On Sun, 04 Mar 2007 12:50:53 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote:

On Sun, 04 Mar 2007 05:30:47 -0500, Roger
wrote in :

Implicit in that statement is what he will do if I don't help.

Ah...it *might* for a person whose native language is English, but
highly unlikely for a person whose native language is not English.

Perhaps. But you don't know what the OP meant any more than I do. All
we have is his ACTUAL words and syntax.

I have the actual words, but I'm familiar with how conversation in a
number of languages translates. I am not proficient in those languages
so I suffer the same fate when trying to say something in those.
Problems arise with possessives, and particularly with plurals, and
adjectives. So yes, I'm quite willing to give a non English speaker
the benefit of the doubt where I would not a native English speaker

I just took his words at face, and responded accordingly. S/he can
then be aware of how his English "sentence" will be understood by
native English speakers. It would be a disservice to just ignore the
faux pas without calling attention to it, IMO.

With that I agree, but it's normal to do so in a manner that lets the
person know you realize they may not have meant what they said. My
wife and I have that problem quite frequently:-))


The fact that I provided the information s/he sought is evidence that
I was aware that there was room for equivocation about his/her
intended meaning.

You (all) seem willing to give the OP the benefit of the doubt, but
are unwilling to extend the same to me. WTF?

Which is quite normal.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com