Re: [OT] Indian C programmers and "u"

From: Thomas Stegen (tstegen_at_cis.strath.ac.uk)
Date: 11/27/03 

Date: Thu, 27 Nov 2003 01:27:33 +0000

Jeremy Yallop wrote:
> With regard to semantics, it's not so clear that non-native speakers
> have the upper hand. [snip] It's true in a much deeper sense, though,
> because
> the meaning of individual words is determined not by a dictionary, but
> by use. If you are
> not a part of the community in which this takes place then you will
> fail to acquire these subtler, undocumented senses.

I was implicitly (even implicit to me :) talking about
non-native speakers living in an english speaking country. Probably
because I myself do that. I often notice that I have an easier time
understanding what a question really asks about when we are given
an assignment here at my university. One thing I have particularly
taken note of (both here and in "real life") is that native speakers
very often only consider one of the meanings a word can have.
Particularly when words have colloquial and more formal meanings.
Examples of such words are general and weight.

But then again I cannot see how native speakers are advantaged on
newsgroups because of this "dynamicity". Fair enough, the language
changes, but it changes differently in Scotland and England for
example. Not to mention the difference from Britain to the USA. 

-- 
Thomas.

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