>>>Come to think of it, it should be considered an art - it's an effect that isn't simple to achieve intentionally. It's a sort of negative diplomacy.
>>
>>I think one thing worth pointing out is that English is not Naomi's first language. Her on-line English has *VASTLY* improved since her earliest posts here, so much so that those encountering her only occasionally may think she's a native speaker. Interpreting nuances in forum messages isn't easy at the best of time; I think Naomi deserves a little more latitude than we may give others.
>
>That's really into a level of knowledge "sufficient to be dangerous" - where one may mistake her for a native speaker, and the misunderstanding may be not on the surface, but at some deeper level, harder to detect and harder to debug.

Agreed. FWIW Naomi doesn't strike me as deliberately argumentative or confrontational; from what I've seen she backs off almost too quickly if she thinks she's hurt someone's feelings. However, she does vigorously defend her technical arguments - and rightfully so, IMO.