Tristan McLeay wrote:
>I think the correct thing to say is actually 'I'm also a native
>[blah] speaker, so I *don't* know what I'm talking about'.
Rene Uittenbogaard <ruittenb@W...> wrote:
>>I *so* recognize this :D A few months ago, I happened on a website
>>about Dutch grammar (my L1), and I discovered quite some
>>interesting things about Dutch.
Being a native speaker is a very tenuous credential for knowing the
grammar of one's L1. I know plenty of Americans who don't know an
indirect object from a relative clause. Seeing what passes for
English in chat rooms & groups chills this old English major's
heart. Not to mention the lack of spelling skills.
Tristan McLeay wrote:
>whereas English might say '... with John, the butcher; Jack, the
>tailer; Sally; the greengrocer and the Prime Minister' (five people),
Rene Uittenbogaard <ruittenb@W...> wrote:
>>That's brilliant! I'll start using the semicolon in Dutch for this
>>purpose from now on.
What a delightful response! I love it. You might like to know that
a comma before the "and" in the chain seems to be becoming more de
rigueur.
Charlie
http://wiki.frath.net/User:Caeruleancentaur
P.S. I learned yesterday how to write (type) the Cyrillic alphabet.
One small step forward.... I've begun to include them in my grammar
on my Wiki site.
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