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 #17 (permalink) Sat Apr 19, 2008 13:08 pm New rules |
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| Molly wrote: |
| And, English is also part of many nonnative speakers' cultures. That's why Indian-English speakers, for example, have such things as "kitty party", "batchmate", "She is knowing the answer "You're going, isn't it?", and so on. Those examples reflect the context in which that variety of English is used in. |
Put those reflections aside for a while.
Is the English language in need of new regularisations to embrace other English varieties and the bottomless pit of English used by ESL speakers? Or is the only way to get things right a
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| a native-speaker's stamp of approval on everything you do regarding using the language? |
If you did that, most posts on this forum as well as the last sentence quoted wouldn't pass the benchmark test. It would however provide job security for English teachers whose first language is English 
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 Ralf
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| #18 (permalink) Sun Apr 20, 2008 10:52 am New rules |
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I think the point here depends on what is the reason for communicating and in what area are you using the language.
Maybe some learners will wish to have a modicum standard and be fine with that.
However in light of your remark here;
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| If you did that, most posts on this forum as well as the last sentence quoted wouldn't pass the benchmark test. It would however provide job security for English teachers whose first language is English |
learners particularly using English for Business I believe desire to have as close to native speaker standards as possible. And would new rules that are seen as debasing the language be accepted in this context and by these users .
However this does not mean that they wish for this "native speaker stamp of approval".
After all native speakers have differing standards, and abilities to communicate.
I really think that a language should be flexible enough to absorb these issues, however the varieties of English used in certain regions of the world (whether that is Indian varieties or even the village I was born in) may not be understood by a proficient, general learner of English or a native speaker for that matter.
So the first point surely is, is it easy to follow, and secondly does it hold the standard for it´s purpose or context.
English maybe flexible, but any language that is spoken on an "International stage" ( and what I mean by this is - has a diverse and global usage) would struggle to absorb all varieties and the changes in the rules necessary to be understood by all users and in all geographical areas.
A blanket statement like the original proposal in this thread is something that no one can answer, but if you get to the nitty gritty of specific rules, then maybe you can discuss them at some depth.
It would be interesting to get more light on the motivation of the thread initiator to bring this very all encompassing issue up?
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