Are you a perfectionist when it comes to language?
By raghavrao89
@raghavrao89 (189)
India
February 15, 2007 11:17am CST
I don't know whether it's just me or there are others, but my friends say I'm an awful nag when it comes to language and get annoyed because I constantly correct their grammar and pronunciation. It's not that I'm a know it all or that my english is flawless. It's just that..I make friends at my intellectual level or close to it, so if I can take criticism from them about my stories, speeches etc. can't they heed my corrections as well? Do any of you have this obsession to correct any mistakes in your friends? (be they in language or in smoking or in litering etc.)
1 person likes this
6 responses
@Adrenochrome (1653)
•
15 Feb 07
Yes I am, and I should just like to mention that this is not perfectionism, but pedantry! Lol! I'm, also, an English teacher, so technically it is my job to be a pedant.
1 person likes this
@raghavrao89 (189)
• India
15 Feb 07
Hey... thank you.. I'll remember that.. what exactly does Pedantry mean again? Oh.. and by the way.. the only reason my time on mylot isn't restricted by my mother is that she believes that it'll improve my communication skills.
@Adrenochrome (1653)
•
16 Feb 07
I notice from your profile that you are from India, which probably explains why your English is so good, the average UK resident has few linguistic skills nowadays, and especially when it comes to their mother tongue! Congratulations to your mother, though I feel you have already attained a very high standard of English language, and communication skills. Good luck for the future, and keep up the good work.
1 person likes this
@raghavrao89 (189)
• India
16 Feb 07
Thanks.. I really appreciate that... someday.. I hope to attain the level of my mother's eloquence... she's still miles ahead of me. And I find it hard to believe that people in the UK have limited linguistic skills.. English being their mother tongue.. and being brought up on books by the likes of Enid Blyton and P.G.Wodehouse
@livewyre (2450)
•
15 Feb 07
Hi I just posted a question about English learners and I saw your (close to) flawless English. This is very refreshing. You don't need to correct someone unless it is asked for, your good grammar (and no doubt pronunciation) 'speaks' for itself, It is clear that you are a bright individual, you should be careful not to appear superior though...correction is good, the manner of correction should be humble and thoughtful - start with encouragement so that it doesn't look like you are establishing yourself above someone else. I hope you will continue to strive to be as good as you can be.
1 person likes this
@raghavrao89 (189)
• India
16 Feb 07
Aw gee... I'm blushing beet red.. thanks for the praise.. and for the advice.. I'll try to correct as humbly as possible.. I only correct friends though, I know trying to correct an elder protrays nothing but conceit.. and your english seems much closer to flawless than mine :)
@raghavrao89 (189)
• India
16 Feb 07
Yeah.. true.. I speak three almost fluently and a fourth with a questionable command.. makes it four :P
1 person likes this
@listen2me (511)
• United States
15 Feb 07
personally i dont, i fel if u can undrstnd wht im writin it shuldnt be a prob.
now like the above statement, i know someone will read it and go nuts, but hey, correct grammer isnt my pet peve. you have to know what im trying to say in order to correct it. and if you do correct it. u under stud whut i was trin 2 say. lol
nice topic
@raghavrao89 (189)
• India
15 Feb 07
I get your point and being jus eighteen as well.. I guess it's a bit arrogant trying to correct other people, but the thing is.. If I don't, being in the field of Media, when talking to professionals from the field, they may make a fool of themselves, and it's better to correct your friend now and be cursed that watch them make a fool of themselves in front of bigshots right?
@happymommy3 (2012)
• United States
28 Feb 07
I don't have this obsession, but I am very annoyed at times by my brother who is just like you. There's nothing wrong with that, don't get me wrong, but it is annoying at times when you're trying to have a conversation and are constantly corrected.
@Michele21 (3093)
• United States
15 Feb 07
I am always correcting my husband and kids if they say something incorrectly. My husband gets annoyed with me but I am trying to help him out so he doesn't go to work or something and sound dumb. I don't usually correct other people though, maybe my mom a few times, but other than that I don't want to appear rude so I keep it to myself =)
1 person likes this
@raghavrao89 (189)
• India
15 Feb 07
Well.. that's probably possible because you live elsewhere than in my country.. here the males are like primates.. very egotistical.. so a wife who can corect them is likely to be beaten up. My father used to get frustrated at my mom a lot as she was much more intelligent and take it all out on her. Today, at the age of eighteen..I see that the male dominance is fading.. and not surprisingly.. some of the most eloquent teens of a comparable age that I've come across have been girls.
