Blog Update

New entries are coming soon. Since the last post, I've started a new job and relocated. However, I plan to dedicate time to keep this blog running. I believe that it is useful.

Alan

When is a gift of coffee a bad idea?

Recently, I was at a company where we had a "Secret Santa". Everyone picked a name and bought that person a gift. My coworker didn't know what to get the person he chose. We knew that person loved coffee so we suggested he buy him some packages of coffee beans. He did.

We all thought that this was a good idea. However, culturalisms have ways to make life interesting.

The coworker who received the coffee is from Albania. We later learned that coffee is the traditional gift that Albanians receive when someone dies.

Good intentions, unexpected results.

Pro or Con?

If pro is better than con, is progress better than congress?

English's Debt to Latin Make Spelling Doubtful

Latin strongly influences English. Latin grammar is the grammar of English. This is ridiculous. Latin is a Romance language. French, Spanish, and Italian are Romance languages. English is a Germanic language. However, we have to live with this forced fit.

Latin not only makes English grammar confusing, but also adds to the already weird English spellings. The words debt and doubt are perfect examples.

“When in the seventeenth century the English developed a passion for the classical languages, certain well-meaning meddlers began fiddling with the spellings of many other words in an effort to make them conform to a Latin ideal. Thus b’s were inserted into debt and doubt, which had previously been spelled dette and doute, out of deference to the Latin originals, debitum and dubitare.

These are some of the reasons that make English a very crazy language. Don’t feel bad if something makes no sense. It’s just English!

"One" and "Once" and for all

There is a similar issue with the words, “one” and “once”. In terms of phonetics, there could be better spellings for these words. Once again, some strange logic became part of the English language.

“Similarly, if you’ve ever wondered how on earth a word spelled one could be pronounced ‘wun’ and once spelled ‘wunce’, the answer in both cases is that Southern (England) pronunciations attached themselves to East Midland spellings. Once they were pronounced more or less as spelled – i.e., ‘oon’ and ‘oons’.” – The Mother Tongue – English & How It Got That Way, Bill Brysen, ISBN: 0-380-71543-0, page 124.

The Story of the Colonel

English is a crazy language. It’s that simple. Ask any English teacher and ask any person whose second language is English. The language makes no sense. English is a grammar and language defined by chaos.

Why is English so crazy? Why do some verbs use “ed” to form the past tense but sing becomes sang when used to describe a past event? Why do tough, through, though, and thought all contain the ough letter sequence, but each are pronounced differently?

There are not answers for all of the inconsistencies in English, but there are some logical explanations for some of the crazy aspects of this language. Here is an example.

The word colonel is interesting. It has a weird spelling considering its pronunciation is similar to “cernel”. So why would a word with an l and no r be pronounced with an r sound?

“The word come from the Old French coronelle, which the French adapted from the Italian colonello (from which we get colonnade). When the word first came into English in the mid-sixteenth century, it was spelled with an r, but gradually the Italian spelling and pronunciation began to challenge it. For a century or more both spellings and pronunciations were commonly used, until finally with inimitable illogic we settled on the French pronunciation and the Italian spelling.” – The Mother Tongue – English & How It Got That Way, Bill Brysen, ISBN: 0-380-71543-0, pages 122-23.

Trade Names

Trade names are legal entities. Americans tend to use trade names in a casual manner. This may be fine in casual conversation, but be careful when writing for both an international audience or an American audience. For example, people often use google as a verb. This is fine in casual conversation but not appropriate for professional communications. Here is an example:

• Google the term object-oriented programming for more information.

It is better to write this as:

• Enter object-oriented programming in a search engine to find more information.

Not all trade names are international. Often a trade name becomes so popular that people use it incorrectly when referring to a generic brand. However, a trade name is a legal entity. For example, many people order a Coke when they are in a restaurant. Coke is a trade name of the Coka Cola company. Unless you specifically want that brand, you should say a cola drink which could mean Pepsi or any generic brand. Coka Cola won a lawsuit about this issue. That is why when you ask for a Coke, a waitress may ask if Pepsi or some other brand of cola is fine.

The following list includes some popularly used brand names and the equivalent generic term. This list is from the book The Elements of Technical Writing by Gary Black & Robert W. Bly (ISBN: 0-02-013085-6), pages 57-59.

• Band-Aid - bandage
• Bufferin - buffered aspirin
• Highligher - yellow marking pen
• Liquid Paper - correction fluid
• Magic Marker - permanent marker
• Ping-Pong - table tennis
• Plexiglas clear - acrylic plastic
• Realtor - real-estate agent
• Scotch - Tape clear tape
• Styrofoam - extruded plastic
• Sweet 'n Low - sugar substitute
• Tabasco - red-pepper sauce
• Valium - muscle relaxer
• Vaseline - petroleum jelly
• Velcro - fabric fastener
• Windbreaker - waterproof jacket
• Wite-Out - correction fluid
• Xerox - photocopy

Which English?

Which English do you speak? Which English do you write? Is it American English? British English?

Do you need information to properly correspond with a British company? Canadian company? Business today requires a solid understanding of cultural communication.

My friend Dave has found a site that acts as a portal to all sites English. It is appropriately called, "The English Language.org ". It contains a wealth of links that provide useful information: Some of the available information includes:

• American English Language
• Business English Australia
• English Language Arabic Translation
• English Language Game, and
• English Language Learner

Each site consists of a Web page of links. The links on the translation pages, for example, English Langauge Arabic Translation, are useful. If your documentation, marketing literature, or other printed communication needs translation, find a local source. Translation is not a word for word substitution. There are idioms, local expressions, and local ways of saying things. Even if you are translating from one English to another, check with a local source.

Languageisms 1

Learning a foreign language is a great way to learn more about your own language. The grammar of your own language becomes more visible as you compare and contrast it against the grammar of the language that you are learning.

This approach also works well when communicating with people from other cultures. You don't need to learn the other language, but learn an overview of their language. For example, the French place adjectives after the noun they modify, while English does the opposite: they place the adjective before the noun it modifies.

Confusion arises between speakers of different languages when either the grammar is different (previous example) or when a grammatical construct does not exist in one of the languages. For example, when I teach English as a Second Language, the present continuous tense is often and commonly misused.

What is the present continuous tense? The present continuous tense describes action that is happening now, ongoing action. Here are some examples:

• I am eating.
• You are drinking coffee.
• They are studying.

Not all languages have a present continuous tense. They use the simple present tense and the difference in meaning is determined through context.

• I eat.
• You drink coffee.
• They study.

Languages and cultural communication are interesting. At times it can be frustrating. Keep in mind that communication is not always simple. The misunderstandings are not your fault and are not their fault. It is just the differences between the two languages.

Crazy English

English is a crazy language. It's true! For example:

• I play today.
• I played yesterday.
• I eat today.
• I ate yesterday. (Why not I eated yesterday?)

Sometimes humor is a great way to learn about American English. Thanks Dave for sending me the following email about American English.

Note: Dave received this email from someone else. While I'm sure he'd like to be the author of this witty look at American English, he is just as happy being a reader, like you and I.


"Can you read these right the first time?

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?


Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the pl ural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick' "

American Writing

Americans are proud of their language and rightfully so. Language defines our culture. I am a strong believer that language defines the way its speakers view and think about their world.

American English is a written and oral portrait of America. For example:

• American English is a mixture of words from many countries and cultures. America is a mixture of people from many countries and cultures.

• Americans tend to be casual; formalities are often optional. American English, in terms of grammar is casual. Remember French, Spanish, Latin? Words have different forms whether they are feminine or masculine. Many languages have two forms of the word you - one form is formal and the other is casual. American English does not have these restrictions. (English once did. Like Latin, English had different endings for each word depending on its use. It had one ending if it was the subject of the sentence, another ending if it was the direct object, and so on. Gender also played a role. We see this in our third person pronouns - he, she, him, her.)
  

Languages are living entities; they are forever changing. However, how they change is the responsibility of its speakers.

Grammar and the rules of American English are important. Certainly we all don't need to be able to identify every aspect of grammar for every form of communication, but we all need to understand enough grammar to communicate in an effective and understandable manner. Poor writing, poor use of grammar, and poor choice of words affect the way people view us. When someone doesn't speak properly, we think they are uneducated.

Thank you Dave for sharing this link with me. It is an interesting article about one person's thoughts concerning the way Americans write - Literacy Limps into the Kill Zone .

Email is Cultural

Email is cultural! Who would think that such a ubiquitous tool would be cultural and have to make us think before we write!

Email is very cultural in relation to the address list. For example, in the United States an email may address an employee concern and sent to all employees. In some cultures, this is heresy. You address personal issues in a personal manner. That email is sent only to those people it applies to.

The chain of command is also important. In some cultures if the email is between two managers, you never send that email to other managers (especially higher-level managers).

I follow a few, simple rules when sending email.

1. Review what you write. Make sure its says what you really mean to say.
2. Be careful with humor. Jokes don't always work when written.
3. Word choice is important. Many English words have more than one meaning. This is especially important if your email's readers are from other countries. Make sure your words mean what you really mean to say.
4. Proofread. Think before you click the send button.
5. Never write anything in an email that you don't want the whole world to read. Once you send an email, anyone of the email's recipients can forward that email to anyone. It may not be polite or proper, but it does happen.
   

The Englishes

English is the world's international language. It is the international language for pilots and flight control centers. It is the international language for business. It is the most predominant language on the Internet. To be more specific, it is American English that is the world's international English. It is American English that is the international language for pilots and flight control centers. It is American English that is the predominant language on the Internet, and it is American English that is the international language for business.

American English? Isn't English English?

There are many types of English. I believe the most popular are: American English, Australian English, British English, and Canadian English. Certainly, one can understand each type. However, certainly idioms (expressions, sayings) may be confusing, and certainly certain words have different meanings within the different Englishes. Pronunciations and spellings also differ.


British English
British and American English differences are common in multi-cultural workplaces. Many countries learn British English in schools as opposed to American English. India's long relationship with Britain and other former British colonies is another reason why British English is quite common.


Spelling differs between these two versions. The most common difference - American spelling uses z in places where the British use s. The following table lists some examples.

American Spelling	British Spelling
analyze	analyse
generalize	generalise
organization	organisation
prioritization	prioritisation
recognize	recognise

There are other differences. The following pages from Wikipedia list some of the important differences:

• List of American Words Not Used in British English
• List of Words That Have Different Meanings in British and American English
• List of British Words Not Used in American English

Canadian English
Canadian English is a nice mixture of British English, American English, some French, and like all languages, includes some unique words of its own. Canadian spellings are derived from a combination of the French and British influences. The following table lists some of these.

American Spelling	British Spelling
center	centre
check	cheque
color	colour
generalize	generalise
recognize	recognise

Wikipedia's Canadian English provides a wonderful introduction to the specifics of Canadian English.

To wet your appetite, here are some Candian words or expressions found in the above-referenced Wikipedia article:

• garburator - garbage disposal unit
• Kraft dinner - Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
• whitener - powdered, non-dairy additive for coffee and tea

Australian English

I love Australian English. Some of their phrases and expressions are so beautiful. The Wikipedia Australian English article provides an introduction to this variation of English. From this Website,

"The much-quoted line 'Throw another shrimp on the barbie' was a phrase that has never been used by Australians, but was an American invention for use in a US advertisement for tourism to Australia. 'Shrimp' is an international English term — they are called prawns in Australia."

Australian English is a mixture of British and American English, some Irish influence, and a strong influence of New Zealand English.


Which English Do You Speak?

According to the Wikipedia article about English , there are 45 English dialects. The following table lists these dialects.

Region	Dialect
British Isles	British English
	English English
	Highland English
	Mid Ulster English
	Scottish English
	Welsh English
	Manx English
	Irish English
United States	African American Vernacular English
	American English
	Appalachian English
	Baltimorese
	Boston English
	California English
	General American
	North Central American English
	Hawaiian English
	Southern American English
	Spanglish
	Chicano English
Canada	Canadian English
	Newfoundland English
	Quebec English
Oceania	Australian English
	New Zealand English
Asia	Hong Kong English
	Indian English
	Malaysian English
	Philippine English
	Singaporean English
	Sri Lankan English
Other Countries	Bermudian English
	Caribbean English
	Jamaican English
	Liberian English
	Malawian English
	South African English
Miscellaneous	Basic English
	Commonwealth English
	Globish
	International English
	Plain English
	Simplified English
	Special English
	Standard English