>>>Shouldn't that notion be more appreciated here on this international forum?! If Dutch were the language here, I'd most certainly avoid certain ways of saying things.
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>>I think you make a very good point, though I think the difficulty is greater in the spoken language. If my goal is to be understood by non-native speakers of English I make it a point to use English as it is taught.
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>And then only use words that are also understood by the non-intellectuals. Asif talking to a kid, right? Using only non-intellectual (sorry, I should say: simple) words to explain topics in-depth is an endeavor, but most times it is possible and can give a lot of satisfaction afterwards. At least, that's my experience.
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>>I think a good example in spoken English is our use of "I gotta " or "I've gotta " meaning "I must " or "I have to" ( at the most basic level usually only "I must " is taught and often " I hafta " is missed by someone trying to follow rapid spoken English. Same thing for passive voice " I got hit " meaning " I was hit " ( and it sounds like "I got it" ... )
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>>And of course we often incorrectly use "try and " when we mean "try to " which can be confusing to someone who learned it correctly <s>
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>>I am always grateful when someone speaking to me in a language other than English makes it a point to speak as correctly as possible, realizing it is much easier for me to follow that way.
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>And simpler and slower.
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>>But I find this is only common in those who have made a serious attempt to speak another language. ( which means I am sure most Americans don't do it <s> )
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>Neither do the older French people. It's no longer true for the younger ones, who all now learn English in school.
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>>( I have to say, though, I get careless around the Dutch because the level of English proficiency is often so high I forget I'm not speaking to a native speaker :-)
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>It was only recently that I became aware of a related issue. My English has improved a lot in time. First, I had to read many American books during my study. Those books, I have to say, are not written with the international students in mind. They are written for the U.S. students. The professors in countries like mine decide that their students have to improve their English in order to better prepare them for involvement in international projects. After that, my writing improved, also because of being involved here. There came a moment that I had a rather high opinion about my understanding of English. And it probably is justified, when comparing it to most people in my surroundings. But recently I became aware that I will never become profound enough to fully understand or write English. And I'll make errors more often than I know of or will be told, simply because native speakers will not always notice that I meant something else than they think I mean. And this

FY enlightenment:

" ... I meant something other than what they thought I meant."

Not being pedantic or critical. I know you want to improve your English. Despite your protestation to the contrary that whole paragraph was practically flawless till the second-to-last (penultimate) sentence. :-)

> mutual misunderstanding is more of a problem if the topic is more intellectual.
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>>By the way, IMO, Dragan's command of English is stunning. He obviously enjoys language - being a writer and a rather witty fellow - and appreciates some very very subtle things about the language.
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>Yes, the way he analyzed the word 'international'! Great readings.