You get what I mean?

[Dreadbelly]

I do better on forums than in real life communications. I have a stuttering problem when I am nervous.

I can say more with one single raised eyebrow or a scowl than I could with all of the words in the world.

[Graham]

very true Mudd, very true.

I love the English language, but am the first to admit that even WITH the advantage of visual expression, words still are misunderstood.

such is life. (said ned kelly before he was hanged)

[McMurdo]

You nailed it, sometimes we just have to laugh at ourselves, dont take it so seriously, and by the way I think the Mods do a bang up job here as well and they are rarely complimented on a job well done, so heres to you all.

[GMan]

I know what you mean my friend.

[davedove]

It's even worse considering we have multiple nationalities here, so that puts another layer of complexity on the issue.

I believe it was Winston Churchill (if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me) who said that America and England were two great countries divided by a common language.

And that's just two of the many countries represented here.

[Mike1]

The language can be a huge obstacle. And the use of certain words can be quite simple.

Counters in the US become bunkers in Scotland. Crisps in Scotland are chips in the US, and chips in Scotland are fries in the US. Cookies become biscuits, unless they are cakes. Although there are those instances where cookies are still cookies. If you want a strange look, admit to eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, because they'll think you're nuts for eating gelatin on a sandwich. And here, be it an ale, a lager or a stout, it is generally just called beer.

And those devices that are keeping your trousers (NOT your pants!!) up off the floor are braces, because you are sending a seriously wrong signal to admit you wear suspenders.

But the truth of the matter is that as long as we can accept mistakes as easily as we make them, then life is not such a terrible grind after all.

[Macman]

Regions of Canada and the homeland of the highlands are even more so.

I've never been so insulted in my whole life!


Just kidding, MacWage!
I agree with all that's been said. Sometimes in threads you can almost see some misunderstanding as it happens. Almost always, though, the participants sort it themselves because of the level of maturity and mutual respect that exists on this board.

[Wompet]

(non-verbal communication)

[McClef]

I believe it was Winston Churchill (if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me) who said that America and England were two great countries divided by a common language.

It was George Bernard Shaw actually

[Kid Cossack]

One of the things I learned, studying Russian, is that there is NO SUCH CRITTER as "direct translation." From the colloquial to the technical, a direct "word for word" translation will garble the meaning---they just don't say things that way. "Don't hang noodles from my ears" is an old fashioned way to say "don't take me for a fool."

Once I realized that, I began to wonder just how much "direct communication" takes place even when both people speak English. We are all members of (probably literally) dozens of different little subcultures, each of which has its own jargon.

When I was studying Russian in the Marine Corps, I realized that I spent a lot of time with other Marines who were studying Russian, and that when we spoke amongst ourselves, we spoke about 1/3 English, 1/3 Russian, and 1/3 Jarhead. Probably no one who was not an American military student of Russian would have really understood what we were saying.