[Elc1247]

Originally Posted by bemused_Bohemian Grinding o' the gears: People who speak English. This means I have to decide in an instant whether he/she/they are intelligent or 1 of those strange anomalies of Fate Happenstance if I choose to converse and/or return socially deferential behaviour feigning approval. When they speak a native tongue (Japanese, Chinese, et al) it's so much easier on my psyche since I can't understand a darn word much less the sentence structure. Just do the bobbing head routine and go with the flow. Look agreeable. Once they leave, head for the hills, turn on the console...ah, anime, sweet anime. Let art imitate life.

umm... if you didnt know, English is a trade language, its essential for the fact its widely used, even if its not the native tongue of most countries.

speaking of English... one thing that grinds my gears...
Most foreign english text books...i was in Beijing and took a look at college level "Advanced English" textbooks... written by people with doctorates in English... the grammar was worse than what a 3rd grader can do in the US... chunky sentences everywhere with only a few words in them, true its somewhat understandable... just... you have to read it... then read it a couple more times to understand what in the world they wrote.