Laurie Booth Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Over the past, I have posted replies in jest. Some people have taken these replies as a serious comment, which is understandable. For an example OP "How do I get finance for my boat?" Me " Rob a bank" Is there any way the forum could produce/suggest an Emoticon that could be placed after the message to show it is a joke reply? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknorman Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 No I think this would spoil the fun. Shakespeare managed to write tragicomedy without having to use emoticons. Some people are just looking to be offended. Why spoil their fun? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotEver Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 If folk get offended by comments like that then they really shouldn't venture out onto t'interweb. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardang Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 1 hour ago, Laurie.Booth said: Over the past, I have posted replies in jest. Some people have taken these replies as a serious comment, which is understandable. For an example OP "How do I get finance for my boat?" Me " Rob a bank" Is there any way the forum could produce/suggest an Emoticon that could be placed after the message to show it is a joke reply? An Emoticon isn't necessary; why not use the old fashioned smiley :-) If people still take you seriously at least you have made a gesture to their sensitivity. Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotEver Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 1 minute ago, howardang said: An Emoticon isn't necessary; why not use the old fashioned smiley :-) If people still take you seriously at least you have made a gesture to their sensitivity. Howard If you miss out the hyphen the software actually makes it a smiley thus: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardang Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Thanks - didn't know that You never stop learning with these new fangled computers! Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mross Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 In spoken conversation it is easy to convey when you are being ironic, sarcastic, humorous or are expressing a little 'conceit' (in the sense of a shared miscomprehension); but in instant media it is not. I have often been embarrassed by my own posts when I read them later. It is oh so easy to write something that means one thing but can be interpreted completely differently by your reader. Wit is defined as a piece of conversation or speech that flatters your listener's intelligence. It's all too easy to be misunderstood on a forum when you are 'tongue in cheek'. This is why emoticons are so useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul C Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 When I went to school I learnt "The English Language" as a class in school. In addition to the spoken word, we learnt how to convey things using the written word. We didn't learn the various emoticons, though. So its possible by using emoticons, that you'll be misunderstood. No such misunderstanding should occur if you use the English language properly too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty40s Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 3 hours ago, Laurie.Booth said: Over the past, I have posted replies in jest. Some people have taken these replies as a serious comment, which is understandable I don't know what you are talking about..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mross Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, Paul C said: When I went to school I learnt "The English Language" as a class in school. In addition to the spoken word, we learnt how to convey things using the written word. We didn't learn the various emoticons, though. So its possible by using emoticons, that you'll be misunderstood. No such misunderstanding should occur if you use the English language properly too. Does this mean that you are a non-native speaker? Most people acquire their mother tongue, it is not taught, I can not detect your intended tone. Edited March 4, 2017 by mross 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob-M Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 I take everything Laurie posts as a joke... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 10 minutes ago, mross said: Most people acquire their mother tongue, it is not taught, First statement is correct, second of course is not (as you know). I don't think that my Dad wasted the 30 years which he spent as an English teacher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mross Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 No, my understanding of English was not taught to me. It came from listening and lots of reading. My teachers taught me how to parse sentences and how to dissect language. One can speak perfect English without ever knowing the rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 7 minutes ago, mross said: No, my understanding of English was not taught to me. It came from listening and lots of reading. My teachers taught me how to parse sentences and how to dissect language. One can speak perfect English without ever knowing the rules. Tee-hee. Well done for adhering to the topic title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul C Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 7 minutes ago, mross said: No, my understanding of English was not taught to me. It came from listening and lots of reading. My teachers taught me how to parse sentences and how to dissect language. One can speak perfect English without ever knowing the rules. Then your teachers did a terrible job. Putting aside the indolent, the average 18 year old's level of English upon leaving school is markedly better than the average 4 year old's when they first start. Of course, many subjects are learnt (or even self-taught/self-learned) outside of the school environment, but school still plays a significant role in refining that knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mross Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 1 minute ago, Paul C said: the average 18 year old's level of English upon leaving school is markedly better than the average 4 year old's when they first start. And do you claim that that proves that the improvement must have been brought about by the teaching of Lit & Lang in schools? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul C Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 I'm not seeking to prove anything, I am merely pointing out that it is possible to communicate reasonably clearly by using the English language; of course there is scope for misinterpretation, just as there is in using emoticons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotEver Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 3 hours ago, Athy said: I don't think that my Dad wasted the 30 years which he spent as an English teacher. I think he probably done good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenataomm Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 You can't concern yourself about others' short comings Laurie, you just carry on mate. We love you as you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul C Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Going back to the original question, how about a small image of Jack Dee? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotEver Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 1 hour ago, WotEver said: I think he probably done good. 48 minutes ago, system 4-50 said: No he didn't... Oh, the missed irony. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murflynn Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 4 hours ago, mross said: No, my understanding of English was not taught to me. It came from listening and lots of reading. My teachers taught me how to parse sentences and how to dissect language. One can speak perfect English without ever knowing the rules. Maybe one can, or thinks he can, because he believes he is always right. The question is, can two speak perfectly understood English to one another if they are from different cultural backgrounds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Booth Posted March 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 5 hours ago, Rob-M said: I take everything Laurie posts as a joke... That's cos I worked in Bristol for some time in a cellar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Booth Posted March 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 1 hour ago, zenataomm said: You can't concern yourself about others' short comings Laurie, you just carry on mate. We love you as you are. Cheers Zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac of Cygnet Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 (edited) Linguists in any language should be descriptive, not prescriptive. I'm with mross on this one - one's mother tongue in its many varieties is learned from an early age by everyday experience. The job of an English teacher (not a teacher of English as a foreign language) is to help one understand the structure of the spoken language and transfer that to a written form, not to teach everyone 'correct English', which would eliminate dialects and slang. Of course misunderstandings can occur, but they are not usually the result of 'incorrect' English, but differing perceptions. It would be very boring if we all knew exactly what each other meant. Edited March 5, 2017 by Mac of Cygnet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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