At 02:16 AM 5/13/98 -0700, you wrote:
>   Alex, while I've often found it difficult to read the `broken English'
>from our friends in other countries, I would never presume to correct their
>spelling. The `bottom line' is communications. English is hard enough to
>learn and spell, even for those of us born in countries that speak the
>language. I find it easy to understand the intent of their messages. One
>of the great attributes of this group is it's international audience.
>Despite our `native tongues', we learn so much from each other.

You guys remember when I got flamed for (nicely, btw) explaining that a
friendly-intentioned greeting by, I believe, one of our Indian posters
could be taken as a major insult to Americans?  I think we're on the same
subject again.

>English is hard enough to learn and spell...

I work with a Russian who has naturalized to US citizenship now.  He
insists that, of the several languages he speaks (English, French, Italian,
Russian, Polish, and Hebrew) that English is the easiest to learn.  Russian
he says is the hardest - his theory is that 2000 years of isolation makes
for some really strange idioms.

He has great jokes, though.

Andy

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                     Andy Kunz - Montana Design
          Go fast, turn right, and keep the wet side down!
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