craving respect

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Anonymous

#532777 Thu, 26 Jun 08 11:07 AM

Regarding language use, whose respect do you crave?

For example, a few weeks ago, I wrote the word "fora", as the plural for "forum", and a couple of native-speaking members here took me to task over it, and a couple more even made fun of me for using it. They said I should use "forums". Well, I'm still using "fora", so I guess I'm not so interested in gaining the respect, linguistically and socially, of said members. But, did I make the right choice? Should I have taken on the usage of said members? Should I have tried to to gain their respect?

And should someone who feels comfortable using a double-negative, or is happy using "if I have chance" (over "if I have the/a chance") in the spoken form - to take just two examples - give up their way of speaking, of using the language, and instead try to gain the respect of those who prescribe against such forms? Should someone who never uses "ain't", as another example, suddenly begin using it when coming into contact with those who do use it?

So, regarding language use, do you try or wish to gain the respect of a certain sector of society? If so, which sector and why?

Anonymous

Plurals, Negatives

Fandorin

#532913 Thu, 26 Jun 08 02:32 PM

As for me, I would be very glad to be approved by people who really knows English. But I am not a man who urgently want to gain big respect. Everyone can do what he wants and even here, but if you are here I hope you want to reach a good level of speaking and why don't you hearken to people who really knows that? I think using such distortion of some words could be really annoying to people who are native speakers and I think I should make some coclusion and there is no shadow regarding respect or something else. But there ought to be elementary feeling of respect either people or their language. Finally for what are we here?

Fandorin

Joined on Thu, Dec 20 2007

Russia

Full Member (289)

What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger.

Clive

#532915 Thu, 26 Jun 08 02:35 PM

Hi,

Most of the adult students I teach in Ontario want to 'gain the respect' of the interviewers they encounter in Ontario when trying to get a job.

Clive

Clive

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004

Canada

Veteran Member (21,162)

El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

Kooyeen

#533080 Thu, 26 Jun 08 09:45 PM

Respect is for high schools. You might want to say "hot" instead of "beautiful" or "yo" instead of "hi". Note: you might still be a dork anyway.
What you are probably talking about is "integration". If you live in London and talk like a Texan for no reason, you are likely to have some serious problems in your head (unless you do that for an entertaining purpose). On the other hand, if you move to Texas and plan to live there, marry a Texan girl, work with Texans, etc., and you can in some way change your dialect and pick up their one... I don't see any reason why you should avoid picking it up. You should, if you can. Because you're gonna be a Texan too, if you want to.
Then there are some people who just say weird things for no apparent reason, things on one else around them ever say, and no one knows why the heck they have to come up with those words... I remember reading a guy (native speaker) realized he'd always pronounced iron as "I run". Fora instead of forum doesn't seem to be 100% wrong, because Merriam-Webster lists it as a plural, but I believe the vast majority of internet users would never say it. It's just forums. So I need to quote your sentence...

Anonymous
For example, a few weeks ago, I wrote the word "fora", as the plural for "forum"

...for those who haven't realized yet you actually wrote fora, so that they can laugh too, like all the others. Hahaha. Kidding. Stick out tongue

Kooyeen

Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005

Italy

Senior Member (3,972)

If you don't have a sense of humor already, it's about time you buy one.

Dialects, Plurals

Anonymous

#533095 Thu, 26 Jun 08 10:31 PM

But I am not a man who urgently want to gain big respect. Everyone can do what he wants and even here, but if you are here I hope you want to reach a good level of speaking and why don't you hearken to people who really knows that

Should I look for those who use "hearken"? (;)) Wink

Anonymous

#533097 Thu, 26 Jun 08 10:35 PM

<Most of the adult students I teach in Ontario want to 'gain the respect' of the interviewers they encounter in Ontario when trying to get a job.>

But only until they get the job. (:P) Stick out tongue

How about yourself, Clive? Whose respect do you try, or wish, to gain linguistically?

Anonymous

#533100 Thu, 26 Jun 08 10:41 PM

<Respect is for high schools. >

Apparently not:

<<Most of the adult students I teach in Ontario want to 'gain the respect' of the interviewers they encounter in Ontario when trying to get a job.

Clive>>

<Fora instead of forum doesn't seem to be 100% wrong,>

I mentioned fora instead of forums.

<for those who haven't realized yet you actually wrote fora, so that they can laugh too, like all the others.>

Not sure what you're talking about, there, Kooyeen.

Anonymous

Kooyeen

#533104 Thu, 26 Jun 08 10:46 PM

Ooops, yeah, I meant fora instead of forums.

Anonymous
<for those who haven't realized yet you actually wrote fora, so that they can laugh too, like all the others.>

Highlight your use of fora, so that the ones who haven't noticed it yet can laugh at your weird usage. LOL, I was kidding.

Kooyeen

Anonymous

#533108 Thu, 26 Jun 08 11:01 PM

<Highlight your use of fora, so that the ones who haven't noticed it yet can laugh at your weird usage. LOL, I was kidding.>

Maybe I don't care to gain the respect of those who use the word "forums". Sounds a bit uneducated, to me. (:P) Stick out tongue

Anonymous

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