At 9:38 AM -0700 9/20/05, mayur bora wrote:
Dear Mahanta da
By being in US for many years, if you feel that you
will be teaching queen's English to the netters, I
will be constrained to call it a PREPOSTEROUS idea.
Mayur
Chandigarh
Hi Mayur:
Nice try , but doesn't cut it!
It was not me who was complaining of "--academic discussion
sometimes gets stifled under the weight of its high sounding
words."
I don't care about language proficiency here. I am not a
grammar-Nazi, not a spelling-freak not a vocabulary-geek, not a
language purist. As I said , language to me, first and foremost, a
tool for communication. But if someone uses high-faluting words or
phrases to look fancy but wrongly or inappropriately, and in this
instance to render a meaning completely opposite of what was
intended, then the approach becomes entirely counterproductive,
not to mention tacky, doesn't it?
But even that is no sin, if it is accidental or out of not being
very clear of the nuances of a foreign language.I will be the first to
acknowledge that problem myself. Unfortunately it is hard to miss when
one starts off charging others of attempting to pile on with 'high
sounding words'. The irony, if not the schutzpah( gall),
stands out.
The other thing I have no patience with is when people misuse
English words and phrases for spinning, either deliberately or out of
unfamiliarity with its nuances, something we see often in Assam Net
and other sites frequented by desis. Thus the reference to that
'damned English language' whose burdens we are unable to shed, while
holding up its proficiency as something of a superiority in an abject
display of colonial servitude.
So if you wish to continue with a dialog meaningfully leave the
urge to spin behind, please. And we are just xaak-khowa,bhat-khowa
bunch of kharkhowas. No need to impress anyone with affected airs.
Otherwise get ready for 'burhar haatot sengeli pora' experiences
:-).
Take care.
cm
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