Let's speak English

In the net there are gazillions of blogs and forums where the discussions are in English. No need to use that language here in av. That would be an open invitation to spambots as they are always on hunt for keywords.

The captcha in use here is too easy to crack. The trolls and crazies are annoying enough without the added benefit of link spam.

[quote author="Vierailija" time="11.01.2014 klo 21:08"]

OP here.

Just like I excepted. On AV, there's no such thing as good English. That's for sure. Today I had a lunch with my British co-workers and it's obvious you'd been in trouble - big time. I guess you're English is fluent enough to order potatoes and meatballs during your Canaria trips but for anything else... just no. Nice try.

[/quote]

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black...

[quote author="Vierailija" time="11.01.2014 klo 21:48"]

[quote author="Vierailija" time="11.01.2014 klo 21:08"]

OP here.

Just like I excepted. On AV, there's no such thing as good English. That's for sure. Today I had a lunch with my British co-workers and it's obvious you'd been in trouble - big time. I guess you're English is fluent enough to order potatoes and meatballs during your Canaria trips but for anything else... just no. Nice try.

[/quote]

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black...

[/quote]

Exactly. The most important thing about communicating in any language is the communication.  Grammar and spelling are of secondary importance.

Somehow finns speaking, or mostly writing in english on web sites and in conversations only made in purpose of speaking english, sounds clumsy. No matter how good you guys are or if you've been living abroad for several years. And no, i'm not an exception, i'm actually worse than most of you, but just saying. This might be only in my head, cause i don't spot finnish writers from natives when reading english forums.

[quote author="Vierailija" time="11.01.2014 klo 21:25"]

I wonder how people here learned their English? I have never lived abroad, so I have learned it in school mostly.

[/quote]7

at school

Ok. The OP was busted. :)  He/She's not flawless either.

On improving your language skills; even living in an "English-speaking" country doesn't really help if the people around you don't speak/write proper English. Many native speakers don't. The original poster is dealing with well-educated upper (middle) class Brits. It's very different when you live in rural Australia. Or in Glasgow.

Moreover, I always thought it's the contents that matters, not the form.

Was it Erno Paasilinna who wrote: "She spoke five different languages. But did she have anything to say?" :)

[quote author="Vierailija" time="11.01.2014 klo 21:08"]

OP here.

Just like I excepted. On AV, there's no such thing as good English. That's for sure. Today I had a lunch with my British co-workers and it's obvious you'd been in trouble - big time. I guess you're English is fluent enough to order potatoes and meatballs during your Canaria trips but for anything else... just no. Nice try.

[/quote]

Oh dear. The next time you want to impress people with your language skills, you'd better check your grammar before submitting your post. It's "you'd have been", darling, the next time you want to sound grammatically correct. Unless if you were going for the spoken version which would sound more like "you'd've been". Either way, I'm not particularly impressed with your skills either and while we're at it, I think most people here could probably handle some small talk with native speakers who tend to be pretty lenient towards non native speakers. It's the one who think they're making an impression with their language skills who tend to be the most tedious ones to converse with.

Ya know I am not fluent, far from it but I can read enough to understand that OP is just a lil pisshead who came here to impress people with her boring english skills. Welly, I am not impressed either!

[quote author="Vierailija" time="11.01.2014 klo 22:20"]

 I think most people here could probably handle some small talk with native speakers who tend to be pretty lenient towards non native speakers. It's the one who think they're making an impression with their language skills who tend to be the most tedious ones to converse with.

[/quote]

Yes, I second that. It's like religious converts who follow the rules and rituals in all seriousness while those born into the religion often have more laid back attitudes.

Not to say there's anything wrong in cultivating correct language. :)

[quote author="Vierailija" time="11.01.2014 klo 22:24"]

Ya know I am not fluent, far from it but I can read enough to understand that OP is just a lil pisshead who came here to impress people with her boring english skills. Welly, I am not impressed either!

[/quote]

Exactly. This thread is bout her feeling superior and nitpicking others.

What other goal r u suppose to achieve if the whole point of the conversation is how well u express yourself in (written) english.

It is really boring, as someone said. I remember used to wanting to speak english, while drunk, after having moved back here. In retsrospect it was still a pathetic attempt to make mysef feel special. Too old for that now.

[quote author="Vierailija" time="11.01.2014 klo 22:20"]

Oh dear. The next time you want to impress people with your language skills, you'd better check your grammar before submitting your post. It's "you'd have been", darling, the next time you want to sound grammatically correct. Unless if you were going for the spoken version which would sound more like "you'd've been". Either way, I'm not particularly impressed with your skills either and while we're at it, I think most people here could probably handle some small talk with native speakers who tend to be pretty lenient towards non native speakers. It's the one who think they're making an impression with their language skills who tend to be the most tedious ones to converse with.

[/quote]

Where did you learned such an impressive english? I mean - damn! I want that shit too! Only thing I don't like is the way you use words like dear and darling. I know - that's how they do in England and so, but not very finnish. Though, what do I know? You might not even be from here.

Oh and I do apologise for the typo, meant in *retrospect*.

40

Why would I spend any (more) of my precious AV time contributing to this kind of meaningless "conversation"? 

[quote author="Vierailija" time="11.01.2014 klo 23:56"]

Why would I spend any (more) of my precious AV time contributing to this kind of meaningless "conversation"? 

[/quote]

Precious AV time = contradiction in terms if there ever was one.

Oxymoron?

Oxymoron?

Why do some people think that their fluent skills in any given language but their mothertongue somehow makes them better people? Of course it's better to speak as many languages as one possibly can, but being all smug about it just makes you look like a jerk. I've never boasted about speaking English fluently and you shouldn't either.

47 continues, didn't you notice how OP used you're when she was supposed to use your?

" I guess you're English is fluent enough to order potatoes and meatballs during your Canaria trips but for anything else..."

Nice try, sweetcheeks, but your English obviously isn't on a native level either. So sit your ass down!

I don't personally understand people who haven't figured out that a v wide variety of people, with a myriad of different backgrounds, visit this forum.

I especially don't understand people who want to bask in the "knowledge" that others here r less educated, or with limited english proficiency.

I have lived in an English speaking country for about a year and a half now. It was kind of awkward in the beginning to speak English all the time and I was worried about my pronunciation. However after a while you will get used to it and it feels natural. Now I have noticed that I have started to forget some Finnish words. For example I was trying to find the Finnish word for 'humming bird' and all I could think of was 'huminalintu'... Do we have more expats online?