Americans in the forum

Please respond to the following post and question:

english-test.net/forum/ftopi … rfecttense

What’s wrong with the answers that have been given?

Because no American speaker (or, as Dozy would prefer, Amer. Eng. speaker) has answered the question actually asked, nor, satisfactorily, has an English speaker.

[color=red]Why is the phrase in bold in past perfect tense, instead of perfect tense?

Since this is Direct Speech, not Reported Speech, why is Dozy talking about “back-shiftng” of tenses?
So that reply does not answer the question!

I believe you will find there is a general agreement that there is no such language as “American”. It is not just an opinion of mine.

None of which explains why you are specifically requesting the help of an American.

Dozy: [color=red]I believe you will find there is a general agreement that there is no such language as “American”. It is not just an opinion of mine.

general: affecting or concerning all or most people

Please quote the source of your statistic so that I can dispel my ignorance.

And while you are at it:

TV: Castle, S 5, Ep 5 (on TV tonight):
[[color=indigo]b]Man[/b]: Who are the Cabots?
Beckett: One of the families whose house you stole.
Translate from American to English, please.

Please feel free to quote any source which cites that ‘American’ is a language.

Ah. Gibe away. The fact remains, neither of you (with all your defence for the term Amer. Eng.) have answered the question:

[color=red]Why is the phrase in bold in past perfect tense, instead of perfect tense?

WHY?
In one fell swoop, you could satisfy the poster and show my ignorance.

Until you do…answer the question… I have no further comment.

So you cannot provide any then?
Thought as much.

Hi Bazza,

I am from the US – born and raised. If someone approached me and asked what language I spoke, my response would ALWAYS be that I speak English.

Is the English spoken in the US different from the English spoken in the UK? Well, there are a few differences, but the number of differences is quite minute in comparison to the vast number of similarities.

There are always a handful of differences in English from place to place. For example, here in Connecticut, we use the word ‘grinder’ to talk about the same thing someone would call a ‘hoagie’ in Philadelphia – which someone from some other place in the US would call a ‘submarine sandwich’. Here in the US, there are at least three different names used to refer to exactly the same thing – all within the American variety of English. If someone from Philadelphia, PA visited Hartford, CT and they heard someone talking about eating a grinder, they would not immediately understand what a ‘grinder’ is.

[color=darkblue]_____________________________________________________________
[size=75]“Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room.” ~ Winston Churchill[/size]

Hi Amy,

Congratulations on your second paragraph. That’s all I ever wanted to say years ago but you always got in such a tiz whenever I so much as hinted at the idea.

Alan

Hello Alan,

I must admit to being confused by your commentary since I have voiced exactly the same opinion about differences between BrE and AmE any number of times on this site.

Are there differences? Yes, there are, but there are many, many more aspects that are exactly the same. Can the differences between BrE and AmE ever lead to comprehension difficulties? Occasionally, yes! Just as language differences between Philly and Hartford can sometimes. But at the end of the day, it’s all still English.

[color=darkblue]________________________________
[size=75]“Let’s not be narrow, nasty, and negative.” ~ T.S. Eliot[/size]

This thread is worth reading many a time.

If I may kindly ask here that, what language were the red Indians(the indiginious Americans) speaking before colonization by the British?

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

Hello, Mr. Adu:

What an excellent question.

The many Native American tribes (nations) have their own particular languages. (For example, I have read that there were several Native American languages in Alaska. Sadly, some of those languages have died out, for the young people feel ashamed to use them.)

Here is some amusing and true information: During World War I and World War II, the American armed forces occasionally used to confuse our enemies by using Native American languages in radio and telephonic messages. Our enemies had absolutely no idea what language was being used!

You can find out details by going on the Web.

James

What a nice piece of information!

What a nice piece of information!

Thank you, Noren.

Have a nice day!

James

Thanks Mr. James for your concern here!

So, no natives of the United State had English as their native tongue before colonization?

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

Hello, Mr. Adu:

I am not a grammarian. Neither am I a historian.

But to the best of my knowledge:

  1. Native Americans lived here for many centuries before any Europeans came here. Thus, they spoke their own languages, as do many of them today.

  2. As you know, Christopher Columbus gets credit for “discovering” this continent. He was Italian, I believe, and he was representing the rulers of Spain.

  3. So, as you also know, Spanish is the language of most of what we call Latin America (from Mexico to Argentina). (Brazil is an exception.)

  4. The English people came over to the New World later. My books tell me that they settled in Virginia (named for Queen Elizabeth I, who never married) in 1607. They would have then met some Native Americans, and I guess that is how the English language started to spread among Native Americans in that region.

James