 |
|
Talking
English
Your Passport to Better Language Communication |
|
|
|
|
|
|
My Column
If I was writing for a comparably large English newspaper, an editor would read through my articles correcting any minor mistakes and/or Freudian slips. For obvious reasons, in Finland this is simply not possible. The articles have to be word perfect (at least I hope so). As a precautionary measure, when I complete an article, I e-mail it to my mother in England for a second opinion.
A couple of years ago, I sent my mother a Christmas card which included a photograph of me ice swimming – wearing, er nothing! Unfortunately, I did not know that she would open it in a room packed with guests on Christmas day. Needless to say, she was not impressed – nor were my two sisters (this has nothing to do with size). I have since come to learn that my mother enjoys reading my articles as it helps dispel the myth that I spend all my nights drinking beer and my days running around naked!
Typically, her, only criticism, is my over use of, commas, although, this is more a question of style, than an error.,
Occasionally, as in my article on the Imperial system she corrects factual mistakes (truly a cardinal sin). In this case I stated that the basic traditional unit of weight, the pound (0.45 kg) often abbreviated to lb, is divided into 12 ounces and was originally a Roman unit used throughout their Empire. In fact 16 ounces make 1 Ib. It just goes to show that I am not as old as I look!
On other occasions she has advised me not to submit my article for publication. For example, I have written four articles containing allegations about my former Housing Administrator which my mother considered potentially libellous until proven in a Court of Law. A limited amount of information on this can be seen on the Kuningaskuluttaja website. She also suggested that an article on the origin of the term Catch 22 (a novel by Joseph Heller) should be withheld as it was too complex and the language was too difficult. Even the original Finnish translator had trouble with the term. I would be happy to forward a copy of this to anyone by return email. An article about George W Bush was also rejected because it would upset Finland’s entire American community – I reluctantly agreed and deleted the article.
From the feedback I have received it is obvious that the word lists are very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I cannot take any credit for this. After the better part of ten years in Finland my knowledge of the language remains minimal. I would therefore like to take this unique opportunity to thank my girlfriend, dentist (cook, cleaner . . . . . ) for all her hard work – it is appreciated, even if sometimes I do take it for granted.
Finally, coming up with new and interesting ideas is always a challenge. If anyone out there has any suggestions, I would be happy to hear from you and will do my best to oblige.
Mike Bangle is the owner of Talking English language consultancy and can be contacted at mike.bangle(at)phnet.fi Word List
|
|
|
|