>As far as native speakers, we are probably the last ones to ask, LOL. We haven't exactly mastered our own language.

[shrug] It has been in my experience on various boards -- the folks who have the most frequent mispelling or grammatical errors are those who would be considered "native speakers" (and often they are Americans). Only thing I can think of is that, non-native speakers are typically more careful with an "alien" language because they want to avoid being misunderstood, while "native speakers" tend to be less careful (and often sloppy) because the assumption that they will be understood.

English is a "mutt" -- which may not be as attractive as a "purebred" -- but due to its hybrid nature, it often shows a level of adaptabilty and robustness that will allow it to survive. Confusing as it may be, with various parts from other languages grafted on here and there -- it has resulted in a language that could be seen as complicated (due to its inconsstencies), but yet highly expressive (i.e. often more than one way to express things -- with numerous nuances).