I daresay American English and 'Standard English' aren't that different!?

If you knew how often I have to use a dictionary to understand you, you might reconsider.
You don't just use, "Standard English". You have education in fields I have barely dabbled in and you believe you are speaking precisely while I am choosing between 3 dictionary definitions, sometimes two or three times in a sentence.

I assume I appear (to you) as a rather smart troglodyte with a typewriter.

ps, Have fun deciphering which of the 5 definitions of troglodyte I intended.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/troglodyte?s=t

 

I'd go with number two in the Nouns. I was hoping there were twelve definitions ..... for an "oh the irony" moment.

The league of nations was formed after the war to end all wars. otherwise known as WWI. After WWII, the UN became the "new" league of nations. I'm thinking it will suffer the same fate.

 

I'd go with number two in the Nouns.

I was going for the sum of 3 plus 4. Then I found a British definition farther down the page and wished I had not started this conversation. No blinking wonder we have difficulty with communication!

Hmmm...maybe I could struggle less if I used a British dictionary on the words of HP.

 

not that I am a fan of UN, but League of Nations excluded US (by choice), Russia (because it was communist and just went through a revolution and civil war) and Germany (a recent aggressor country). So how was it supposed to work excluding 3 of major players?

France was always weak and WWI was continuation of collapse of the British empire.

Fast forward 100 years... anything similar going on today?

 

You don't just use, "Standard English".

Hmmm...maybe I could struggle less if I used a British dictionary on the words of HP.

Let us not confuse formality with dialect

You have education in fields I have barely dabbled in

And vice-versa!...

you believe you are speaking precisely while I am choosing between 3 dictionary definitions

Attention to context might help that...

I assume I appear (to you) as a rather smart troglodyte with a typewriter.

Smart, yes! 'Troglodyte' and 'typewriter', however, would seem tad 'retro'

ps, Have fun deciphering which of the 5 definitions of troglodyte I intended.

Lexical references aside, your assertion that I view your style as unsophisticated on to primitive is amply clear While I do not ignore the self-effacing humor vested in said assertion, I am, nonetheless, bound to register my strong disagreement with same!

Very best regards
HP

 

'Troglodyte' and 'typewriter', however, would seem tad 'retro'

Meh. That's what old people do. I reached into my, "retro bag" for words that were popular 50 years ago. The TOS on this site restrict me from mixing in German and Spanish.

I am, nonetheless, bound to register my strong disagreement with same!

Thank you, but...I think the proper way to say this is, I feel like a troglodyte while trying to understand your writing style. Either you're unique or I am provincial, and I think the latter is true. That is why I asked from whence you hail, thinking I might find your frame of reference.

Attention to context might help that...

My point is that you sometimes use as many as three words (in one sentence) which are not in common use where I live. That much uncertainty in one sentence leaves me with a vague understanding of a statement you believe is, "precise". Think about that dirty raccoon example. I asked you to, "dumb it down" for me and the results were excellent. Multi-syllabic words contain larger concepts than 4 or 5 letter words. When I have to look up two or three of them and choose which dictionary definition you intended, I end up reading a sentence with as many as 3^3 possible interpretations.

Maybe the difference is that I am accustomed to reading small words and expanding them in my mind to find the intent. This is especially true when dealing with ESL posters. When I read your words, I fell like I am reading global concepts and trying to narrow down to the specific. Neither style is frankly wrong, but your style is difficult for me.

 

My point is that you sometimes use as many as three words (in one sentence) which are not in common use where I live. That much uncertainty in one sentence leaves me with a vague understanding of a statement you believe is, "precise". Think about that dirty raccoon example. I asked you to, "dumb it down" for me and the results were excellent. Multi-syllabic words contain larger concepts than 4 or 5 letter words. When I have to look up two or three of them and choose which dictionary definition you intended, I end up reading a sentence with as many as 3^3 possible interpretations.

I like to think of it a 'forced vocabulary building' exercises! Learning by real life application activities of sorts.

I'd rather hang out with people who are trying 'smarten me up' to get me to their level rather than 'dumb me down' so that they don't have to work/think so hard.

.

 

Since the advent of computers ... dictionaries are easy, and plentiful to the point one must separate the wheat from the chaff.

 

@#12 et al

With genuine respect, I feel you're 'overthinking' this... Seriously! It's neither a matter of 'dialect', 'vocabulary' nor even erudition - but, merely, formality! -- Inasmuch as I intensely dislike being 'talked down to' I refuse to do same to others (à la an ethic quaintly denominated 'The Golden Rule')....

Very best regards
HP

 

With genuine respect, I feel you're 'overthinking' this...

OK. I have never seen this, "formality" in anyone else and don't quite know what to do with it, but I can ask you to dumb it down when I really want to understand you. I've done that before, and it works very well.

 

I have never seen this, "formality" in anyone else

Said observation likely owes to the fact that 'formality of tone' (in this sense) is strictly a 'literary style', if you will...

but I can ask you to dumb it down when I really want to understand you.

While, of course, I regard deference to the reader's preference{s} a matter of common courtesy - I caution that undue qualitativeness is all of unnatural, imprecise, and, hence, in direct proportion to ambiguity

Very best regards
HP

 

Modern science has done a fine job of concealing the fact that the human male and the human female are completely 2 different and un-related species.

The only common thing we have is words(and they are not common).........the words have a totally different meaning. We can hear the words women use......but never understand them.

This is why a woman can communicate with women only. Same for men.

A woman and a man....can not communicate. No matter what you think or have been taught. Your fooling yourself.

I guarantee you........if you think you have reached an agreement with a women........you have deluded yourself.

The woman that takes care of me......just commented on what a misogynist comment this is.

See what I mean.

 

Said observation likely owes to the fact that 'formality of tone' (in this sense) is strictly a 'literary style', if you will...
...
Very best regards
HP

In my younger days, people who spoke like you and also walked around with an exaggerated (good) posture, where said to be, with no insult to you intended, "walking arould like they had a stick up their ass." Now, 40-years later, it is kind of interesting (although I haven't seen your posture).

 

In my younger days, people who spoke like you and also walked around with an exaggerated (good) posture, where said to be, with no insult to you intended, "walking arould like they had a stick up their ass." Now, 40-years later, it is kind of interesting (although I haven't seen your posture)

---Emphasis added---

But then neither have you heard me speak

TTFN
HP

 

Modern science has done a fine job of concealing the fact that the human male and the human female are completely 2 different and un-related species.

The only common thing we have is words(and they are not common).........the words have a totally different meaning. We can hear the words women use......but never understand them.

This is why a woman can communicate with women only. Same for men.

A woman and a man....can not communicate. No matter what you think or have been taught. Your fooling yourself.

I guarantee you........if you think you have reached an agreement with a women........you have deluded yourself.
The woman that takes care of me......just commented on what a misogynist comment this is.

---Emphasis added---

Even granting the sincerity of your comment: Sexist? Ignorant? Undeniably! - Misogynist? definitely not! -- In point of fact misogyny and/or misandry represent presentation of rare, rather profound, psychiatric disorder! - Sane people don't hate a fully integrated 50% of our species - including one of their parents and half of their 'family tree'! -- For all that, I regard your comment as an attempt at 'dry humor' as opposed to even the 'lesser crime' of sexism

Best regards
HP

 

I'd rather hang out with people who are trying 'smarten me up' to get me to their level rather than 'dumb me down' so that they don't have to work/think so hard.

I agree. That's why I said I would love to spend a week with HP. I have chameleon like characteristics which would absorb enough information in a few days to enable me to understand HP much more quickly than I do now. Like growing a field of vegetables, you can have all the book learnin' in the world, but it's almost worthless compared to being there in person.

 

Like growing a field of vegetables, you can have all the book learnin' in the world, but it's almost worthless compared to being there in person.

---Emphasis added---

Were you, perchance, a modern language Prof in a past life???

Best regards
HP

 

HP............AH.............ok.............I guess.

 

Modern science has done a fine job of concealing the fact that the human male and the human female are completely 2 different and un-related species.

An interesting hypothesis in light of the fact that it 'makes' us all 'hybrids' -- but then, of course, our parents must needs be hybrids as well, so....

TTFN
HP

 

I want too..... so bad......but I know better........no comment.