Re: subjects and wording in a post
- From: Cindy <cindy15464973@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 07 May 2006 08:55:08 -0500
Ray wrote:
Hi,
I would like to ask something irrelevant to the Japanese language per
se.
It's about how to compose a proper subject and use proper wording in a
post.
Some posts have subjects like "I need help from native speakers". Such
subjects definitely don't specify what kind of native speaker can
contribute to the posts. Theoretically, this means that anyone who
happens to be a native speaker can do so. The problem is whether we
should make further *requirements* on them (Note that I am afraid that
this word can get me into trouble; for those of you who don't like it,
please choose one among the following candidates: prerequisite,
precondition, qualification, desideratum. sine qua non, essential,
among others you are happy to use) explicit in subjects of the sort or
in messages, even when these requirements are usually considered tacit.
For example, one is to understand the language of the question poster,
English or some other language. Another is to be willing to help and
skillfully ask for clarification if they don't understand the question
well. Still another is the ability to read carefully.
Do these requirements have to be specified in the subject or in the
message?
Some people seem to think that as long as they are *native speakers*,
they fulfill the necessary requirement specified by the subject, and
when they don't understand a question for lack of one or more tacit
requirements listed above, they are in a position to blame their
failure of understanding the question on the question asker.
The other question I want to ask concerns proper wording. As is
well-known, words have multiple senses and associated connotations.
Some people may find *instructions* to be an annoying word that
suggests its user is a demanding fellow. Apart from the fact that this
word can be used in the statement of an algorithm problem, for example,
it is also used to mean the steps that need to be taken to achieve a
particular purpose, as in "instructions on a manual."
Therefore, I was wondering whether those who find it offensive feel
that manual writers are really demanding to their readers; if not, then
the word probably has no such bad connotation. Alright, another sense
of the word is "order". That indeed makes the one who use it sound
demanding to the readers. But all in all, words have multiple meanings,
and why do some people always interpret them in a bad light, when there
is a equally available sense that is neutral-sounding?
I'd appreciate your reply.
You are asking too much. Sadly, you have no control over "people". People's reactions are so variable; therefore, they make the discussion more interesting. What I can suggest is to read selectively or killfile certain posters.
I can suggest one approach. After you throw a question, you start getting all kinds of feed back from all kinds of people no matter native or non-native. Accept all replies! Don't need to evaluate each post good or bad, or relevant or irrelevant because those posts that you don't like may benefit other posters (see you may be helping others indirectly). Find the one you like and develop your discussion.
.
- References:
- subjects and wording in a post
- From: Ray
- subjects and wording in a post
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