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Try to say something in English
This is a message to me from Achab
Achab Mon Oct 26, 2009 3:47 pm GMT
Robin Michael,
Can you explain to me the point of this thread? Why is a gratuitous posting on outlaws supposed to be a useful topic in a forum dedicated to discussing English language matters?
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English Language
English Literature
In English schools, the subject 'English' is divided into two and taught in two different classes for two different examinations.
English Language: How you say something.
(English Language includes grammar, vocabulary, spelling, etc.)
English Literature: The study of written English
I introduced a Topic called 'Antiheroes'. I started the Topic off with some thoughts of my own. I then received a Post from Achab, which I replied to as best I could. There then followed a Post by 'Guest'/'We don't care'. I don't care for Guest, as you can imagine. I have been thinking of some curses like; 'sleep with the fishes' or , 'Nemo Me Impune Lacessit'.
If you were studying English Literature, at some point you would discuss the antihero. So that was what I was doing. In a forum on the English Language, I was introducing a Topic from English Literature. Eddy produced a very good Post (contribution).
http://www.antimoon.com/forum/t14817-15.htm
Right now I am seated on a chair. I am drinking a cup of tea (no, it's not the kind Robin gave as a gift that was unappreciated).
My right hand is in rapid motion as it types. My fingers are hovering over the keyboard and falling upon the keys, pressing them in and in that way making characters appear on the screen.
There is something itching on my right cheek. I think I had better get rid of it, I don't know what it is but it is annoying.
I just got rid of it. It was a piece of bread from when I was eating before. I must have got it on my cheek somehow. Oh well, I'm glad it's gone now..
Indeed, I am so glad it's gone...
I just twisted my wrist in a clockwise direction in order to reach the ENTER key that I had to push to add those spaces right above.
I just had to do it again.
This time I didn't have to do it. Why not? You must be puzzled as to why I had to do it the first few times but not now? The reason is that
I shifted my arm over to the right so that I wouldn't have to twist my wrist so much inorder to hit the ENTER key.
OUch, I'm getting a cramp in my arm because I'm typing this really fast. Damnit, I hope I won't have reached my 10 post limit for today, if I have then this'll be a waste of time.
Maybe if I have reached it I'll copy past what I've written into Word and wait till tomorrow to paste it. That way this Contribution won't go to waste.
That way all of the English learners of this site will still get to enjoy my awesome contribution to their learning.
I just had to lift my arm up off the table and shake it about four times to release the tension and relax it for a second. The problem was that I had been typing fast for a while and it was painful.
My head is pointed East. That's interesting isn't it. There is a wall near me.
I am breathing.
I am blinking at a rate of about once every 10 seconds.
I am moving some of my facial muscles.
My head is not quite entirely stationary, it occasionally moves back and forth as I type, no more than 5 degrees to either side though.
I just breathed out.
I don't think it's relevant how the subject "English" is dealt with in school. There's no reason to refer to what they do over there as a paragon of what we should do over here. Antimoon is no school.
English as a language is one thing, English as a subject taught in school by incompetent instructors is another.
Not to mention that the input-based philosophy of language learning sperheaded by this forum's website is basically the opposite of what they do in school.
Anyway, read the rules of this message board: www.antimoon.com/forum/aboutforum.htm
By reading such document, it's pretty clear to me that a generic discussion of a random issue of literature is way off topic.
I discussed literary stuff in this venue before, but there always was some kind of slant to it that pointed to English as a tongue. It pointed to better understanding the language, to find out more effective techniques to acquire native speakers' speech habits, etc.
I don't think that coming up with "anti-hero" like you did, just out of the blue, is any useful. Also, do Bonnie and Clyde actually fit nicely in an English literature class?
With happy October wishes,
Achab
Dear Achab
I appreciate that although you might disagree with me, you always end your Posts on a cheery note.
Bye for now
(no, it's not the kind Robin gave as a gift that was unappreciated).
I wondered about that. No, I don't mean that I thought you were one of the Polish recipients, but I wondered if the gift was unappreciated or if Robin had regifted the tea because he didn't appreciate it.
Unless the Polish people were Latter Day Saints, I can't imagine why they would turn up their noses at some good gift tea, unless they were expecting a video game.
<<Unless the Polish people were Latter Day Saints, I can't imagine why they would turn up their noses at some good gift tea, unless they were expecting a video game. >>
Because Robin Michael bought the tea thinking it would be a novelty for the Poles. But it turned out that that tea was common in Polish supermarkets and nothing special.
To Robin Michael:
From all the posts I have read, I know most people will take this the wrong way, but I'd like to know how your brain works. Everyone calls you a troll, but your posts are usually well thought out even if not on topic. You says that you are a native speaker of English, but I just don't get that feeling about you when reading your posts. And you post the most random things that I have difficulty following your trains of thought. I can tell that you are passionate about music from your many posts of lyrics. I am curious why you assumed tea would be a novelty anywhere in Europe; yet at the same time, why would anyone *not* like a gift of tea unless they hated tea? Why do you purposefully make spelling/grammatical mistakes and then post again to point them out? Just trying to understand you.
Dear Renulf
I am starting to give up on Antimoon however I am happy to reply to your Post. First of all, I will start with the easiest question to answer; tea.
If you were going to stereotype British people and British culture, one of the first places that you would start would be with 'tea'. After the war, when Germany was rebuilt with American loans, the British economy had huge debts and a decision was made to get rid of overseas colonies. The simplest analysis of what happened is that British workers had longer tea breaks than workers elsewhere.
The American war of independence was started by events such as the Boston tea party in which tea imported from Britain was dumped in the harbour.
Tea is an important symbol for British people because it is a reminder of when Britain had an empire on which the sun never set. Also, British people do drink a lot of tea, tea with milk. On the continent and in America, people are more likely to drink coffee. Also, if they do drink tea, they are likely to drink it without milk.
Like most British people I drink a fairly cheap brand of tea, which I still believe to be of a good quality. I buy tea bags in large packets so that I will not run out. When I do go to the supermarket to buy fresh supplies, I do not waste time choosing. I just buy more of the same. However if I look at the tea on the supermarket shelves there is a huge variety.
So, when I was going abroad to visit relatives in Poland and thinking of a suitable gift, I thought of tea. Something very British, that I thought they might have difficulty getting hold of in Poland. I live in Scotland; I bought a large bag of Scottish blend tea bags, specially blended for soft Scottish water.
On my last visit to Poland, I noticed in quite a provincial small town the very small supermarket had an excellent selection of different teas. Some of which had British names and some of which had London addresses.
My Polish hosts drink a different type of tea to the type of tea that I drink. They drink tea without milk. They also drink expensive speciality teas. When I gave them some expensive speciality teas from different parts of India, they seemed to think they were inferior in some way because they were in tea bags.
The reality is that they are not great tea drinkers and they do not really appreciate a gift of tea. If they want to drink tea there is a good selection at the small supermarket that they use regularly. However if I want a good cup of strong tea when I visit them, I can use the tea that I brought on a previous visit.
I am fairly sure that you are not a native speaker because of this mistake amongst others:
trains of thought
Speakers of English as a Foreign Language are often clever people who work hard on their English. I am surrounded by stupid people who are not interested in their English or who think that their mistakes are something to be proud of because they are Scottish. I accept that I make spelling and grammar mistakes. However I make different types of mistake to people learning English.
Logically you might think that more than one train of thought, could be described as 'trains of thought'. However 'train of thought' is an idiomatic expression, and as such logic does not really apply. So it is unusual to see the expression in the form of 'trains of thought'.
Why do I show an interest in mistakes?
Because mistakes reveal what people find easy and what people find difficult.
If in your language the word order is opposite that of English, you are more likely to get the word order of English the wrong way round.
P.S. Even if you are taking the Mickey, it has interesting trying to answer this question.
I spell check what I write and re-read it. Even so, it is still easy to make mistakes. On reading what I have written for a final time, and now that it is on Antimoon, I have noticed a mistake. (Incidentally, when I am writing on Microsoft Word my mistakes are corrected automatically.)
P.S. Even if you are taking the Mickey, it has interesting trying to answer this question.
Should be:
P.S. Even if you are taking the Mickey, it has been interesting trying to answer this question.
I could further correct my sentence. My original mistake was a typo, but on reflection I would write.
P.S. Even if you are taking the Mickey, it has been interesting trying to answer your question.
Why am I going through this process?
Because this is very much like these people who start a Topic asking: Which form of sentence is the best to use?
They then provide two very similar sentences.
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At the moment there is a Postal strike in the UK. The two parties to the dispute have been appearing on television to explain why the dispute has not been resolved. The members of management generally tend to speak very good English. As you might imagine, the Trade Union leader’s English is not so good because he is a poorly educated working class man. He makes some interesting grammatical mistakes. However he is still able to make his points. He is speaking from his heart. His mistakes giving authenticity to what he says. He is speaking in his own words and not reading a bland impersonal P.R. statement that conceals more than it reveals.
P. R. Public Relations
Thanks for your description on tea in British culture, something I have always wondered about.
I hope that was supposed to be said with biting sarcasm
You don't present people with tea-bags, you peasant.
I enjoyed the post on tea. I find Polish people a little inscrutable, so I was curious as to why they rejected the tea. Basically, the earlier poster guessed correctly.
I tend to prefer loose tea, but I have tea bags for friends and visitors who want the bag type because that's what they know and prefer.
I would have taken the Indian tea because I like to try new types of teas-even if they are dated. On the other hand, I don't reuse tea bags, a custom I don't understand unless the person is trying to economize. It's not healthy to reuse them.
Tea is different in Japan, but I think find tea interesting, and like sampling new tastes. New, fresh tea would be best, but...
Yes, tea-bags are inferior to loose tea. Robin's Polish hosts thought that he was cheap, ignorant/insensitive and/or foolish. He bought the tea for himself, not for his Polish hosts. Shows his character perfectly. Nothing new. I'd divorce him instantly if I were his Polish wife, but not before I beat him with a club.
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