Am I overly sensitive? Is Mumsnet only for..

[Steaktartar]

Ok so maybe i am a bit too sensitive but why evertime i post a question there always has to be a couple of people pointing out my poor English? Does everyone here speak English as a first language? I find it rude and insensitive as its completely unrelated to the question/s im asking. Sorry if im being too sensitive. Thank you

@donquixotedelamancha
"Personally I think it's OK to point out common misconceptions (e.g. when 'pacifically' should be 'specifically' or 'could of' should be 'could have')."

Writing "of" instead of "have" is something I've only read from native speakers (known or presumed).

Writing "of" instead of "have" is something I've only read from native speakers (known or presumed).

It obviously comes from learning through hearing as a child rather than being formally taught 'would have, which can be contracted to would've'.

I'm curious - do native speakers of other languages treat their own more loosely than a non-native speaker would? I know the Académie Français tries to keep the language 'pure' but that effort itself suggests that French speakers left to themselves tend to evolve their language by the usual means of drift and adoption.

"It obviously comes from learning through hearing as a child rather than being formally taught 'would have, which can be contracted to would've'."

That would be explanation for small children to write that way, not adults though.

Because the world is full of arseholes (autocorrect for this is Marseilles!!!) And this forum is no different.

"I'm curious - do native speakers of other languages treat their own more loosely than a non-native speaker would?"

Good question. Possibly, because native speakers often write things wrong out of lazyness, I think (as with the "of" instead of "have" ... safes 2 full letters, whoa!), and this is somewhat accepted, at least in specific "circles". A non-native speaker, however is less aware of these common lazy-mistakes.
Also, I assume most people who bother writing in a forum using a foreign language are generally more interested in the language itself and in improving it.

If someone does it politely, I'm greatful, because I don't want to make mistakes and am glad if someone points them out.
Ok..
Laziness and saves.
'Write things wrong' should perhaps pedantically be 'write things wrongly', but the association with 'right and wrong' is not displeasing IMO.

I'm sure at some point in this thread I'll break Muphry's Rule so please do tell me when I do.

Murphy's Law ....

No, Muphry's.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry%27s_law

Ok, so it's a Law not a rule...

"Laziness and saves.
'Write things wrong' should perhaps pedantically be 'write things wrongly'"

Thanks! I do get confused sometimes when adjectives turned into nouns change their spelling! I think with "safe/save" I've actually typed both to see which one looks correct :D ... maybe not this time, but I've certainly done it before!

"No, Muphry's.grin

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry%27s_law"

Hahaha, that's awesome! Never heard of it before - I'll have to remember that!

English isn’t my first language (fourth) and I find although my English is good I sometimes slip into incorrect grammar. I reorder sentences, change a suffix etc.

I think it’s about having an inside confidence about it. You and your friends and family are a better judge of your intelligence than strangers in the internet, ignore it.

I do find you can abuse English far more, you can miss bits out, totally reorder a sentence and it’s still understood. In my first language a incorrect suffix or order of words could be like removing prepositions or pronouns, a sentence could lose all clarity. I think English is spoken in so many places, and is a mix of so many language it does give a lot more room to play. A small error in suffixes my first language could be the equivalent of saying ‘went to the shops! They loads of clothes’. You’d be wonder who went, and if they bought/ hated the clothes

I tend to just roll my eyes at some spelling mistakes like “lose/loose” and “there/their/they’re” but I don’t post to correct people.

Something like 'write things wrong' is an example where a confident English speaker may be deliberately playing with words. I'm not averse to breaking a grammatical rule in the interests of a pun. But it probably only works well if you know what you're doing.

I thought everyone knew mumsnet was only for people who have the time to pull others lives apart, who leave their partners over milk left on the side, pick appart spelling and grammar with no consideration for the reasons behind it and can afford a spa weekend at every oppertunity to 'escape the chaos'... at least thats the advice they give!

As someone who is regularly defiant instead of definite, I rarely get annoyed at other people's mistakes. Sometimes it's very obvious the OP is using their second language and it's very rude to comment on different ways of expressing yourself then.

Thank you @GlamGiraffe

IMO considerate posters who would like to see improvements in other people's English should, when they can, do what we naturally do with our children - unobtrusively model correct usage. Apparently it's a myth that it's easier for children to learn a language than it is when they're adults, the difference is mainly in teaching by example rather than telling people they're wrong.

I have many colleagues who have English as a second language, that's what I do when communicating with them. I suppose if they made an error which might have serious consequences I might tell them, but in a constructive way.

Language is a method of human communication; for an online community it is the only method. Pointing out poor English shuts down communication entirely.

A close friend might point out a recurring error in private, this can be helpful and is usually done with good intentions. A random doing the same on the internet only expresses a wish to shut down the poster and is therefore hostile.