Job Discussion Forums

johnslat · Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 11:57 pm Post subject:

Dear artemisia,

Alas - you are forgetting the "time differential" in Saudi. In a way similar to how a "New York minute" is actually a jiffy (1/100th 0f a second), in the Kingdom, each minute stretches out to about a year.

Taking that into consideration, scot47 has been in the Saudi for many millennia.

Regards,
John

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I shall be happy to catapult myself from the 15th Century (Anno Hegirae) in KSA to the 21st in Scotland.

Mind you looking at the current debates about sectarianism in Scotland I feel that benighted land may still be somewhere in the tail mend of the 17th century

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Ok
Will settle for 3 mistakes.
Question structure lacking
was/were
Britain/British

I am used to students haggling over mistakes and marks !

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Good point Scot... that way one can settle on the three.

VS

sheikh radlinrol · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 1222 Location: Spain

huh? · Joined: 17 Mar 2011 Posts: 18

You was born in British?

I only see one mistake - British.

Kuwait is full of American military - certain American subcultures use "you was" all the time. It's not a mistake when they use it - it's purposely used to distance themselves from people who use standard English (you know -the style spoken by smarmy twats). Okay, so the man in the airport didn't know he was being cool, but he may have picked it up from people who knew exactly why they were saying it.

If someone looks at my passport, I expect them to say "You were born in X?". I know they are asking for confirmation of what they think is correct. If someone looks at my passport and says "Were you born in X?", I assume I must be dealing with someone who can't actually read, is on drugs or is mentally retarded.

I agree that the level of English among police and security personnel in the Middle East is not very good - but then, what is the motivation? There's no pay increase or promotion in it for them. Maybe just the personal satisfaction of being able to speak proper to all the smarmy twats who come to their country?

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

sheikh radlinrol · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 1222 Location: Spain

He said smarmy *beep*, not smarmy twit. There is a difference, you know. Very Happy

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Ah doan' wanna git banned Very Happy

sheikh radlinrol · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 1222 Location: Spain

Why can Huh? say *beep* on this board and I can�t. It�s not fair.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 6:53 pm Post subject:

'Coz unlike us he's using it in an inoffensive way that distances himself from other language communities?

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

True. If I were going to use the word in this context, it would be directed at an individual, and that's surely not kosher.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:05 pm Post subject:

Spiral, my espionage networks can fit you out with a Russian passport if you like. Not quite legitimate, but then most people's here aren't... Anyway, you may be faced with several border police questions, including 'You were born in Russia?' and ''Were you born in Russia?' I'm not convinced that the interpretation put forward previously would quite match the interrogator's intent...

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Конечно, я был!

I'm not a member of 'a visible minority' in Moscow.

The schnauzer, however, has got distinct North American characteristics and has trouble 'passing' in any European country. Fact.