Why is English the Universal Language of A.S.E.A.N?

[SaintLouisBlues]

It's a very simple answer, best answered by another question - Why is English the universal language of aviation? You can't be a pilot or an air-traffic controller anywhere in the world without proficiency in English. English is, de facto, the universal language of the European Union too. Why is English the universal language of [name your group]? Answer: Because it is. Just because.

[DogNo1]

It may shock some people to hear that there is a tendency to prefer British English in Japan. American English is taught but it doesn't carry the prestige of British English. I am an American.

[DogNo1]

BTW, wasn't it Winston Churchill who said that England and American were divided by a common language?

[StreetCowboy]

I think because it was the colonial language of several of the ASEAN countries (Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei) and internationally more widely spoken than French - also the influence of the Americans during the American War in Vietnam, and the antipathy of the Vietnamese to their colonial adversaries.

I don't think that English has any inherent advantage, as a language, over French or Spanish - just that it was spoken by more successful and respected colonialists.

The term "lingua franca" must drive the French mad, when applied to English...

SC

[masuk]

I think because it was the colonial language of several of the ASEAN countries (Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei) and internationally more widely spoken than French - also the influence of the Americans during the American War in Vietnam, and the antipathy of the Vietnamese to their colonial adversaries.

I don't think that English has any inherent advantage, as a language, over French or Spanish - just that it was spoken by more successful and respected colonialists.

The term "lingua franca" must drive the French mad, when applied to English...

SC

Yes, this is very much the case. I was surprised however, when I was on holiday in the Philippines, to see that they often used 'inches' and 'ounces', leftovers from their previous US Colonisers. I asked one shop assistant what the "Oz" meant on a bottle, but he had no idea. I remembered that it was 'ounces', from my school days.

It's interesting to see that in Indonesia, their colonisers for about 300 years were Dutch, and of course this language is often used every day, such as kantor - office, was tafel - hand basin and so on.. However, English is the choice for a second language, as students all know that like Thailand, no-one outside of the country will understand them.

Intending university students heading to Australia or New Zealand, study IELTS which they must pass to gain admittance in most cases.

[sirineou]

the title of the OP and the Op do not reconcile and are two different subjects

Why is English the Universal Language of A.S.E.A.N?

because it the most common;y shared language

why are Thais unprepared.

this is your opinion, and it is arguable

Ahem! Absolutely correct: Very bright of you to notice. Wow!

That was the already pre-stated, dual-pronged intention of the OP.

As previously mentioned, the OP was not intended to attract the argumentative trollers,

who typically have nothing substantial to contribute. Obviously, you are no exception to the rule

Who are you The OP's Mom?

dont know about your prestated dual pronged intention of the Op, is that a special section of the forum I am not aware of? the dual pronged subject section? please provide me with a link to it.

If the OP does not want to attract "argumentative trollers" he should not use trollish titles

and use titles of what he wants to discus .

and if he wants serious highbrow discussion with intellectuals such as you he should post his OP in the Fn genius section of this forum and not in the Farang pub

[sirineou]

Has anyone actually studied the history of English. Anybody know old English? Btw, Daniel Webster changed the spelling of British English words to make them conform more to their actual pronunciation. For example, theater is not pronounced tay-ah-tra. The spelling theatre is influenced by the French pronunciation of the word. We should remember that for three hundred years after the Norman invasion, the language of the court was French and the English kings actually could not speak English. Regarding the universiality of English, let's not forget that until the beginning of the 20th century, the international language was French. Prior to that, it was Latin and before that, it was Greek. Many of the Roman emperors wrote in Greek. Although there have been many conspiracies throughout history, I'm not sure that they can account for language usage. Certainly not many Thais can speak English well. How many Japanese do you suppose can speak English well? How many do you think WANT to speak English well? The answers may surprize you!

Very well stated my friend

I am often amused by those who complain about the English skills of Thais in Thailand while they have being in Thailand for years and do not speak a word of Thai ,

The language section of the Thai brain is twise as big as theirs, maybe more, because even though they might not speak English well, they at least speak some, where many of as , me included, not only don't speak any Thai, we don't even speak our native language well.

Some english speaking people sometimes would say "it's all Greek to me" well you know what, much of it is Greek and Latin ,

The pronunciation of the word Theater might have being changed from the French, and the French was changed from the Greek Theatron , and I am sure much of the Greek borrowed from others and so on and so on.

[TuskegeeBen]

the title of the OP and the Op do not reconcile and are two different subjects

Why is English the Universal Language of A.S.E.A.N?

because it the most common;y shared language

why are Thais unprepared.

this is your opinion, and it is arguable

Ahem! Absolutely correct: Very bright of you to notice. Wow!

That was the already pre-stated, dual-pronged intention of the OP.

As previously mentioned, the OP was not intended to attract the argumentative trollers,

who typically have nothing substantial to contribute. Obviously, you are no exception to the rule

Who are you The OP's Mom?

dont know about your prestated dual pronged intention of the Op, is that a special section of the forum I am not aware of? the dual pronged subject section? please provide me with a link to it.

If the OP does not want to attract "argumentative trollers" he should not use trollish titles

and use titles of what he wants to discus .

and if he wants serious highbrow discussion with intellectuals such as you he should post his OP in the Fn genius section of this forum and not in the Farang pub

Re: Post #57. Never met the chap, but apparently NS is simply a person who stands-up against

the negative, narrow-mindeadness of posters, such as yourself = people who visit the forum,

seeking any opportunity to vent the rage of their miserable lives, against other people who have

done absolutely nothing to either to harm, or to offend them, in any way, shape or form.

Shame on you, blokey! You, sir! (together w/ several others) should feel totally ashamed of yourself, for your (beer pub) manner

of behavior on this forum!

"For heaven sake, can you one-upmanship, game-playing trollers stay on topic, for a change.

The Op topic is an academic hypothesis only. It poses two (very reconcilable) topic questions ~

1.) Why is English the Universal Language of Asian, and

2.) what impact will the ASEAN transition have upon the average Thai person? Period.

You needn't be a rocket-scientist, to fathom that much.

READ the body context of the OP, then contribute a significant thought to either topic issue." Mucho gracias

Edited November 8, 2015 by TuskegeeBen

[TuskegeeBen]

Re:Intelligent posting ~ my definition:

Those posters who either agree, or disagree with context of the OP, then post their own (impersonal) views, relevant only to the topic issue. As NS stated "one need not be a rocket scientist", to comprehend the simplicity of that behaviorial manner! Cheers

Edited November 8, 2015 by TuskegeeBen

[SoiBiker]

You, sir! (together w/ several others) should feel totally ashamed of yourself, for your (beer pub) manner

of behavior on this forum!

You realise this thread is in the pub, right?

[TuskegeeBen]

You, sir! (together w/ several others) should feel totally ashamed of yourself, for your (beer pub) manner

of behavior on this forum!

You realise this thread is in the pub, right?

Obviously, I've made an erroneous assumption. Thank you! Cheers!

[hugh2121]

My stepson has recently brought home an English text book from school for study. To my great surprise it is written in true English, not American. Americans masquerade by calling very many text books English when they are not written in English at all but American which is a bastardised version of the language much like pigeon English. If Americans want to produce language books please name them for what they are. They are not English but American. Both pronunciation and spelling are different. This is always going to be a problem for people trying to learn the language.

ASEAN have declared their official language to be English. I wonder if it really will be.

Ah, another Yank basher, croaking like the French lamenting the demise of their outmoded language. American English is not only spelled and pronounced differently, it also has different words for the same things --very similar to the varying dialects of other languages, even English English.

Consequently, the notion that American English is no more than a bastardized version of pigeon English is ludicrous. Note the American English spelling of “bastardize” with a “z” rather than the quaint English English spelling with an “s.” The American English version is a more accurate spelling, because it more closely reflects the correct pronunciation of the word. The word is not pronounced “bastardiced.”

Old English originated from Germanic-based languages; while Middle English was characterized by its injection of French. Modern English benefited from the renaissance, printing, and world trade. Late Modern English benefits from the expansion of trade and technology and has been greatly influenced by American English due to America’s dominance of business, technology, entertainment, and the internet.

Therefore, American English is the world standard. It is a living language which coins more current and future-oriented English words than the archaic English English. Quite simply, more English speakers communicate in American English than do in English English.

I take it then, that you don't spell Saturday with a "T" since most Americans seem to pronounce the word as "Sadderday". There are many other examples of this.

There is no American English and no English English. There is English and altered versions of the language which are no longer English. Do you also have American Japanese or American Danish? Languages which you decided to alter because they were too difficult for you? If not, then why do you want to f*** up a wonderful old language, steeped in history (something America doesn't have much of) and much loved by the people who use it. Tell me, is just laziness or is there some other reason?

As for keeping up to date, it seems that you are unaware that a lot of new words are added to the OED frequently. Lairy and muffin top along with others having both been added some years ago. Pronunciation of Saturday definitely includes only one "D" however.

[TuskegeeBen]

My stepson has recently brought home an English text book from school for study. To my great surprise it is written in true English, not American. Americans masquerade by calling very many text books English when they are not written in English at all but American which is a bastardised version of the language much like pigeon English. If Americans want to produce language books please name them for what they are. They are not English but American. Both pronunciation and spelling are different. This is always going to be a problem for people trying to learn the language.

ASEAN have declared their official language to be English. I wonder if it really will be.

Ah, another Yank basher, croaking like the French lamenting the demise of their outmoded language. American English is not only spelled and pronounced differently, it also has different words for the same things --very similar to the varying dialects of other languages, even English English.

Consequently, the notion that American English is no more than a bastardized version of pigeon English is ludicrous. Note the American English spelling of “bastardize” with a “z” rather than the quaint English English spelling with an “s.” The American English version is a more accurate spelling, because it more closely reflects the correct pronunciation of the word. The word is not pronounced “bastardiced.”

Old English originated from Germanic-based languages; while Middle English was characterized by its injection of French. Modern English benefited from the renaissance, printing, and world trade. Late Modern English benefits from the expansion of trade and technology and has been greatly influenced by American English due to America’s dominance of business, technology, entertainment, and the internet.

Therefore, American English is the world standard. It is a living language which coins more current and future-oriented English words than the archaic English English. Quite simply, more English speakers communicate in American English than do in English English.

I take it then, that you don't spell Saturday with a "T" since most Americans seem to pronounce the word as "Sadderday". There are many other examples of this.

There is no American English and no English English. There is English and altered versions of the language which are no longer English. Do you also have American Japanese or American Danish? Languages which you decided to alter because they were too difficult for you? If not, then why do you want to f*** up a wonderful old language, steeped in history (something America doesn't have much of) and much loved by the people who use it. Tell me, is just laziness or is there some other reason?

As for keeping up to date, it seems that you are unaware that a lot of new words are added to the OED frequently. Lairy and muffin top along with others having both been added some years ago. Pronunciation of Saturday definitely includes only one "D" however.

Well then, thank you, for your sun-dried Saturday, well-spoken typo corrections. I suppose someone (of your genre) must needs take the high-road position here. It may as well be you. eh? Adios...........muchach

Edited November 8, 2015 by TuskegeeBen

[StreetCowboy]

My stepson has recently brought home an English text book from school for study. To my great surprise it is written in true English, not American. Americans masquerade by calling very many text books English when they are not written in English at all but American which is a bastardised version of the language much like pigeon English. If Americans want to produce language books please name them for what they are. They are not English but American. Both pronunciation and spelling are different. This is always going to be a problem for people trying to learn the language.

ASEAN have declared their official language to be English. I wonder if it really will be.

Ah, another Yank basher, croaking like the French lamenting the demise of their outmoded language. American English is not only spelled and pronounced differently, it also has different words for the same things --very similar to the varying dialects of other languages, even English English.

Consequently, the notion that American English is no more than a bastardized version of pigeon English is ludicrous. Note the American English spelling of “bastardize” with a “z” rather than the quaint English English spelling with an “s.” The American English version is a more accurate spelling, because it more closely reflects the correct pronunciation of the word. The word is not pronounced “bastardiced.”

Old English originated from Germanic-based languages; while Middle English was characterized by its injection of French. Modern English benefited from the renaissance, printing, and world trade. Late Modern English benefits from the expansion of trade and technology and has been greatly influenced by American English due to America’s dominance of business, technology, entertainment, and the internet.

Therefore, American English is the world standard. It is a living language which coins more current and future-oriented English words than the archaic English English. Quite simply, more English speakers communicate in American English than do in English English.

I take it then, that you don't spell Saturday with a "T" since most Americans seem to pronounce the word as "Sadderday". There are many other examples of this.

There is no American English and no English English. There is English and altered versions of the language which are no longer English. Do you also have American Japanese or American Danish? Languages which you decided to alter because they were too difficult for you? If not, then why do you want to f*** up a wonderful old language, steeped in history (something America doesn't have much of) and much loved by the people who use it. Tell me, is just laziness or is there some other reason?

As for keeping up to date, it seems that you are unaware that a lot of new words are added to the OED frequently. Lairy and muffin top along with others having both been added some years ago. Pronunciation of Saturday definitely includes only one "D" however.

That';s the biggest load of pish yet on this thread. English is an evolving language with no definitive "right or wrong" version. Chaucer's English, Shakespeare's English, Wodehouse's English, the dear old Queen's English are all part of an evolving and broad stream of language, and the Oxford English Dictionary is but one authority amongst many

One of the reasons that English is very popular as a lingua franca is that it is relatively easily understood when spoken or written badly

SC

[Jaggg88]

Isn't the reason why English became the dominate global language because the US became the dominant global power ofter WWII? I think in some ways German is actually more precise.

Yes you are correct. The USA's global trading after WW2 meant English became the worlds business language. Prior to WW2 French was the language of diplomacy but this has mostly, but not entirely, faded out. The recent Chinese president's visit to the UK included a state banquet hosted by HM Queen Elizabeth and etiquette required the menu was printed in French - a throwback to the old diplomacy days.

I work for a multinational German owned company and all business is conducted in English even when I'm actually in Germany.

[DogNo1]

My, my! There certainly is a lot of peevishness from speakers of British English who have encountered and have been forced to teach American English. Check Longman, Prentice Hall and other publishers of English textbooks and you will find that they offer both British and American English versions. There must be a lot of residual anger about the loss of the American colonies! There are several distinct dialects of English but they are still intelligible to each other. That certainly is not true for speakers of Lanna Thai and the Bangkok dialect. Likewise, speakers of of the northern and southern dialects of Vietnamese have trouble understanding the central dialect. And some dialects of Chinese are not mutually intelligible at all. I wonder if they are all angry at each other?

[hugh2121]

My stepson has recently brought home an English text book from school for study. To my great surprise it is written in true English, not American. Americans masquerade by calling very many text books English when they are not written in English at all but American which is a bastardised version of the language much like pigeon English. If Americans want to produce language books please name them for what they are. They are not English but American. Both pronunciation and spelling are different. This is always going to be a problem for people trying to learn the language.

ASEAN have declared their official language to be English. I wonder if it really will be.

Ah, another Yank basher, croaking like the French lamenting the demise of their outmoded language. American English is not only spelled and pronounced differently, it also has different words for the same things --very similar to the varying dialects of other languages, even English English.

Consequently, the notion that American English is no more than a bastardized version of pigeon English is ludicrous. Note the American English spelling of “bastardize” with a “z” rather than the quaint English English spelling with an “s.” The American English version is a more accurate spelling, because it more closely reflects the correct pronunciation of the word. The word is not pronounced “bastardiced.”

Old English originated from Germanic-based languages; while Middle English was characterized by its injection of French. Modern English benefited from the renaissance, printing, and world trade. Late Modern English benefits from the expansion of trade and technology and has been greatly influenced by American English due to America’s dominance of business, technology, entertainment, and the internet.

Therefore, American English is the world standard. It is a living language which coins more current and future-oriented English words than the archaic English English. Quite simply, more English speakers communicate in American English than do in English English.

I take it then, that you don't spell Saturday with a "T" since most Americans seem to pronounce the word as "Sadderday". There are many other examples of this.

There is no American English and no English English. There is English and altered versions of the language which are no longer English. Do you also have American Japanese or American Danish? Languages which you decided to alter because they were too difficult for you? If not, then why do you want to f*** up a wonderful old language, steeped in history (something America doesn't have much of) and much loved by the people who use it. Tell me, is just laziness or is there some other reason?

As for keeping up to date, it seems that you are unaware that a lot of new words are added to the OED frequently. Lairy and muffin top along with others having both been added some years ago. Pronunciation of Saturday definitely includes only one "D" however.

That';s the biggest load of pish yet on this thread. English is an evolving language with no definitive "right or wrong" version. Chaucer's English, Shakespeare's English, Wodehouse's English, the dear old Queen's English are all part of an evolving and broad stream of language, and the Oxford English Dictionary is but one authority amongst many

One of the reasons that English is very popular as a lingua franca is that it is relatively easily understood when spoken or written badly

SC

Piffle

[fang37]

The Power of Singapore?

[StreetCowboy]

...

That';s the biggest load of pish yet on this thread. English is an evolving language with no definitive "right or wrong" version. Chaucer's English, Shakespeare's English, Wodehouse's English, the dear old Queen's English are all part of an evolving and broad stream of language, and the Oxford English Dictionary is but one authority amongst many

One of the reasons that English is very popular as a lingua franca is that it is relatively easily understood when spoken or written badly

SC

Piffle

Brevity is the soul of wit.

- Wilde

[CharlieH]

Some people are hard to understand no matter what the language.

[hugh2121]

My stepson has recently brought home an English text book from school for study. To my great surprise it is written in true English, not American. Americans masquerade by calling very many text books English when they are not written in English at all but American which is a bastardised version of the language much like pigeon English. If Americans want to produce language books please name them for what they are. They are not English but American. Both pronunciation and spelling are different. This is always going to be a problem for people trying to learn the language.

ASEAN have declared their official language to be English. I wonder if it really will be.

It doesn't really matter too much. I do agree that Americans speak English in a slightly different way but please don't forget the English accent varies enormously within the UK itself. If you are talking about "The Queens English" well it is only really spoken across London and the immediate surrounding counties, so actually English spoken that way is very rare, at least by global standards.

My accent is North London / Hertfordshire so I sit in that camp of the Queens English and I would love to hear it spoken, but unlikely I'm afraid.

Any English person can understand American and vice versa, the only exception being very heavy accents, but again this applies both ways. So it isn't too important at the end of the day, we can understand each other and communicate effectively.

I'm not talking regional accents or dialects or even the American drawl here. I'm talking about deliberate misspelling mainly but also the mispronunciation that comes with it (and without). e.g. if plough should be spelt plow, how should blow be pronounced. Even my Microsoft spell checker has flagged plow. If a lever should be pronounced lever, what about Saturday Night Fev(v)er? Reading books by American authors, I wondered for a long time what a stoop was but I still have no idea what a stucco wall is. I now avoid American authors.

After talking about this with English friends, it was suggested that I search in Youtube for "why are americans so stupid" (sorry but that's the title). Frightening!

[SoiBiker]

You avoid a whole section of literature rather than just look up a few words you don't understand?

That's just wilful ignorance. And you say Americans are stupid.

[anon4546543]

Thank you Soibiker. I am a proud Aussie and I almost speak the Queens English. That is what I was taught. But English is meant to adapt, to incorperate new words. The fact that you do not speak with the same accent as I, do not spell the same words as most English purists do is not important. We still speak a similar language, still hold similar ideals on democracy, still try to be good people. As for some of the American books, I love the huge output of Gene Wolfe, and no POM is going to tell me otherwise. Cheers

[StreetCowboy]

You avoid a whole section of literature rather than just look up a few words you don't understand?

That's just wilful ignorance. And you say Americans are stupid.

OK, La! American English also can.

[baneko]

Singapore.

[smotherb]

Well, before we work up too much pity for the ignorant Thais, what percentage of Americans do you think can speak another language with a fair degree of fluency? For that matter, how many Americans can speak correct English? During my years of teaching at a community college in California, 87% of incoming students failed the writing entrance test and had to take remedial English before they could take English 1. It seems that language is difficult for students the world over not to mention literacy across the curriculum.

Wouldn't it make more sense for California, Florida and a few other states to become officially Spanish first language ? With Spanish as the official language then this would eliminate the stigma of having to speak correct English, since the Americans have consistently failed to achieve this over centuries.

Unbelievable. Now I understand why the OP has thrown-in the towel, and walked away from the forum.

The topic is not about speaking Spanish, or the illiteracy rates in the US. Or posting value judgements of what the Americans

have failed to achieve (beyond saving British butts , during the 1940 Battle of Britain), blah,blah, blah. blah,blah, duh!

For heaven sake, the OP specifically targets the SE Asian region; the reason why English is the chosen universal language of ASEAN;

and how that scenario (in Thailand, NOT California or Florida) can impact with the average Thai person.

A simply path of debate. And some of your blokes actually possess university degrees? Huh? In what majors, The Arts of Basket-Weaving perhaps?

Please, he may hold the coveted APS (Advanced Pencil Sharpener) degree.

[StreetCowboy]

......beyond saving British butts , during the 1940 Battle of Britain...

Eh? When did the USA join the war?

I know you've been trying to make up for your tardy performance in '17 and '42 by making sure you're extra-early for the next one; it seems remedial history is as desperately needed as remedial English.

Or maybe I misunderstood your comment on saving butts. I have found that a good education has stood me in good stead, career-wise, so that I am sufficiently prosperous I don't need to go around saving butts, and can buy my cigarettes new and un-smoked.

SC

[smotherb]

......beyond saving British butts , during the 1940 Battle of Britain...

Eh? When did the USA join the war?

I know you've been trying to make up for your tardy performance in '17 and '42 by making sure you're extra-early for the next one; it seems remedial history is as desperately needed as remedial English.

Or maybe I misunderstood your comment on saving butts. I have found that a good education has stood me in good stead, career-wise, so that I am sufficiently prosperous I don't need to go around saving butts, and can buy my cigarettes new and un-smoked.

SC

Ah StreetCowboy, aside from being exceedingly uninformed on this subject, you risk being thwarted by the moderators.

[smotherb]

My stepson has recently brought home an English text book from school for study. To my great surprise it is written in true English, not American. Americans masquerade by calling very many text books English when they are not written in English at all but American which is a bastardised version of the language much like pigeon English. If Americans want to produce language books please name them for what they are. They are not English but American. Both pronunciation and spelling are different. This is always going to be a problem for people trying to learn the language.

ASEAN have declared their official language to be English. I wonder if it really will be.

It doesn't really matter too much. I do agree that Americans speak English in a slightly different way but please don't forget the English accent varies enormously within the UK itself. If you are talking about "The Queens English" well it is only really spoken across London and the immediate surrounding counties, so actually English spoken that way is very rare, at least by global standards.

My accent is North London / Hertfordshire so I sit in that camp of the Queens English and I would love to hear it spoken, but unlikely I'm afraid.

Any English person can understand American and vice versa, the only exception being very heavy accents, but again this applies both ways. So it isn't too important at the end of the day, we can understand each other and communicate effectively.

I'm not talking regional accents or dialects or even the American drawl here. I'm talking about deliberate misspelling mainly but also the mispronunciation that comes with it (and without). e.g. if plough should be spelt plow, how should blow be pronounced. Even my Microsoft spell checker has flagged plow. If a lever should be pronounced lever, what about Saturday Night Fev(v)er? Reading books by American authors, I wondered for a long time what a stoop was but I still have no idea what a stucco wall is. I now avoid American authors.

After talking about this with English friends, it was suggested that I search in Youtube for "why are americans so stupid" (sorry but that's the title). Frightening!

A language needs to hold-on to its traditions, especially the quaint clash between spelling and pronunciation.

Yes, "plough" pronounced “plow”, sure, why not? Just how should you pronounce that silly little letter combination "ough"? Well, let's see, enough (uff), through (oo), though (long O), bough (ow), trough (off), thought (ott) . . . oh, you get the idea.

So, why not make spelling more sensible? Maybe even break out of the envelope and, oh, I don’t know; spell them the way you pronounce them?

Because the word "lever" is properly pronounced, "lee-ver" with the long "E" sound. One should spell your pronunciation of the word, "levver" with the short "E" sound.

Ah, those enormously curious words, like “stoop” and “stucco” should be banned, because they are American. Yes, isn’t that a shame, Americans, how dare they try to coin new words.

Hmmmm, Americans are so stupid; yes, that must be true, it is on YouTube. That must be why they pay us more than Brits.

However, all is not lost, you may learn something; if you keep reading American authors.

[StreetCowboy]

......beyond saving British butts , during the 1940 Battle of Britain...

Eh? When did the USA join the war?

I know you've been trying to make up for your tardy performance in '17 and '42* by making sure you're extra-early for the next one; it seems remedial history is as desperately needed as remedial English.

Or maybe I misunderstood your comment on saving butts. I have found that a good education has stood me in good stead, career-wise, so that I am sufficiently prosperous I don't need to go around saving butts, and can buy my cigarettes new and un-smoked.

SC

Ah StreetCowboy, aside from being exceedingly uninformed on this subject, you risk being thwarted by the moderators.

I doubt it; I also learnt how to sail close to the wind while at school.

We should be careful, when talking to our non-compatriots, to give idiom a wide berth, slang a bodyswerve, and ca' canny on the dialect, as there's more to language than words and spelling

SC

*'41: Dec. 11 Germany and Italy declare war on USA; USA reciprocates

Edited November 12, 2015 by StreetCowboy