I speak English very good!

[Martyr]

@Martyr
Wasn't there a similar issue here quite some time ago with the use of 'you'?
Originally 'you' was plural, but over time the language evolved and you became both plural and singular (replacing thou), right?

Could get around the whole problem without making any grammatical changes by rephrasing the sentence? "I'm going to miss you like a children miss their blankets."

You can definitely get around the problem by rephrasing the sentence, but it shouldn't have to be that way. Grammar is grammar. There shouldn't be tiers where some sentences are more confusing to write or say than others, forcing people to rearrange their words.

I don't think Fergie is to blame for starting that particular fad.

lol no it isn't Fergie's fault.

edit: why does my post look dark and shadowy and impossible to read without highlighting in NeoClassic? I copied and pasted it, but what changes?

[blackmage_nuke]

"You will be missed by me as a blanket is missed by the child to which it belongs."

[Jentleness]

...If you haven't guessed by now, the official rule is to use the word "he" when the gender is not specified.

This is correct because the inclusive term to describe all humans is mankind. Also, I don't believe that assigning male gender when gender is not specified is strictly an English rule (although I could be wrong about that). Anyway, political correctness is getting way out of hand and its time people stop making a mountain out of a mole hill!

[Timekeeper]

And then the people that argue that English is a living language and that using things incorrectly makes them correct.

Well it is a living language and to some degree that's correct, but I think you're referring to people going way out of line xD

You can definitely get around the problem by rephrasing the sentence, but it shouldn't have to be that way. Grammar is grammar. There shouldn't be tiers where some sentences are more confusing to write or say than others, forcing people to rearrange their words.

edit: why does my post look dark and shadowy and impossible to read without highlighting in NeoClassic? I copied and pasted it, but what changes?

I agree that grammar should be straight forward, but it seems to me that by allowing the use of they/their as singular or plural pronouns (like the way the word 'you' changed), it helps get around the issue of 'sexist' language and means you can avoid the he/she problem.

Also, you're having the same problem I did, it's because of the new WYSIWYG feature in the Reply field. Naturally the text appears white, but because you copied and pasted your text, it retained the black font colour and TNR font... You can remove the formatting by clicking the 'Remove Format' button at the top left of the field, as I did with your text above.
This sounds like it could be an issue though. Sounds like a problem for... Rantzien!

[NorthernChaosGod]

Well I'm specifically referring to people saying it's correct to say nauseous when they feel sick.

[Peegee]

it took 2 pages for me to post this? you guys suck

communication and grammar are mutually exclusive terms. grammar fail desu desu you know what i say?

I believe when I took some classes with rubahs in linguistics I posited (and then the class reinforced) the idea that there were communication concepts that can be used instead of straightforward syllogisms. What the hell were they...context, esoteria, and something else. It doesn't matter.

Anybody who talks to me has to heavily use context and esoteria to make sense out of what I am talking about. When I'm not spewing pikaspam you have to use heuristics and guesswork to break down the syllogism (which does exist!)

[Loony BoB]

On occasion I correct people who don't have English as their native tongue because I've been told by many of them in the past that they like it when I do as it allows them to improve on things. I don't see who speak English as their main language shouldn't be of the same mindset, but hey, what works for some people won't for others. I don't tend to correct many natural English speakers with their spelling/grammar, although I do with Danielle on some occasions.

As for at EoFF, well, you might be surprised how often I edit thread titles, unclosed tags, typos and the like in various posts out there. I obviously don't do it with everything (that would be insane with some of the people here xD) but sometimes a little help can't go too far wrong. But yeah, mostly thread titles and tag problems, not so much typos and grammer within posts.

[Citizen Bleys]

@Martyr
Wasn't there a similar issue here quite some time ago with the use of 'you'?
Originally 'you' was plural, but over time the language evolved and you became both plural and singular (replacing thou), right?

Could get around the whole problem without making any grammatical changes by rephrasing the sentence? "I'm going to miss you like a children miss their blankets."

The second person singular is still correct English, but nobody uses it anymore--methinks were it taught today, people would be too lazy to learn the difference between the nominative and genitive case and just refer to everyone perpetually in the plural.

I'd actually like to see the second-person singular come back into vogue in English. Its elimination has led to such abominations as "y'all" when people try to create a new word for the second-person plural because they're already using the correct term to mean singular, which is wrong. There is no other language on Earth has a distinction between singular and plural for absolutely every concept except second-person references and it's skullsmurfingly retarded.

I can see scrapping the difference between nominative and genitive case -- as long as you're willing to do the same for every existing nominative/genitive pair in the English language that we take for granted, such as I/me, we/us, and they/them. Wait, you say you know which of those terms to use intuitively? Well, if people would stop ignoring the difference between thee and thou, you'd be able to do the same with them. I can, an I choose to speak thus.

In French (and some other languages, including Ukrainian), the distinction between singular and plural in the second person also serves a dual purpose: denotation of formality. I think it would be useful to have that in English too. I could say thee and thou to my friends, making an expression of comfort and familiarity with them inherent to the smurfing language, and you to arseholes and strangers who I don't like (or, alternatively, to be polite). It could be used to identify the tenor of national and regional cultures between the English-speaking world, too. As an example, in France, people use vous damn near as often as we use you, dropping to tu only amongst their closest acquaintances, but in Quebec it's "tu-toi tous les temps!" as a visiting Frenchman once put it. That gives an instant verbal cue, as soon as someone opens their mouth and says damn near anything, that Quebec is a hell of a lot more informal than France is. Also, rude enough to say "tu" to a stranger.

[Peegee]

Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

[Shaibana]

Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

.. ..... . .. ..... ... what?

[NorthernChaosGod]

You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve been further even more decided to use even go need to do look more as anyone can. Can you really be far even as decided half as much to use go wish for that? My guess is that when one really been far even as decided once to use even go want, it is then that he has really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like. It’s just common sense.

[Shaibana]

... ... ... my brain hurts

[Peegee]

You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve been further even more decided to use even go need to do look more as anyone can. Can you really be far even as decided half as much to use go wish for that? My guess is that when one really been far even as decided once to use even go want, it is then that he has really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like. It’s just common sense.