Being a member of this forum for a few weeks, now, I notice something that's a
bit... disturbing. So far as I recall, the official language of MiniTokyo is
English, and not Engrish. However, it does seem like a whole lot of posts here
are rather incomprehensible due to its language. It's rather hard to understand
what people are saying when they are saying it with such poor grammar and
sentence construction. I am not saying that I am perfect myself. But I think, it
will be nice to be considerate to other people, and perhaps spell check/grammar
check your posts. I think, it would make the forum that much more enjoyable, and
it would definitely promote a more healthy intelligent discussions.
Don't get me started on correcting your mistakes in your post...<.<
Kidding, no one is perfect, that's obvious! And writing is one of the most
difficult tasks there is. Now imagine writing in a second language. As h5n1
says, not everyone comes from English-speaking countries/states... And some of
those members, to respect the rules, have to put their text in their original
language through babelfish to get the English version. (We all know those online
translators suck and can't beat the human mind's ability to synthetize speech!)
You can't expect them to spell check, when they don't even know the basics of
the language.
Now, believe me, I know how annoying it is to try and decipher what those people
are writing. But we have to give them credits for making an effort. There are
other members who don't try at all(you'll notice a lot of posts in Spanish in
the gallery, sometimes in the forum as well), this is really sad.
Well, maybe I have more experience at deciphering meaningless texts than you do.
I'm a translator, and I make my living out of reading texts in English and
transferring them into French (my first language by the way), and trust me,
those texts, though they are written by employees of our government whose first
language is English are not always well written and definitely not always
comprehensible. lol. I'm no better, I also make mistakes in French every once in
a while (I did say writing was difficult)... which sucks, because making
communication possible and as clear as possible between people who speak
different languages and have different cultures is my job .
My advice is just bear with it. Even if it is annoying. Even if you can't make
any sense out of it. Because it'll probably never get any better. Besides, the
act of communicating is never perfect, even with the best grammar in the world.
But the beauty of it comes when we try to understand each other, no matter how
hard it is.
By the way, I think this discussion should be in the Minitokyo section of the
forum. Since it seems to talk mainly about conversation quality here.
what the heck...at least they tried even though their english may still be bad
but you could've credited them for their efforts. If they spoke in their first
language, you might not even understand it at all ;P
I know some people who spoke in their first language to ppl who do not
understand and that's bad but mt's a community and you can try by helping them
to improve their english too every
little thing helps.
I know what you mean, sometimes it's hard to understand what some members are
saying, but keep in mind that English isn't their first language. At least
they're making an effort to communicate in English, you can't fault them for
that. In fact, I congratulate anyone who is making this effort rather than try
to avoid it.
Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine you're part of an English-speaking
community that is not going to bend the rules for you just because you don't
know English. You'd feel frustrated because everyone seems to know this
difficult language -- English, being a Germanic language, is very difficult to
learn -- and yet you're having trouble understanding them and when you try to
use their language they don't understand you.
Offer some assistance, but don't be bullish about it.
Buncha ppl are foreigners here. Can't blame 'em, my grammar sucks as it is. From
my perspective, they are way better at englsh than I am =).
(btw, im a foreigner too, lived in US for 8 years though =))
Well... to be fair, English is not my first language either. I speak 5 other
languages aside from English. I have been in an English-speaking community
that's not bending their rules for me. For me, this community was college. I
came here 5 years ago, and I didn't know much English at all back then. I got
thrown into college, and well... I guess, I learned quick enough to pass
college. And yes, I do agree, I should give them credit for actually posting in
English, or at least, try to. I apologise if this is not conveyed in the
original post.
However, this effort would mean so much more if they realise that attempting
"gangsta' speak" while having a really poor grasp of the English
language is... well... confusing.
Take h5n1, for example. I think, everyone could take a leaf out of his book.
True, his English is not the most perfect out there (in fact, language is an
ever evolving thing, so, defining "perfect" in this case will be
pointless), but he tries, and I think that means so much more, the fact that it
does look like he tried. At least, when you look at his post, you can tell that
he bothered to re-read it, and not just post because he got bored. You can also
tell how much easier it is to understand what he means because you can instantly
understand the keywords in his sentences, and they are all spelled
correctly!
As far as I know, most OS's have an application or two who would do spell check
for the user. I think, perhaps, this can be utilised to minimise spelling
errors. In my honest opinion, if you do want to improve, the first start is to
post with as little spelling errors as possible. This will at least, give people
a clue as to what you're trying to say, even when your sentence structure is not
quite right. At least, with some keywords right, people would be able to
decipher what you're trying to say much better than if you are posting in loads
of contractions and ellipses.
Ayamael, lol. I know what you mean. I used to work as a project
manager/programmer. It is hard enough to read specs written by English-speaking
clients, leave alone having to translate them to another language. I guess,
inadvertently, that's another good reason why it might be really hard to
understand some posts here, the cultural difference. Hmmm...
I think, what point I am trying to make is that perhaps, if you would like to
try, do start with proper spelling. And please, don't attempt "gangsta'
style" just yet, that can wait until you are fluent enough to ensure that
your words will still convey your feelings clearly and does not make you sound
like you're trying too hard to be "cool".
NB. Ayamael, lol, PM me for any and all grammar/spelling corrections. I do want
to know and see if I could improve myself. And hmmm... I am not sure where it
should be, so I ust put it here. Maybe an admin could place it where it should
be?
I understand how they feel, because English is my second language as well
(though I'm been using it for 8 years now). Like many of the others have said,
we ought to give credit to those people for making an effort. I mean, if it
wasn't for the fact that I moved to Canada, my English probably would suck
too...
So if their first language isn't English, then I think it's forgivable. However,
there are people on the forum whose first language is English, and they still
can't spell simple words properly, then it gets annoying... Like when people use
"Internet lingo". For example: "hi ppl wuz up how r u i'm good
that's like so kewl!111one!11" Ugh, that's annoys me (one of my pet peeves
I guess) a lot! I know it saves some typing, but come on, how hard it is to
spell out "you" and "are", and add some punctuation and
capitals in there!
Maybe I spoke in a "tto basic English"?!? xD
Sorry, but I'm an IT Professionist and my english is maybe too technical. I can
soeak about computers, science and.. ehehm transistors ^_^ in a clean and clear
English but I can make mistakes speaking about anything else! ^_^
I hope to be understandable as far as I can! ^_^
...sorry! ;P
It would be a pleasure to have my bad
english made correct by you.
I recognize I write better in Portuguese, my native language, but...
a lingua padrao de fato no mundo e' o Ingles. the de facto standard language in world is
English.
(laughs)
I feel it's nice that people on this thread are suggesting that we should be
more understanding and patient with each other instead of us
berating/castigating/ostracizing/alienating people who are
uneasy/uncomfortable/unaccustomed/have little knowledge in English and instead
of us insisting that the rule as regards to English usage in the MT Policy be
strictly enforced. [oh, and sorry for the very complex construction of above
sentence! ]
But thank you, babyLemon and minna, for giving me an idea as to further
communication and understanding in Minitokyo! I'm assuming that the rule on
English on the site is as so because the Policy assumes that English has become the "standard language of
the world" (to quote leonardobarba). However, said Policy, in my view, does
not recognize that the English language itself is being used in various ways by
its users. Thus, don't we have like Singapore
English and Taglish (a purported
combination of my language Tagalog and
English)? I think it would be very
inconsiderate to assume that there is such a thing as "basic English",
since "basic" in my view reveals particular situations or contexts a person has when dealing with the
world via language. Yes, there are "English standards" as
written on our textbooks and such, but sometimes they are not enough and in fact
hinder people from learning a new language.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is this: if the "current standards" of
English are hard enough for some people, then why don't we start being creative
and create our own standards of English, or
create new languages in lieu of and incorporating English? Bleh, that
came out bad, lol... MapleRose and eXDream2K5 said something about
"Internet lingo" and "rules not being bent to accommodate people
who find it hard to learn English"... ok, I'll try to be coherent now... My
idea is, "Why don't we start -- you know
maybe just for fun or just to start out fresh in comprehending and understanding
one another in this virtual space -- creating a Minitokyo Language of sorts for
the site, hnn?
Members and moderators can contribute, debate and suggest ways to form and
develop this Minitokyo Language... we
could talk about what words could we use to mean other words and concepts in
things here in MT, we could even create new rules of speaking or whatever...
it's kinda like those games I/we used to play as kids (and for those already
engaged in speaking "Internet lingo", "leetspeak",
"gayspeak" and other forms of languages or "ways of weaving with
the world") where we form and talk in our own made-up speech. I was hoping
to find other people who might be interested in this project (T_T ... I'm
supposed to be tied up with other offline/online stuff, too, but this thread of
yours is irresistible!), then if it succeeds, we could propose to everyone that
said newly-formed "Minitokyo Language" can be used as an alternative
to "English" in Minitokyo?
Anyway, lol! What do you think, everyone? Oh, and sorry if it's gonna take a
while responding back here on the thread. Anyway again, I hope I contributed
something to the discussion and didn't go overboard! ^^^
OK, Here's what I meant by "major mutilation to the english language".
Quoted from a user posting in another forum. While understanding the message
conveyed, this post really gives me the urges to invent a device to stab
people's eyes repeatedly over the internet so I can use said device on the
poster.
Quote:
5wk 6d ago
Has anybody wonder wat is beyond or behind d black hole?
I was jas wondering though .. all i noe so far bout it is that nythin dat get
suck in nvr get out .. my fren told me dat dere is no oxygen dere so u will nvr
survive in dere
nyway .. for me .. i always thought dat black hole is a way dat will lead to
another galaxy dat should not b known by nybody n i think dat d galaxy dere is
sumthing almost similar to ours which means dat dere is another planet Earth ..
but den instead of using technolgy like wat we use now .. i think dey have
something like magic n den all dis kind of demon too!
I told my frens wat i thought bout dis .. dey all gave me d wierd look .. i noe
it sound like i watch too much anime or movie but i think its fun to think of it
dis way .. life is more adventurous n thrilling if something like dis were true
so .. i was wondering wat's other people theory of black hole and is my theory
really dat wierd?
Apologies for being cruel. This is one of the rather... eh post. There are the
*eh*twictch*twitch* posts, and those are even more... frustrating. I mean, I
don't mind having to understand far less than perfect English, so long as the
poster DOES try, but this? I am getting the feeling that poster is trying to
sound cool, but ended up sounding juvenile and idiotic.
There was actually a discussion in the mod forum about this. Basically it was
observed that some people aren't as versed in English as others (especially on
websites like MT with a multi-national following), and others have spent so many
of their early years on the 'net that they have "web-speak" firmly
embedded in them as a communication mode.
Basically if someone's making deliberately obscene or disruptive posts, then they're in
violation of MT policy- report them and we'll take care of it. However, if
they're simply trying to communicate the best they know how, and making
mistakes, correct them over PM and be nice about it. Heck, they might even thank
you! Just my own 2 cents.
babyLemon... ehem... in this case yo're right! ^_^
Even if I can understand most of the sense of the sentences and their main
meaning I do have really a difficulty following in reading
Quote by babyLemonOK, Here's what I
meant by "major mutilation to the english language". Quoted from a
user posting in another forum. While understanding the message conveyed, this
post really gives me the urges to invent a device to stab people's eyes
repeatedly over the internet so I can use said device on the poster.
Quote:
5wk 6d ago
Has anybody wonder wat is beyond or behind d black hole?
I was jas wondering though .. all i noe so far bout it is that nythin dat get
suck in nvr get out .. my fren told me dat dere is no oxygen dere so u will nvr
survive in dere
nyway .. for me .. i always thought dat black hole is a way dat will lead to
another galaxy dat should not b known by nybody n i think dat d galaxy dere is
sumthing almost similar to ours which means dat dere is another planet Earth ..
but den instead of using technolgy like wat we use now .. i think dey have
something like magic n den all dis kind of demon too!
I told my frens wat i thought bout dis .. dey all gave me d wierd look .. i noe
it sound like i watch too much anime or movie but i think its fun to think of it
dis way .. life is more adventurous n thrilling if something like dis were true
so .. i was wondering wat's other people theory of black hole and is my theory
really dat wierd?
Apologies for being cruel. This is one of the rather... eh post. There are the
*eh*twictch*twitch* posts, and those are even more... frustrating. I mean, I
don't mind having to understand far less than perfect English, so long as the
poster DOES try, but this? I am getting the feeling that poster is trying to
sound cool, but ended up sounding juvenile and idiotic.
You're rigth...
But this doesn't come from a foreing trying to write in English... This is from
an English-as-a-first-lenguaje who uses cell phones to send messages or that
uses the chats...
I tell you this, because some of us do make an effort to share our opinions in
the posts, but I've even been insulted by some sarcastic people for having one
or two mistakes in the sentences for writing fast. I know you do not intend
this, but it could be used by those two ot three people to encourage their
sarcasm.
Please, be tolerant with us who are English-as-second lenguage-speakers.
Wow, you have been here for three weeks and a few hours..
Just hang around for another 72 weeks. By the time you have reached 75 weeks you
have either gone mad or are here long enough not to give a shit
anymore.
By week 100 your brain resets and things lke mssng lttrs dn't mttr nymr.
After week 125 j00 w1ll h4v3 mstrd l33t and hv3 d3v3lpd a wrd f1ltr th4t mks th3
wrst l3g1bl3.
Quote by TaurecWow, you have been here for
three weeks and a few hours..
Just hang around for another 72 weeks. By the time you have reached 75 weeks you
have either gone mad or are here long enough not to give a shit
anymore.
By week 100 your brain resets and things lke mssng lttrs dn't mttr nymr.
After week 125 j00 w1ll h4v3 mstrd l33t and hv3 d3v3lpd a wrd f1ltr th4t mks th3
wrst l3g1bl3.
Hv3 4 nc3 d4y.
Plain example for them to change english to net language...
Like what somebodyelse said... i dont think the moderators here mind people
writing english the way the quote above shows... because the Netizens will
soon... after a year of net addiction... will be writing english like that
But of course... that would mean bad news when you are sitting for your english
examination in coming years *cough Euna writing rhythm as rythem cough*
Lol... I sure hope my head doesn't explode before then.
Mireya2: English is my second language as well... erm... actually, third. But
never mind that. I don't intend this to be sarcastic at all. I seriously try to
give it as much effort I can to understand a post before decided to get annoyed
at it. And seriously, if in your post, you have only one or two mistakes, you
really should be applauded, lol. I hope you don't get more cynicism out of the
people here. If I do cause some of those, I apologise.
I think that this particular debate is focussed on the (for lack of better
termenology) of "american" typers. Hear me out. English is my first
language, latin my second, and hopefully japanese will be my third, but from the
quote that is definetely american. Straight up text-messaging,
chat-room-time-saving, flat-out-annoying american typing. People almost speaking
in code, and it can get on my nerves very quickly. I am, however sympathetic
towards those who do not have a very comprehensive or articulate means of
conveying their thoughts on the keyboard, that cannot be helped. It is the
poorly typed work that is done on purpose that should be stopped (then this gets
in to: why do they type like that ? Won't they get fewer posts? Are they only
punishing themselves?). But that is their choice, no matter what the (annoying,
idiotic, lazy...) motives are. Final note: I do not intend my terminology to be
interpereted as offensive to americans (as I am one), I only use it as fitting
and, as stated prior to this, for lack of a better word.
Keep on reading those post... after a while [As in a year or two], you'll be
able to decipher almost any form of English on the net... for example Taurec
post above. I never really was expose to l33t... I been online too
long.
Only thing it do not apply to is bad handwriting [Younger brother ect]. Dx
Now lets try this... should be true...
Hvae a ncie day!
Since I am also one of the many members here that have english as a second
language, I think it's nice that english forums like MT are open to different
nationalities. That's why, few mistakes should be tolerated (and it's usually
the case) as long as it isn't difficult to read and understand a post, since MT
would lose his fun side if it's more seen like an english homework. The
important thing is to share our thoughts.
I'm less tolerant for the people who use "special" languages like lt33
or type like if MT was a cellphone (they have time to type a correct message and
readers usually waste time trying to figure what's written, that could be seen
like a lack of respect), except if they think their posts are for some happy
few.
I don't agree with Vitanichi, I have been browsing a lot through the net (most
the time the english-speaking sites) for more than four years and I don't
"decipher almost any form of English on the net."
Quote: Plain example for them to
change english to net language...
Like what somebodyelse said... i dont think the moderators here mind people
writing english the way the quote above shows... because the Netizens will
soon... after a year of net addiction... will be writing english like that
You know, that scares me somewhat, because if we all end up writing like that,
imagine what our great works of literature will end up looking like =_=
Being a member of this forum for a few weeks, now, I notice something that's a bit... disturbing. So far as I recall, the official language of MiniTokyo is English, and not Engrish. However, it does seem like a whole lot of posts here are rather incomprehensible due to its language. It's rather hard to understand what people are saying when they are saying it with such poor grammar and sentence construction. I am not saying that I am perfect myself. But I think, it will be nice to be considerate to other people, and perhaps spell check/grammar check your posts. I think, it would make the forum that much more enjoyable, and it would definitely promote a more healthy intelligent discussions.
Thoughts?
I dont't know where all people, here in minitokyo, come from, but I know that many are from different Countries.
Not in all Countries and States the teaching of English language is good as we can think! ^_^
I'm from Italy and I can speak about my reality.
Here in Italy there are many many people that can't speak english and many others can only read and write only basic English.
If we make an effort in reading (not only in writing) we can meet each others and try to give sense to our "communication"! ^_^
Don't get me started on correcting your mistakes in your post...<.< Kidding, no one is perfect, that's obvious! And writing is one of the most difficult tasks there is. Now imagine writing in a second language. As h5n1 says, not everyone comes from English-speaking countries/states... And some of those members, to respect the rules, have to put their text in their original language through babelfish to get the English version. (We all know those online translators suck and can't beat the human mind's ability to synthetize speech!) You can't expect them to spell check, when they don't even know the basics of the language.
Now, believe me, I know how annoying it is to try and decipher what those people are writing. But we have to give them credits for making an effort. There are other members who don't try at all(you'll notice a lot of posts in Spanish in the gallery, sometimes in the forum as well), this is really sad.
Well, maybe I have more experience at deciphering meaningless texts than you do. I'm a translator, and I make my living out of reading texts in English and transferring them into French (my first language by the way), and trust me, those texts, though they are written by employees of our government whose first language is English are not always well written and definitely not always comprehensible. lol. I'm no better, I also make mistakes in French every once in a while (I did say writing was difficult)... which sucks, because making communication possible and as clear as possible between people who speak different languages and have different cultures is my job
.
My advice is just bear with it. Even if it is annoying. Even if you can't make any sense out of it. Because it'll probably never get any better. Besides, the act of communicating is never perfect, even with the best grammar in the world. But the beauty of it comes when we try to understand each other, no matter how hard it is.
By the way, I think this discussion should be in the Minitokyo section of the forum. Since it seems to talk mainly about conversation quality here.
what the heck...at least they tried even though their english may still be bad but you could've credited them for their efforts. If they spoke in their first language, you might not even understand it at all ;P
every
little thing helps.
I know some people who spoke in their first language to ppl who do not understand and that's bad but mt's a community and you can try by helping them to improve their english too
I know what you mean, sometimes it's hard to understand what some members are saying, but keep in mind that English isn't their first language. At least they're making an effort to communicate in English, you can't fault them for that. In fact, I congratulate anyone who is making this effort rather than try to avoid it.
Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine you're part of an English-speaking community that is not going to bend the rules for you just because you don't know English. You'd feel frustrated because everyone seems to know this difficult language -- English, being a Germanic language, is very difficult to learn -- and yet you're having trouble understanding them and when you try to use their language they don't understand you.
Offer some assistance, but don't be bullish about it.
Buncha ppl are foreigners here. Can't blame 'em, my grammar sucks as it is. From my perspective, they are way better at englsh than I am =).
(btw, im a foreigner too, lived in US for 8 years though =))
Well... to be fair, English is not my first language either. I speak 5 other languages aside from English. I have been in an English-speaking community that's not bending their rules for me. For me, this community was college. I came here 5 years ago, and I didn't know much English at all back then. I got thrown into college, and well... I guess, I learned quick enough to pass college. And yes, I do agree, I should give them credit for actually posting in English, or at least, try to. I apologise if this is not conveyed in the original post.
However, this effort would mean so much more if they realise that attempting "gangsta' speak" while having a really poor grasp of the English language is... well... confusing.
Take h5n1, for example. I think, everyone could take a leaf out of his book. True, his English is not the most perfect out there (in fact, language is an ever evolving thing, so, defining "perfect" in this case will be pointless), but he tries, and I think that means so much more, the fact that it does look like he tried. At least, when you look at his post, you can tell that he bothered to re-read it, and not just post because he got bored. You can also tell how much easier it is to understand what he means because you can instantly understand the keywords in his sentences, and they are all spelled correctly!
As far as I know, most OS's have an application or two who would do spell check for the user. I think, perhaps, this can be utilised to minimise spelling errors. In my honest opinion, if you do want to improve, the first start is to post with as little spelling errors as possible. This will at least, give people a clue as to what you're trying to say, even when your sentence structure is not quite right. At least, with some keywords right, people would be able to decipher what you're trying to say much better than if you are posting in loads of contractions and ellipses.
Ayamael, lol. I know what you mean. I used to work as a project manager/programmer. It is hard enough to read specs written by English-speaking clients, leave alone having to translate them to another language. I guess, inadvertently, that's another good reason why it might be really hard to understand some posts here, the cultural difference. Hmmm...
I think, what point I am trying to make is that perhaps, if you would like to try, do start with proper spelling. And please, don't attempt "gangsta' style" just yet, that can wait until you are fluent enough to ensure that your words will still convey your feelings clearly and does not make you sound like you're trying too hard to be "cool".
NB. Ayamael, lol, PM me for any and all grammar/spelling corrections. I do want to know and see if I could improve myself. And hmmm... I am not sure where it should be, so I ust put it here. Maybe an admin could place it where it should be?
I understand how they feel, because English is my second language as well (though I'm been using it for 8 years now). Like many of the others have said, we ought to give credit to those people for making an effort. I mean, if it wasn't for the fact that I moved to Canada, my English probably would suck too...
So if their first language isn't English, then I think it's forgivable. However, there are people on the forum whose first language is English, and they still can't spell simple words properly, then it gets annoying... Like when people use "Internet lingo". For example: "hi ppl wuz up how r u i'm good that's like so kewl!111one!11" Ugh, that's annoys me (one of my pet peeves I guess) a lot! I know it saves some typing, but come on, how hard it is to spell out "you" and "are", and add some punctuation and capitals in there!
Maybe I spoke in a "tto basic English"?!? xD
Sorry, but I'm an IT Professionist and my english is maybe too technical. I can soeak about computers, science and.. ehehm transistors ^_^ in a clean and clear English but I can make mistakes speaking about anything else! ^_^
I hope to be understandable as far as I can! ^_^
...sorry! ;P
It would be a pleasure to have my bad english made correct by you.
I recognize I write better in Portuguese, my native language, but...
a lingua padrao de fato no mundo e' o Ingles.
the de facto standard language in world is English.
(laughs)
I feel it's nice that people on this thread are suggesting that we should be more understanding and patient with each other instead of us berating/castigating/ostracizing/alienating people who are uneasy/uncomfortable/unaccustomed/have little knowledge in English and instead of us insisting that the rule as regards to English usage in the MT Policy be strictly enforced. [oh, and sorry for the very complex construction of above sentence!
]
But thank you, babyLemon and minna, for giving me an idea as to further communication and understanding in Minitokyo! I'm assuming that the rule on English on the site is as so because the Policy assumes that English has become the "standard language of the world" (to quote leonardobarba). However, said Policy, in my view, does not recognize that the English language itself is being used in various ways by its users. Thus, don't we have like Singapore English and Taglish (a purported combination of my language Tagalog and English)? I think it would be very inconsiderate to assume that there is such a thing as "basic English", since "basic" in my view reveals particular situations or contexts a person has when dealing with the world via language. Yes, there are "English standards" as written on our textbooks and such, but sometimes they are not enough and in fact hinder people from learning a new language.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is this: if the "current standards" of English are hard enough for some people, then why don't we start being creative and create our own standards of English, or create new languages in lieu of and incorporating English? Bleh, that came out bad, lol... MapleRose and eXDream2K5 said something about "Internet lingo" and "rules not being bent to accommodate people who find it hard to learn English"... ok, I'll try to be coherent now... My idea is, "Why don't we start -- you know maybe just for fun or just to start out fresh in comprehending and understanding one another in this virtual space -- creating a Minitokyo Language of sorts for the site, hnn?
Members and moderators can contribute, debate and suggest ways to form and develop this Minitokyo Language... we could talk about what words could we use to mean other words and concepts in things here in MT, we could even create new rules of speaking or whatever... it's kinda like those games I/we used to play as kids (and for those already engaged in speaking "Internet lingo", "leetspeak", "gayspeak" and other forms of languages or "ways of weaving with the world") where we form and talk in our own made-up speech. I was hoping to find other people who might be interested in this project (T_T ... I'm supposed to be tied up with other offline/online stuff, too, but this thread of yours is irresistible!), then if it succeeds, we could propose to everyone that said newly-formed "Minitokyo Language" can be used as an alternative to "English" in Minitokyo?
Anyway, lol! What do you think, everyone? Oh, and sorry if it's gonna take a while responding back here on the thread. Anyway again, I hope I contributed something to the discussion and didn't go overboard! ^^^
OK, Here's what I meant by "major mutilation to the english language". Quoted from a user posting in another forum. While understanding the message conveyed, this post really gives me the urges to invent a device to stab people's eyes repeatedly over the internet so I can use said device on the poster.
Apologies for being cruel. This is one of the rather... eh post. There are the *eh*twictch*twitch* posts, and those are even more... frustrating. I mean, I don't mind having to understand far less than perfect English, so long as the poster DOES try, but this? I am getting the feeling that poster is trying to sound cool, but ended up sounding juvenile and idiotic.
There was actually a discussion in the mod forum about this. Basically it was observed that some people aren't as versed in English as others (especially on websites like MT with a multi-national following), and others have spent so many of their early years on the 'net that they have "web-speak" firmly embedded in them as a communication mode.
Basically if someone's making deliberately obscene or disruptive posts, then they're in violation of MT policy- report them and we'll take care of it. However, if they're simply trying to communicate the best they know how, and making mistakes, correct them over PM and be nice about it. Heck, they might even thank you! Just my own 2 cents.
babyLemon... ehem... in this case yo're right! ^_^
Even if I can understand most of the sense of the sentences and their main meaning I do have really a difficulty following in reading
You're rigth...
But this doesn't come from a foreing trying to write in English... This is from an English-as-a-first-lenguaje who uses cell phones to send messages or that uses the chats...
I tell you this, because some of us do make an effort to share our opinions in the posts, but I've even been insulted by some sarcastic people for having one or two mistakes in the sentences for writing fast. I know you do not intend this, but it could be used by those two ot three people to encourage their sarcasm.
Please, be tolerant with us who are English-as-second lenguage-speakers.
Wow, you have been here for three weeks and a few hours..
Just hang around for another 72 weeks. By the time you have reached 75 weeks you have either gone mad or are here long enough not to give a shit anymore.
By week 100 your brain resets and things lke mssng lttrs dn't mttr nymr.
After week 125 j00 w1ll h4v3 mstrd l33t and hv3 d3v3lpd a wrd f1ltr th4t mks th3 wrst l3g1bl3.
Hv3 4 nc3 d4y.
Plain example for them to change english to net language...
Like what somebodyelse said... i dont think the moderators here mind people writing english the way the quote above shows... because the Netizens will soon... after a year of net addiction... will be writing english like that
But of course... that would mean bad news when you are sitting for your english examination in coming years *cough Euna writing rhythm as rythem cough*
Lol... I sure hope my head doesn't explode before then.
Mireya2: English is my second language as well... erm... actually, third. But never mind that. I don't intend this to be sarcastic at all. I seriously try to give it as much effort I can to understand a post before decided to get annoyed at it. And seriously, if in your post, you have only one or two mistakes, you really should be applauded, lol. I hope you don't get more cynicism out of the people here. If I do cause some of those, I apologise.
h5n1: Thanks for the agreement.
Maybe this can sound a little irriverent: simply, if I can't understand someone's post... I ignore it! ^_^
I can live without it, sure!
I think that this particular debate is focussed on the (for lack of better termenology) of "american" typers. Hear me out. English is my first language, latin my second, and hopefully japanese will be my third, but from the quote that is definetely american. Straight up text-messaging, chat-room-time-saving, flat-out-annoying american typing. People almost speaking in code, and it can get on my nerves very quickly. I am, however sympathetic towards those who do not have a very comprehensive or articulate means of conveying their thoughts on the keyboard, that cannot be helped. It is the poorly typed work that is done on purpose that should be stopped (then this gets in to: why do they type like that ? Won't they get fewer posts? Are they only punishing themselves?). But that is their choice, no matter what the (annoying, idiotic, lazy...) motives are. Final note: I do not intend my terminology to be interpereted as offensive to americans (as I am one), I only use it as fitting and, as stated prior to this, for lack of a better word.
That kind of crap doesn't happen just in the US. Even the language from the country where I live has its version of shorthand and INTARNET SPEAK!
Keep on reading those post... after a while [As in a year or two], you'll be able to decipher almost any form of English on the net... for example Taurec post above. I never really was expose to l33t... I been online too long.
Only thing it do not apply to is bad handwriting [Younger brother ect]. Dx
Now lets try this... should be true...
Hvae a ncie day!
Since I am also one of the many members here that have english as a second language, I think it's nice that english forums like MT are open to different nationalities. That's why, few mistakes should be tolerated (and it's usually the case) as long as it isn't difficult to read and understand a post, since MT would lose his fun side if it's more seen like an english homework. The important thing is to share our thoughts.
I'm less tolerant for the people who use "special" languages like lt33 or type like if MT was a cellphone (they have time to type a correct message and readers usually waste time trying to figure what's written, that could be seen like a lack of respect), except if they think their posts are for some happy few.
I don't agree with Vitanichi, I have been browsing a lot through the net (most the time the english-speaking sites) for more than four years and I don't "decipher almost any form of English on the net."
You know, that scares me somewhat, because if we all end up writing like that, imagine what our great works of literature will end up looking like =_=