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I am very tired of the trend in language today where the words ever, actually, ironically, um, and of course like are so overused. It is to the point where the words have lost their true meanings.
First the word ever, as in best ever is just getting out of hand. Radio and TV ads have people using this phrase ad nauseum. "We have the best sandwiches ever" for example. Why limit yourself by making such a proclamation? Life continues to evolve, and there will be more great experiences. At least I hope so. So stop with the ever.
Sentences are continually started with um, actually or ironically. The usage is always incorrect and unnecessary. In the case of um, it just makes you sound dumb.
In regards to like, this is always ridiculous. I was like, Im like, it's like. come on people! You either are or you are not. Enough of this nonsense! Learn to speak!
There is also another aspect of the problem. Immigrants. Someone like… me.
I came to this country as an adult, educated in another country, speaking different language. I didn’t know English language (yes, I am sorry!) and I didn’t have the time to go to school here to learn the proper way to speak it.
But, I needed to learn it fast so, I just paid attention to what I hear or see.
I listen to the radio, watched TV, talked to people, read simple books and checked the words in my dictionary. I asked my friends and co-workers to correct me. I beg them to do it. His or her response was that it considers being rude to correct someone‘s way of speaking. I beg your pardon?? How I suppose to know when I use a wrong word, or mispronounce it when no one is telling me the right way? I can (and I still do) speak the incorrect way for years, not knowing that I am doing it wrong. I could say that I consider being rude to nod to my words and make fun of it behind my back.
Years ago, my boss used to call other people and ask them to “translate” what I just said. Those other people were American too, and I was asking myself what is the point of this rudeness? Why should they understand what I said, and my boss not?
I am perfectly aware that sometimes I use wrong word, mispronounce it or mess up the grammar in the sentence. But when someone tells me to repeat it or rephrase – I will try my best to do it. And, heck – if nothing else helps, I will make a picture of what I want to say J
Some people nod to what I say, turn around and make comment to others that they had no idea what I just said. Or they smile and say something like: I don’t know what you said, but sure it sounded cute.
In my perspective doing that, they are way ruder than when they correct me when I say something, yeah – “ cute”. Especially when they know that I asked for, and when they claim to be my friends. I want to learn correct English and try my best to do so.
I know that I made many mistakes in my reply here, but I just tried to make a point from my side of view.
There is also another aspect of the problem. Immigrants. Someone like… me.
I came to this country as an adult, educated in another country, speaking different language. I didn’t know English language (yes, I am sorry!) and I didn’t have the time to go to school here to learn the proper way to speak it.
But, I needed to learn it fast so, I just paid attention to what I hear or see.
I listen to the radio, watched TV, talked to people, read simple books and checked the words in my dictionary. I asked my friends and co-workers to correct me. I beg them to do it. His or her response was that it considers being rude to correct someone‘s way of speaking. I beg your pardon?? How I suppose to know when I use a wrong word, or mispronounce it when no one is telling me the right way? I can (and I still do) speak the incorrect way for years, not knowing that I am doing it wrong. I could say that I consider being rude to nod to my words and make fun of it behind my back.
Years ago, my boss used to call other people and ask them to “translate†what I just said. Those other people were American too, and I was asking myself what is the point of this rudeness? Why should they understand what I said, and my boss not?
I am perfectly aware that sometimes I use wrong word, mispronounce it or mess up the grammar in the sentence. But when someone tells me to repeat it or rephrase – I will try my best to do it. And, heck – if nothing else helps, I will make a picture of what I want to say J
Some people nod to what I say, turn around and make comment to others that they had no idea what I just said. Or they smile and say something like: I don’t know what you said, but sure it sounded cute.
In my perspective doing that, they are way ruder than when they correct me when I say something, yeah – “ cuteâ€. Especially when they know that I asked for, and when they claim to be my friends. I want to learn correct English and try my best to do so.
I know that I made many mistakes in my reply here, but I just tried to make a point from my side of view.
I'll assume that other than your boss asking co-workers to translate, that he was a pretty good boss. If that was the case, there is another way of looking at his approach. Your boss probably thought that you spent more time with your co-workers than with him. As a result, your co-workers would have learned how to intrepret your statements. Consequently, it may be true that he couldn't understand you--but your co-workers did.
This happened to me quite a few years ago. An immigrant from Brazil had just learned English. He was an outstanding worker, but for the life of me, I could not understand him at all. I really tried--I just didn't. But his co-workers understood him. I apologized to him a lot--but even that didn't help. So, the two of us resorted to using his co-workers as translators. He hated me for that. He thoujght I was racist--but I just couldn't understand him. He left to work at another firm--and I gave him a glowing recommendation.
Years ago, my boss used to call other people and ask them to “translate” what I just said. Those other people were American too, and I was asking myself what is the point of this rudeness? Why should they understand what I said, and my boss not?
Quote:
Originally Posted by dcashley
This happened to me quite a few years ago. An immigrant from Brazil had just learned English. He was an outstanding worker, but for the life of me, I could not understand him at all. I really tried--I just didn't. But his co-workers understood him. I apologized to him a lot--but even that didn't help. So, the two of us resorted to using his co-workers as translators. He hated me for that. He thoujght I was racist--but I just couldn't understand him. He left to work at another firm--and I gave him a glowing recommendation.
This sort of thing is not all that out of the ordinary. Of course, it could certainly be a purposely rude action, but I think more often it happens for one of two reasons:
1) The listener hasn't heard speakers with other accents or dialects very much and is not used to the 'word flow' of the speaker.
2) Some people just naturally understand dialects and accents far better than others.
I've been very interested in accents/dialects from an early age. I was often the 'translator' when others couldn't follow what someone else had said due to accent/dialect. I used to be able to speak with a bunch of accents/dialects pretty convincingly. Now only a few.
Some years ago, I did a research project in college on this very subject. I used Scots (recorded from northeast Scotland) in class and noted the comprehension by class members. Scots is very similar to English, but is considered a separate language by many linguists. The first time I heard the recordings, I understood about 70% of what was being spoken (like I said, I'm pretty good at it). After a few times, I caught about, maybe, 90%. In the class, most students understood nearly none of it at first. Many of them didn't even catch the similarity to English. It may as well have been Russian or something. After repeated listening, some students began catching the words and ideas. Many got up to perhaps 50 or 60% comprehension. However, there were a significant number of students who could understand practically none of it even after quite a few repetitions.
So, it's not always that the listener is trying to be a jerk (although it, no doubt, happens). Sometimes folks just do not have an ear for foreign sounds and dialects. These are generally the same people who, when learning a foreign tongue, never really get the sound of the language down, even though they know the words and often can construct sentences just fine. You know what I'm talking about if you speak Spanish and hear an obvious 'gringo' speak. It can sound almost comical even though the 'gringo' actually can speak fluently... just with a very heavy English accent that can make it very hard to understand.
If in fact people should speak properly, there is a very simple way to accomplish that. Teach them to speak properly in school. Since this is not being done, I presume that it is not considered something of any importance. I don't really understand what else needs to be said about it.
If in fact people should speak properly, there is a very simple way to accomplish that. Teach them to speak properly in school. Since this is not being done, I presume that it is not considered something of any importance. I don't really understand what else needs to be said about it.
People learn thier primary language at home. If you want people to speak "properly" then you need to get their parents speaking "properly." Since this is an impossible task, I vote that we outlaw pregnancy, and thereby eliminate parentage!
dcashley / ChrisC: Thank you for your post.
I think, in my frustration I never thought about it that way. You are right, it is possible that my co-workers understood me better than my boss. But I also think that some people just do not really listen to others. They catch word there and here, put together and make sense of it.
I noticed that when I have a conversation one to one. The first time I say something, I could feel that the person has no idea what I am talking about. When I ask the same person to please, concentrate for a second and listen to what I am saying, the person would know exactly what I said. I will not use different words or additional description, but it works perfectly when someone really stops thinking about everything else and just listen to me.
I think it is the same with reading: most of us just scan it in the hurry, and more or less know what it was about. But when we read it again, every word, and put our mind to it, then we know EXACTLY what we were reading about.
dcashley / ChrisC: Thank you for your post.
I think, in my frustration I never thought about it that way. You are right, it is possible that my co-workers understood me better than my boss. But I also think that some people just do not really listen to others. They catch word there and here, put together and make sense of it.
I noticed that when I have a conversation one to one. The first time I say something, I could feel that the person has no idea what I am talking about. When I ask the same person to please, concentrate for a second and listen to what I am saying, the person would know exactly what I said. I will not use different words or additional description, but it works perfectly when someone really stops thinking about everything else and just listen to me.
I think it is the same with reading: most of us just scan it in the hurry, and more or less know what it was about. But when we read it again, every word, and put our mind to it, then we know EXACTLY what we were reading about.
I like you--where are you from (I am NOT flirting--I am married)
I like you--where are you from (I am NOT flirting--I am married)
Oh, that's to bad.....
I am from Poland
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