Nobody has been complaining about language that is ("both") idiomatic and grammatical (two sides of the same coin, when you stop and think about it). The only complaining has been from you, about what we should do if language is ever 'idiomatic and ungrammatical'.Londo wrote:The point is, if it's idiomatic and ungrammatical how are you (the teacher and the student) going to know unless you have a solid grammar base to work from and to use for comparison. If it is idiomatic and grammatically correct too, then what are you complaining about?
There can't be too much of this "problem" type of language floating about, can there, if the only example you could think up was 'Long time no see' (which is a borrowing from Chinglish, not a product of native speech processes), and why should its ungrammaticality be a barrier to understanding it, using it and appreciating why it was borrowed (it's charming, concise etc)?
I thought the whole point of grammar was to reveal systematicity and give a good indication to students of how to remain closely approximate to English word order especially when they have a go at speaking themselves, rather than "correcting" input! (If some input seems incorrect, and this is confirmed by a more competent speaker than the student, then obviously the student should seek a better way to express the intended meaning and learn that instead; in cases where the input seems incorrect but is actually a standard, approved phrase, what then is the problem? We all accept that, and so too should students, although I'd obviously have no objection if students preferred to master 'Wow, it's been a long time/ages (since we last met)! How long's it been?' etc to 'Long time no see'. Do you actually have a point to make here, Londo?).
The only students I might get saying 'It's a my car' are those ones who look like and talk like Benny 'The Jet' Urquidez (from 'Dragons Forever' - he says 'It's a deal!'), but the brain damage in this case is not a result of kick-boxing so much as endless rounds of silly drills (What is this? Is it a pen? No, it's a car - a model one, obviously, otherwise I wouldn't've been able to lift it! Oops, broke drill discipline then to make a joke!

I don't mind people criticisizing things when I get the feeling they would actually do a better job, but it's kind of hard to imagine that happening with you, Londo, because what you're saying makes little sense, and your responses to challenges even less - not exactly indicative of having things all figured out, of having a better approach yourself worked out, is it?