The Pedant or "English as she is Spoke" and correcting it

[merlin1949]

Like most schoolchildren at the time I went to school, I was forced, on the curriculum, to read and study Shakespeare. Even up to the age of 17, I could not comprehend many of the constructed sentences in his (?) works. That remains to this day. I saw no point then, and I see no point now, in making it a compulsory part of education. I have yet to encounter anyone who actually talks in that manner.
I did, in my early years, pick up a book, "Lambs Tales from Shakespeare",. This was great, and allowed me to read some fine plots, in more contemporary English.

Great fun joining in this thread. Thank you, Merlin, but I think I'll get back to the computer stuff now.
Hwyl fawr am nawr

Da Iawn, Dafydd, Da Iawn yn gyd.......

I have to ask, in these days of Universal software driven translators - was that you or Google (no shame at all in the second, for instance, it's nice to be able to add a phrase or two to International Buyers on eBay in their native language, even when their English is of a better standard than most "Engliush First" people I read.).

Personally, I love Shakespeare but I was lucky enough (at the tender age of ten years old) to see my very first stage play (in Cardiff). It was Shakespeare's "A Taming of the Shrew". My dad took me. We had been to Cardiff to get some school clothes for me and, the weather being atrocious, my Dad asked if I wanted to see a 'sort of pantomime' to get out of the rain. Thge Thirty Six year old dad and his ten year old Son became all of a sudden equals, as they both lost their nShakespeare Virginity" at the same time.

My Dad was, so he told me later, suddenly quite trepidacious about this excursion. Having lewft school at thirteen and working setting and thgen firing the boilers for severral shops in Maesteg. This involved him, at age 13, getting up at 5.00 am every day day (except Sunday) to light huge oil and coal fired Boilers so that the shops were warm when the Staff arrived at 08.00 to 08.30 am. Then going around the same shops after 7.00 pm to turn thgem off and clean and prepare thge solid fuel boilers for lighting fresh.

For £0 . 13s..6d 1/2d per week. that's about £0.69 new pence

What's that - you at the back with the offensive wife ?

Yes, Yes - I HAVE heard of Inflation - no need for sarcasm - but the revalued Wage wouldn't ber worth the same AUDIENCE WOW !!!! Factor. It's called Artistic Licence [SARCASTIC smileyboy here][and another one, for effect]

ANYWAY - Yes, so there we were. Me thinking I'm going to see fat men pretending to be fat women, Ugly main characters because, unlike many other fields of human endeavour, you HAVE to have the best singers, immaterial of the state of the rest of their fizzog.

My Dad worrying how he was going to answer my questions as to meaning.

Once the play had started, I was laughing at something one of the characters had said and saw that my Dad was laughing too.

In the interval I was asking question after question and my Dad saqid to me - "why did you laugh at that bit......." and after a while I came to mthe realisation that while much of the vocabulary was \strange, the funny bits were STILL funny and you understood WHY they nwere funny.

"round robin" reading in class was, however, a GREAT way to make everyone see it as an unintelligible waste of time.

Merlin

 

[merlin1949]

Hi there


Perhaps another thread -- Who really wrote Shakespeares plays !!!!.

Cheers
jimbo

No sooner said than done, Jimbo.

Merlin

WELL - COME ON, JIMBO !!!

I've gone to all that trouble, stting up a new thread for ya and it's not had ONE SINGLE VISITOR - Except me, of course.

So come on - get off your assets and make some noise, guys.

http://www.eightforums.com/chillout-room/54406-who-really-wrote-shakespeare-s-plays.html


Merlin

 

[Joan Archer]

Well I didn't learn about Shakespeare in school, plus I'm not interested now either. I do know spelling was important and maths but as for anything else, well it wasn't important especially as I didn't pass my 11+ and finished school at 15 to start work.

I have no idea about nouns or pre-nouns and apostrophes, or all the other such English language mysteries it was more important that I knew about how to sew and cook than putting the right mark in the proper place.

If I see something that is spelt wrong I do tend to notice but would certainly not think of pulling someone up on it, I'm not perfect so don't expect everyone else to be and that goes for knowing how to spell a word or say it in the correct way especially if that person doesn't have it as their native language.

They say English is the hardest language to learn so it's no wonder people get it wrong, plus they're coming here for their computer problems not an English lesson.

 

[merlin1949]

Senors, Senoras y Senoritas

Aqu en el Reino Unido, Microsoft ha decretado que debemos escribir al menos cuatro mensajes a la semana en uno de los nuevos lenguajes que sustituir en todas las lenguas antiguas en existencia. Estos son los nuevos Google Idiomas. Todas las traducciones ahora sern las mismas que las traducciones en idioma Google Converter

Otro golpe a la libertad de las computadoras que ahora son nuestros amos !!!

Este es mi ltimo mensaje Idioma Google para septiembre - est escrito en "Googlespanish"

Buenas noches mis amigos

Merlin el Asistente de Gales

 

[HippsieGypsie]

LOL! I use Bing Translator app and Google came out as Scroogle.

 

[LADYPINKtomato1]

Four.... a number, such as 4
For..........preposition
with the object or purpose of:
"to run for exercise."
I rest my case.... yes , I meant it in a funny way...
now have a lovely day, where ever you are when reading this thread today.
;

p s.... Merlin, hi, your thread is wonderful.

 

[LADYPINKtomato1]

LOL! I use Bing Translator app and Google came out as Scroogle.

I like it anyway...good to see you today, I've not been around much recently as you know, will try harder to be here more.
Wishing you a delightful Monday ...

 

[loveandpower]

As a gamer myself, I browse several gaming boards daily and it can be kind of irritating when you meet those "grammar nazis"

I do believe age and the general theme of that forum should be considered in the first place anyway. Normally with games the highest ratio of members just in general are going to be teens and young adults. Their lifestyle in most common terms is more of a "play now, don't care about that" attitude. So I wouldn't think that grammar nazis really do it to harm a person.

I think it's more of their way to try to get attention more than than anything.

Now on forums such as ebay and some other places there may be some real intent there to bully or show intelligence over others and I don't support that.

Edit: If it was a forum like a student/teacher/peer to peer board and corrections were made it would be understandable. I have even seen times when a foreign speak such as a Dutch person a lot of them don't know the English language all that well...they have a good idea with it just need practice a lot of times they will apologize for their bad English and welcome teachings.

 

[Joan Archer]

Senors, Senoras y Senoritas

Aqu en el Reino Unido, Microsoft ha decretado que debemos escribir al menos cuatro mensajes a la semana en uno de los nuevos lenguajes que sustituir en todas las lenguas antiguas en existencia. Estos son los nuevos Google Idiomas. Todas las traducciones ahora sern las mismas que las traducciones en idioma Google Converter

Otro golpe a la libertad de las computadoras que ahora son nuestros amos !!!

Este es mi ltimo mensaje Idioma Google para septiembre - est escrito en "Googlespanish"

Buenas noches mis amigos

Merlin el Asistente de Gales

If you make a post in a foreign language you are supposed to post the translation as well.