; the use of cell phone text abbreviations when posting here and other fora, that just drives me nuts.
it wud b Gr8 4 U 2 rite nrml pls.

Thank you so very much.

Pete Knight

I spotted an error and corrected it, but that was due more to fat fingers than a lack of spelling skills,............ honest!!

tiger79

12-13-2006, 11:15 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pete Knight:
it wud b Gr8 4 U 2 rite nrml pls. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Respek, innit.

luvnaturism

12-13-2006, 11:16 AM

I don't worry about spelling and grammar as long as I can read the post without a lot of extra effort. If it takes detective work to figure it out, I just ignore it and let it be. I've never figured out why those who are bothered by poor spelling or grammar don't do the same.

On the other hand, I have been known to point out mistakes made by the grammar police. The devil makes me do that!

hm0504

12-13-2006, 11:47 AM

My rule of thumb is that if a term is essential to understanding the issue then the spelling of that term needs to be correct. I don't mind the occasional misspelled word but if the amount of misspellings begins to make a post hard to read then that does become annoying.

tinner666

12-13-2006, 12:12 PM

Yup!! There goes usmc1 again!! http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/laugh.gif

Misspelling never much bothered me, but some posts have read like usmc1's. I just move on, but on occassion, I have asked for some clarifffication.

luvnaturism

12-13-2006, 12:35 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by hm0504:
My rule of thumb is that if a term is essential to understanding the issue then the spelling of that term needs to be correct. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Certainly that would be true if the misspelled word changes the meaning of the sentence. However most of the time that's not the case.

People come to these forums out of all sorts of educational backgrounds, talents, etc. Most of us come here out of a primary interest in naturism, and most of us hope that the exchanges that take place here will encourage others to try the naturist experience. Personally I favor staying welcoming rather than communicating that only those with good grammar are welcome.

People who push the limits by using cell phone abbreviations, etc. are most effectively dealt with by ignoring them. If no one responds, they probably won't do it anymore.

NudePete

12-13-2006, 01:09 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by pukunui:
I can never understand why so many of you jump on other "posters" for spelling, grammar mistakes etc... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Just about the only time I will comment on spelling, grammar etc. is when it gets in the way of understanding what the poster wanted to say. There are some posts that are just unreadable due to run-on sentence structure, all lower caps, no punctuation and the like. I try to offer helpful suggestions to improve readability. I hope that is not interpreted as "jumping on" a poster.

Yours seem fine - quite readable and understandable. You are quite right in that content should matter more then its presentation. (The medium is not the message - in a discussion forum).

nacktman

12-13-2006, 01:17 PM

Hynny goddiweddedig ag cerydda yn sillafu angen at chrina.

'Nuff said.

(BTW, the above is gramatically correct and spelled correctly.)

12-13-2006, 03:12 PM

I rely on my spell checker a lot. If i didn't have it i would be certainly criticized a lot. I can identify with the original posting. (very true)
Lets be nice to people.

my spell checker just let me know i left out a ' in "didn't" above.

segnet

KetchumMaine

12-13-2006, 07:54 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by pukunui:
I'm not a good speller and there's bound to be mistakes in this.

Just make sure you don't hurt yourselves when you all jump together to correct me.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, if nobody else is going to compliment you, I might as well. Your post is almost perfect in spelling abd grammar. The only mistake I found was a missing apostrophy on the word "everyones", Nice job!!

Nudeinbama

12-13-2006, 08:05 PM

USMC1, you beat me to it, I was about to reply back in the lousiest, most mis-spelled grammer I could come up with, and I probaly did a fair job of it anyway. I agree with some that its not how you post it, as long as its legible,and its what you have to say, that should be read and considered, not judged. This is not about anyones typing skills or level of education, but a place for nudist freinds to come together with ideas and thoughts.
Nudeinbama

NakedGary

12-14-2006, 12:25 AM

pukunui

If you want to stop posting or have been put off of this site by so many commenting on spelling, grammar, mistakes etc. that's your prerogative. I can say the same about your whining about your dislike of Clothesfree.com:

Quote by "pukunui":
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I posted this the other day but for some reason it didn't show up. I'll try again.

To be honest I've stopped watching "Nudes in the news". I was disappointed with the content. I thought it would have "news" about nudism or members of this site. Things like New clubs, tips on the best camp sites, health and safety issues etc. What I saw the few times I watched were an "ad" for a very expensive, far off resort or the news crew biking or roller skating. I'm glad you're having fun but that's not news and soon gets pretty boring. And I have no intention of spending hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars at some hedonistic resort. I felt rather let down. There must be more interesting things to report than Corey and the gang having a good time. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

As others have said, when spelling and grammar become a problem in understanding the flow of a post, users and moderators will mention positive ways of correcting or improving same.

I guess you have missed the links and help given to forum users to free Spell checking programs that can be added to Microsoft Internet Explorer, and mention of word processing programs that most computer owners already have that they forget about using in a few clicks.

FireFox Internet Browser I understand has a spell checker, and these forums will shortly be implementing new Forums software vendor program that has enhanced pre-post preview, and spelling correction.

Most go on to share, enjoy, contribute, learn and participate in the naturist and nudist forums on nudist topics without complaining about other users, staff, moderators, or how others are not educated or unintelligent.

usmc1

12-14-2006, 04:03 AM

Seriously, we're all different and each of us just do not attach the same importance to certain things as do others.

My pet peeve (more about pet peeves in a moment) is those posters who never met a paragraph that they liked. On-and-on, and on-and-on, they go until your eyes blur with the grayness and your brain seizes so tight it takes WD40 up the nostrils to break it free.

Typos, misspellings, and mistakes of grammar cause me no concern, and I am constantly dismayed by the harsh, prissy, self-rightious reactions of those they do annoy. It is like they take pleasure in being irritated by something someone else does. I often wonder if that is the only recourse they have to make them feel good about themselves---pointing out the spelling errors of others.

Now it may be nothing more than a pet peeve, but sometimes pets need to be kept on a leash, obedience trained, and taught to use the litter box. That includes all peeves and most nursed grievances.

I seriously wonder--not long or hard, but seriously, about such people. Are they the same ones who rant and froth about direct mail, telemarketers and so forth?

As I said, we're all different. Wheee boy, are we! My current peeve is drivers on their cell phones. Some yuppy dame in a SUV damn near broadsided me the other day because she was yammering on a cell phone. If I had one more coat of paint on my car she would have hit me.

For me, that was way more serious than spelling errors and run on paragraphs or some kid trying to sell me something.

And like someone else mentioned, I do get a hoot out of those who correct others and have errors in their corrections.

Qikdraw

12-14-2006, 05:13 PM

Well I know that I have been really patient with my American cousins in they way they misspell proper english words. Honour IS spelled with a "U" and litre IS spelled "RE" not "ER". And "Z" is pronounced 'zed', not 'zee'.

Now everyone lighten up and relax. Remember not everyone has learned english as a first language. Its already been said but if you don't like the way someone posts, don't read it. Move along. You don't need to prove you're better than someone else by correcting their spelling.

Qikdraw

KetchumMaine

12-14-2006, 05:53 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Qikdraw:
Well I know that I have been really patient with my American cousins in they way they misspell proper english words. Honour IS spelled with a "U" and litre IS spelled "RE" not "ER". And "Z" is pronounced 'zed', not 'zee'.

Now everyone lighten up and relax. Remember not everyone has learned english as a first language. Its already been said but if you don't like the way someone posts, don't read it. Move along. You don't need to prove you're better than someone else by correcting their spelling.

Qikdraw </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Those of us yanks with no loyalty to the queen disagree. Zee is just like Bee Cee Dee Gee Pee Tee and Vee. Find me one other letter that ends in the "ed" sound. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

NakedGary

12-14-2006, 06:05 PM

Amazing Word Facts

The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."

"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".

Almonds are members of the peach family.

The symbol on the "pound" key (#) is called an octothorpe.

The dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle.

Ingrown toenails are hereditary.

The word "set" has more definitions than any other word in the English language.

"Underground" is the only word in the English language that beginsand ends with the letters "und."

There are only four words in the English language which end in "-dous" -- tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

The only other word with the same amount of letters is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses, its plural.

The longest place-name still in use is a New Zealand hill, Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapiki maungahoronukupokaiwenuakitnatahu.

Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula" and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size, "L.A."

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a belly button. It was eliminated when he was sewn up after surgery.

Telly Savalas and Louis Armstrong died on their birthdays.

Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy.

The muzzle of a lion is like a fingerprint - no two lions have the same pattern of whiskers.

Steely Dan got their name from a sexual device depicted in the book The Naked Lunch.

A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.

The Ramses brand condom is named after the great phaoroh Ramses II who fathered over 160 children.

There is a seven letter word in the English language that contains ten words without rearranging any of its letters, "therein" -- the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, therein, herein.

Duelling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.

John Larroquette of "Night Court" and "The John Larroquette Show" was the narrator of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

Cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully ripened cranberry can be dribbled like a basketball.

The male gypsy moth can "smell" the virgin female gypsy moth from 1.8 miles away. (But does he CALL? NOOOOOO...)

The letters KGB stand for Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti.

"Stewardesses" is the longest word that can be typed with only the left hand.

To "testify" was based on men in the Roman court swearing to a statement made by swearing on their testicles.

The combination "ough" can be pronounced in nine different ways. The following sentence contains them all: "A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed."

The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.

Facetious and abstemious contain all the vowels in the correct order, as does arsenious, meaning "containing arsenic."

Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are on the Australian coat of arms for that reason.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adapted from the Humor Index

Qikdraw

12-14-2006, 06:29 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by KetchumMaine:
Those of us yanks with no loyalty to the queen disagree. Zee is just like Bee Cee Dee Gee Pee Tee and Vee. Find me one other letter that ends in the "ed" sound. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Then stop saying you speak 'English' and start saying you speak 'American". http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/beam.gif

Qikdraw

nacktman

12-14-2006, 08:12 PM

Ketchum, Oikdraw, don't quibble. for unless you both were born in the western North Carolina or Eastern Tennessee mountains neither of you speak proper English.

Funny thing about English the one and only time it was "decreed" as to what was and was not proper English and the pronounciation of words and grammer was set forth by Elizabeth Rex - the first one.

You know all those plays and sonnets Ol'William is said to have written don't you? Well, if properly performed it would sound thus "Tae bea or nae tae bea. T'is th'query!"

The only place on the planet were proper English is still spoken is the western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee mountains, and it is only spoken by those born there.
But, if you want to hear English spoken as it is supposed to be you need to hie and hurry
(there's a proper English phrase for you), for the increased immigration of people from other areas is diluting the oral language rapidly.

The French redo their grammer and pronounciation guide every year adding and taking words out of the 'official' French language - the English have only done it once and that was over 500 years ago.

luvnaturism

12-14-2006, 08:14 PM

Qikdraw

12-14-2006, 09:14 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by nacktman:
Ketchum, Oikdraw, don't quibble. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hey, call me a quibbler!

Besides this topic was getting far too serious. It needed lightening up.

Qikdraw

usmc1

12-15-2006, 03:55 AM

Well, for what it is worth, when our British cousins talk of a "fanny" it ain't a synonym for "bum".

They would be right confused if they heard one of us yanks utter, I saw a bum sitting on his fanny. Yep, they'd have a hard time picturing that.

12-15-2006, 09:04 AM

heres another...

American/ British
pacifier/Dummy (it's not the real thing)

hm0504

12-15-2006, 09:18 AM

Here's another:

American / British / Canadian
Bush / Blair / Harper

Pete Knight

12-15-2006, 03:02 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by nacktman:
Ketchum, Oikdraw, don't quibble. for unless you both were born in the western North Carolina or Eastern Tennessee mountains neither of you speak proper English.

Funny thing about English the one and only time it was "decreed" as to what was and was not proper English and the pronounciation of words and grammer was set forth by Elizabeth Rex - the first one. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
<span class="ev_code_RED">Rex is the masculine, whereas Regina is the feminine.</span>

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">You know all those plays and sonnets Ol'William is said to have written don't you? Well, if properly performed it would sound thus "Tae bea or nae tae bea. T'is th'query!"

The only place on the planet were proper English is still spoken is the western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee mountains, and it is only spoken by those born there.
But, if you want to hear English spoken as it is supposed to be you need to hie and hurry
(there's a proper English phrase for you), for the increased immigration of people from other areas is diluting the oral language rapidly.

The French redo their grammer and pronounciation guide every year adding and taking words out of the 'official' French language - the English have only done it once and that was over 500 years ago. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
<span class="ev_code_RED">Wrong, the Oxford English Dictionary is updated annually.</span>

If the English language didn't evolve we would still be using "Ye olde English" and you fail to acknowledge that there are vastly different regional differences in the UK, I challenge you to understand someone from the 'Black Country' as close as you can get to the centre of England, and for that matter try to understand a Geordie from the North East of England, yet they all speak English, just not the "Queens English" as what it are spoken!!!

I find dialects and accents quite facinating.

Pete Knight

tiger79

12-15-2006, 03:21 PM

If anyone's interested in hearing some of the UK's more intriguing regional dialects, this BBC webpage (http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/collections/dialects/) might be interesting. I have difficulty understanding some of it!

nacktman

12-15-2006, 03:48 PM

Pete, Eliazbeth 1 t'was a wee bit on th' mannish side, hence, Rex, is entirely appropriate.

Also, you are in error, the "Oxford English Dictionary" is a product of Oxford University and is not the 'official' decreed grammer and pronounciation guide of the language, that is still the Grammatica decreed by Elizabeth 1 Regina.

Pete, no one fails to note regional differences - what is proper and what is oral in different regions does not correlate very often in any language.

As I stated before the only place left on the planet where you can hear English spoken as it was decreed that it be spoken is in the western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee mountains by the very same Scots and Scots/Irish the British were so keen on getting rid of a few years ago.
When in the company of strangers proper English is used and it is completely different than what they speak among themselves - if you be from the highlands you'd have nae trouble understanding them if not from the highlands , well that's why they speak proper English when they's strangers afoot.

l2ltlarry

12-15-2006, 07:40 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The Ramses brand condom is named after the great phaoroh Ramses II who fathered over 160 children.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

To "testify" was based on men in the Roman court swearing to a statement made by swearing on their testicles.

The combination "ough" can be pronounced in nine different ways. The following sentence contains them all: "A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
"Fun with Words" is something I enjoy. Some comments:

1. Obviously Ramses was not wearing them.

2. Scientifically how do they know? Is that an average? Do some have far greater and some far lesser? Who decided this? [I'm only partly serious in questioning this.]

3. "Testis" is the root word of testify and testicles, as well as testament (as in Old Testament, New Testament, Last Will and Testament, and Testimony, i.e. 'witness'). Testis typically refers to seed, specifically sperm, which are (jointly) reproducers of life. When the Bible says "seed", the underlying root word is always(?) "spora" or "sperma". Most English -- okay, American -- words have far richer meanings and histories than first appears.

4. Very funny. I enjoy trying to see how many twisted ways I can look at things in.

l2ltlarry

12-15-2006, 07:53 PM

Regarding American versus British, I worked with a lady from England once, who enlightened us thusly:

British
"Keep your p e c k e r up" (she of course didn't have to contend with "intelligent" censoring software, so she said the word), while patting herself under her chin with the back of her hand.
American
"Keep your chin up" or "keep your spirits up".

British
"Would you come by and knock me up in the morning?" said by a lady to her male carpooling associate.
American
"Would you come by and knock on my door in the morning to let me know you're there?"

Liam

12-15-2006, 08:22 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pete Knight:
<span class="ev_code_RED">Rex is the masculine, whereas Regina is the feminine.</span> </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Avast there! don't use dirty words here! Regina indeed!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pete Knight:
<span class="ev_code_RED">Wrong, the Oxford English Dictionary is updated annually.</span>

Well, a revision (or update) is different than what Nactman was talking about. Though he is wrong in a couple of ways, his intent was interesting. The 500 years won't hold up to scrutiny (done by a proper scrutinizer) and the French do much less in the way of revisions than is done by English language revisioners. Their focus is more toward the "purity" angle.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Pete Knight:
If the English language didn't evolve we would still be using "Ye olde English" and you fail to acknowledge that there are vastly different regional differences in the UK, I challenge you to understand someone from the 'Black Country' as close as you can get to the centre of England, and for that matter try to understand a Geordie from the North East of England, yet they all speak English, just not the "Queens English" as what it are spoken!!! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

England does not have a "standard" or even official voiced English. Just look at the BBC!!

Actually, what Nacktman, I assume, was talking about was the dialect of the mountain people which is based on Spoken English (as it was spoken in England) from the 17th century and traveled with them to the remote areas that isolated them from much influence from other dialects.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pete Knight:
I find dialects and accents quite facinating.

Pete Knight </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Me too! It also has it's frustrating side. The natives of Glasgow do not speak anything that is understandable. As much as I love Yorkshire, they are a playfull lot and if they wish to confuse a visitor, they become very difficult. A trip to Leeds is a trip through the looking glass. Even though I am Irish (and American), I speak Southern California English.

The Irish, like the Yorkshiremen, enjoy jokes involving confusing the non-natives. Some Irish English dialects are a real challange. The Irish don't mind a bit of invention in creating new words as needed.

The Australians and New Zealanders don't seem to use Spoken english at all. It has evolved. Even the U.S. has dialects that send shudders up my spine. NYC and N.J. offend my ears.

The most pleasant English I've ever heard is from my Italian waiter friend at my favorite London restaurant. He has an Irish wife so his English is tempered with the smoothness of Italian and the lilting song of Gaeilge.

l2ltlarry

12-15-2006, 08:39 PM

As others have said, I too believe in being kind, welcoming, and tolerant. Running people off over things that don't matter very much is not good. That's my thinking as to how things should work.

On the other hand, I and maybe others come here to learn things. I also like to help others learn if I can and if they care to. In addition, I find ClothesFree a valuable way to keep up my communication skills; I've learned the hard way that practicing my communication skills at work by putting things in writing can be hazardous to my financial health.

I use my word processor spell-checker, usually, by copying my post to it before posting it. But one shortcoming of the spell-checker and even grammar-checkers is, they don't notice if the wrong word is used.

I very much enjoy 'Borat: Cultural Learnings ...' kinds of postings and commentaries, which as Daddy Warbucks in 'Little Orphan Annie' used to say, "commits homicide on the English language". About the only thing that jumps out at me,though, is using the wrong word among: your and you're; their, they're, and there; and to a lesser extent, its and it's. This is the most common word usage problem in much written communication; almost everybody does it. Including my younger daughter, and my 10-year-old granddaughter, who is already a published author. Have I ever mentioned this to them? No. I don't want to hurt their feelings. But I wonder why their teachers did not and don't teach about this.

I'm not trying to be picky, just saying what jumps out at me. I don't mean to offend.

In order to reduce mistakes (I'm not going to say "prevent"), James Kilpatrick, a writing expert, says we should read what we write at least 8 times before we post it. None of us has that much time in our lives, so we will continue merrily on our way, taking the good with the bad. And hopefully learning something and having a good time as we go.

l2ltlarry

12-15-2006, 08:50 PM

Liam, good to see you back posting again. I wondered where you were.

My experience posting on ClothesFree has been like I used to tell my bosses at a big national company I worked for 10 to 20 years ago. There's a lot to like about it, but there's also lots of room for improvement. My bosses used to hate my saying that. But I think that's true of most every place I've ever been. Except for where I work now. There's almost no room for improvement there. Wink. Wink. Seriously, I feel fortunate to have found such a good place to work, and hope I get to keep working there for a long time.

On balance, I find more upsides than downsides in my interaction with ClothesFree people. So I stay. Or maybe I'm just addicted.

Liam

12-15-2006, 10:38 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by l2ltlarry:
Liam, good to see you back posting again. I wondered where you were.

My experience posting on ClothesFree has been like I used to tell my bosses at a big national company I worked for 10 to 20 years ago. There's a lot to like about it, but there's also lots of room for improvement. My bosses used to hate my saying that. But I think that's true of most every place I've ever been. Except for where I work now. There's almost no room for improvement there. Wink. Wink. Seriously, I feel fortunate to have found such a good place to work, and hope I get to keep working there for a long time.

On balance, I find more upsides than downsides in my interaction with ClothesFree people. So I stay. Or maybe I'm just addicted. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thank you for the welcome back! I was taking time off to sulk and lick my wounds.

Most people here are very nice. Some have an outrageous sense of humor which is sometimes difficult to recognize immediately. I am, admittedly, one of them. Unfortunately, I have run across some very unkind people as well.

My work life (thank God for retirement!) was almost entirely with one employer. It was a great place to work, but needed "improvements" <grin>. They did listen to me and I was able to influence much. In the long run, I lost and was forced to retire early. Too many brused egos. Still, I loved my job and the company.....but was eventually betrayed by middle management.

OK, just bear with me...it will all tie in.

I was a threat to the small thinkers and stagnant mindset at my workplace. It has been a similar experience here on CFF. My radical ideas (i.e. the preservation of individual freedoms) has caused problems here. My radical ideas of a better way to operate our business caused a more quiet desparation at work; not with the top administration nor the worker bees but with those stuck in the middle.

My defense of sexuality in the nudist lifestyle has been the cause of my problems here in part. I feel that blind obedience to the mantra of "nudity does not equal sex" is so taken to heart that it occludes any attempt to discuss possible grey areas. My morality is not the question. My acceptance of individual freedom is.

I am to many here a pervert. I can live with it. I can take joy in it. I'd rather be mistaken for a pervert than to appear to be an unthinking drone.

Larry, keep on going! I enjoy your posts. I think you are a good person and one I could be frinds with. For the sickos, this is not a come-on. For come-ons you have to send photos! <giggle> <I'll be glad when the smileys get back!> This is a good forum.

Pete Knight

12-16-2006, 01:23 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by nacktman:
Pete, Eliazbeth 1 t'was a wee bit on th' mannish side, hence, Rex, is entirely appropriate.

Also, you are in error, the "Oxford English Dictionary" is a product of Oxford University and is not the 'official' decreed grammer and pronounciation guide of the language, that is still the Grammatica decreed by Elizabeth 1 Regina.

Pete, no one fails to note regional differences - what is proper and what is oral in different regions does not correlate very often in any language.

As I stated before the only place left on the planet where you can hear English spoken as it was decreed that it be spoken is in the western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee mountains by the very same Scots and Scots/Irish the British were so keen on getting rid of a few years ago.
When in the company of strangers proper English is used and it is completely different than what they speak among themselves - if you be from the highlands you'd have nae trouble understanding them if not from the highlands , well that's why they speak proper English when they's strangers afoot. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The "Queens English" is the standard, and the 'Oxford English Dictionary' is indeed a standard to which the written and spoken lanuage is gauged, it is flexible enough to adopt new words that come into common usage, even if some of them offend the purists.

BBC English was very much the "Queens English" the presenters even wore Dinner Jacket and/or Evening dress whilst presenting, but this has been relaxed and accents and even improper grammer have slipped in.

The suggestion that some people in America speak proper English is laughable, even what they speak must have evolved slighty, just in a different direction to the English spken in the mother country. English in the colonies is different where ever you go, someone mentioned Aussie English, thats known as "Strine" for those of you that were not aware.

English is a bastardised language anyway, smatterings of Greek, French, Latin, and not the native tounge of England, Celtic languages were spoken here long before all the invading forces altered Britain, we had the Normans, the Romans, the Vikings.

There have been words added to common usage in the English language for many years, take the word 'Bungalow' for instance, it is and Indian word brought back from the colonies in the sub continent, as is 'Verandah' so this illustrates that the language evolves, and the English spoken by people in the western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee mountains has evolved in a different direction, it does not necessarily make it correct because it is closer to the English of old.

This arguement has raged for years, and as I stated, the recent additions to the 'Oxford English Dictionary' have upset the purists, but it does show that evolution continues, and as it is the most widely spoken language it evolves in different directions, hence a different type of English in America, where even the spelling has changed, and Strine in Australia.

Pete Knight

tiger79

12-16-2006, 02:20 AM

Pete Knight's mention of "Strine" reminds me of a little book I once had called "Let's Talk Strine" - it was a totally hilarious phonetic vocabulary of Australian English. Long out of print, but there's an extract from it here (http://www.textfiles.com/humor/strine.txt) which you might like to check out. Must go now, I've got a split nair ****!

usmc1

12-16-2006, 05:02 AM

Fer yer splinairdyke, mite--yew shud tyke tew aspern an lie orf tha Fosters fer awile.

Here's one of those nasty little conundrums which come up in English.

How does one properly write, "There are three (to's, too's, two's) in the English language"?

Yep, a real poser. I shouldn't answer and should allow the prissy panted grammar nazis to do the work. That way theyt'll retain the knowlege.

But, the proper, that is to say most accepted by English grammarians, way is to write; "There are three too's in the English language.

tiger79

12-16-2006, 05:19 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by usmc1:
But, the proper, that is to say most accepted by English grammarians, way is to write; "There are three too's in the English language. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Thenk smite, hed the aspern, aorta jess teffer laidan nah.

But, seriously, scholars of English grammar would frown on your incorrect use of the apostrophe in a plural!

pukunui

12-16-2006, 06:01 AM

Just checked in and read these posts for the first time since posting.

NakedGary by attacking me and calling me a "whiner" you just proved my point.

There's no need and should be no place for that kind of nastiness in this forum. I wasn't attacking you personally, just pointing out what I see. For you to go back over all my old posts to try and find something to hold against me says a lot more about you than it doesn't about me.

Lighten up man.

12-16-2006, 07:12 AM

I'm an American, and I have been raised in a very "Dutch-ish" community. so there are a lot of interesting Language fluctuations that take place. I have been accused of voicing a "yeah" as "Ya" (short a sound). and saying "Das" instead of "this".

one thing I notice about the word "been" (used twice in this post already) A British speaker voices the e's as a Long e sound, and Americans typically will say "ben" like a mans name.
another one I just love is how a British person might say the personal pronoun "you" it seems they pronounce each vowel distinctly. whereas an American would voice it as "Yoo" (long oo) like in "food", and in some circles "YO" (long o sound).

fun stuff!

missouriboy

12-16-2006, 09:23 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">On the other hand, I have been known to point out mistakes made by the grammar police. The devil makes me do that! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Hear! Hear! The devil makes me do that, too. It's fun, as is expounding upon simple typos that result in a humorous, unintended meaning.

But I strive real hard to resist asking "Where? Where?" when people write "Here! Here!" http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/wink3.gif

l2ltlarry

12-17-2006, 10:05 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Thank you for the welcome back! I was taking time off to sulk and lick my wounds.

Most people here are very nice. Some have an outrageous sense of humor which is sometimes difficult to recognize immediately. I am, admittedly, one of them. Unfortunately, I have run across some very unkind people as well.

My work life (thank God for retirement!) was almost entirely with one employer. It was a great place to work, but needed "improvements" . They did listen to me and I was able to influence much. In the long run, I lost and was forced to retire early. Too many brused egos. Still, I loved my job and the company.....but was eventually betrayed by middle management.

OK, just bear with me...it will all tie in.

I was a threat to the small thinkers and stagnant mindset at my workplace. It has been a similar experience here on CFF. My radical ideas (i.e. the preservation of individual freedoms) has caused problems here. My radical ideas of a better way to operate our business caused a more quiet desparation at work; not with the top administration nor the worker bees but with those stuck in the middle.

My defense of sexuality in the nudist lifestyle has been the cause of my problems here in part. I feel that blind obedience to the mantra of "nudity does not equal sex" is so taken to heart that it occludes any attempt to discuss possible grey areas. My morality is not the question. My acceptance of individual freedom is.

I am to many here a pervert. I can live with it. I can take joy in it. I'd rather be mistaken for a pervert than to appear to be an unthinking drone.

Larry, keep on going! I enjoy your posts. I think you are a good person and one I could be frinds with. For the sickos, this is not a come-on. For come-ons you have to send photos! This is a good forum.

__________________________
Liam </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Liam, your experience at work sounds almost exactly like my past life. Except I had to get fired several times before I learned that I was never going to succeed in my lifelong quest to try to help the world be a better place by helping my workplaces be better places. And I've had the same problems in the churches I've been involved in; I finally learned I'm never going to succeed in making things better in any of them either.

As for this present social organization, I try to apply the things I learned at work and at church, being very careful what I say and how I say it. I'd prefer to be open and honest, things my workplaces used to say they wanted, but didn't.

Back in 1987-89, I used to tell my coworkers I was a pervert. But I was using the word "pervert" in a "fun with words" way, and applying the root meaning of "per" = "around" and "vert" = "to turn". I tend to think differently and often opposite or backward from the "conventional wisdom". Another meaning to "pervert" is "twisted". I always try to see how many twisted ways I can look at things in. For me, progress is more likely to happen in society when we think for ourselves rather than follow the crowd.