In response to yblanch, when I was younger, I used to be a fan of the idea of simplifying the English language. And then one event changed my mind. I was in Thailand, and trying to explain to someone (in not very good Thai) that the meal was "not bad". I couldn't think of the word, and when I asked them, they said "ahh, you mean to say 'good'". I tried, and completely failed to explain to them why 'good' and 'not bad' mean such different things, and from then on I have much more fully appreciated the English language's richness (not that other languages aren't rich).I am all for a certain degree of flexibility for non-english speakers. I don't laugh at them if they tell me "my sister, he is coming to visit" - I know exactly what they mean (and I have committed far greater mistakes myself). But I definately think it would be a mistake to lose much of the richness that can be used to great effect by great authors and speakers.just my 2 cents worth.

QuoteOriginally posted by: yblanchHello:When you go to a conference is usual that everybody understand the German and Japanese speaker, except English native speakers . When I wrote my Master's thesis at IC in London, my supervisor told me "I never read a paper written in Japan!".I am not sure his attitude was due to the treatment of the English language perpetrated by the japanese authors or to the theoretical content of the papers.Regards,Niclas