Europeans lost apo market because they are regulation andtax-happy LEFT-WINGERS

palsing wrote:
On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 11:58:57 AM UTC-8, Mike Collins wrote

The country with the most English speakers is India.

Not according to these sources...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ing_population

http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top...eaker-map.html

https://www.google.com/fusiontables/...PLvgX Vyz3HT4

I suppose they could all be wrong... but I doubt it.

\Paul A


Also from Wikipedia: "India has the largest number of second-language
speakers of English (see Indian English); Crystal (2004) claims that,
combining native and non-native speakers, India has more people who speak
or understand English than any other country in the world.

On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 1:09:42 PM UTC-8, Mike Collins wrote:
palsing wrote:
On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 11:58:57 AM UTC-8, Mike Collins wrote

The country with the most English speakers is India.

Not according to these sources...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ing_population

http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top...eaker-map.html

https://www.google.com/fusiontables/...PLvgX Vyz3HT4

I suppose they could all be wrong... but I doubt it.

\Paul A


Also from Wikipedia: "India has the largest number of second-language
speakers of English (see Indian English); Crystal (2004) claims that,
combining native and non-native speakers, India has more people who speak
or understand English than any other country in the world.

Yes... but you have changed the parameters mid-stream when you now include folks who "speak or understand" English, as opposed to your original statement, "The country with the most English speakers is India".

Not that it matters; it is, after all, not a contest :)

On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 3:03:40 PM UTC-7, palsing wrote:

Yes... but you have changed the parameters mid-stream when you now include
folks who "speak or understand" English, as opposed to your original statement,
"The country with the most English speakers is India".

People who speak English are English speakers. India is not the country with the
most people who speak English _as a first language_.

John Savard

On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 4:02:35 AM UTC-7, Mike Collins wrote:

I just changed an LED bulb in the bathroom. That had details in 28
languages and 5 alphabets.
But it all fitted on the back of the packet.

Evidently, it only takes one person, rather than a team of experts, to change a
lightbulb - and that is true of people of at least 28 nationalities.

John Sava

Quadibloc wrote:
On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 3:03:40 PM UTC-7, palsing wrote:

Yes... but you have changed the parameters mid-stream when you now include
folks who "speak or understand" English, as opposed to your original statement,
"The country with the most English speakers is India".

People who speak English are English speakers. India is not the country with the
most people who speak English _as a first language_.

John Savard


True.

Quadibloc wrote:
On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 4:02:35 AM UTC-7, Mike Collins wrote:

I just changed an LED bulb in the bathroom. That had details in 28
languages and 5 alphabets.
But it all fitted on the back of the packet.

Evidently, it only takes one person, rather than a team of experts, to change a
lightbulb - and that is true of people of at least 28 nationalities.

John Sava


It was a difficult task but I managed it in the end.

On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 3:13:00 PM UTC-5, palsing wrote:

Must you always be so contrary, thus proving [peterson] over and over again to be an idiot?

There, fixed that for you.

On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 4:09:42 PM UTC-5, Mike Collins wrote:

Also from Wikipedia: "India has the largest number of second-language
speakers of English (see Indian English); Crystal (2004) claims that,
combining native and non-native speakers, India has more people who speak
or understand English than any other country in the world.

That's nonsense. There are not even enough to adequately man the call centers.

On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 1:12:03 PM UTC-5, Chris.B wrote:
On Thursday, 11 February 2016 12:02:35 UTC+1, Mike Collins wrote:

I just changed an LED bulb in the bathroom.
That had details in 28 languages and 5 alphabets.
But it all fitted on the back of the packet.

I also agree with "fitted" in normal UK English usage.

"Before it was fitted with a longer tube, the telescope fit in the box."

The lettering was not doing anything to the back of the packet, so "fit" is preferred and correct. "Fitted" has a different meaning and would be incorrect.
(The use of "fit" is an improvement brought to you by people who speak English well.)

On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 3:25:06 PM UTC-5, Chris L Peterson wrote:
On Thu, 11 Feb 2016 11:32:26 -0800 (PST), wsnell01 wrote:

On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 1:11:40 PM UTC-5, Chris L Peterson wrote:
On Thu, 11 Feb 2016 09:56:38 -0800 (PST), wsnell01 wrote:

There are about five times as many speakers of English in the US as there are in the UK. We are right, you are wrong, if you truly believe in the majority as you claim you do.

As has been previously pointed out to you, there is really no "right"
or "wrong" in English usage.

Incorrect. Ask an English teacher.

English teachers who make that claim are not qualified to teach
English.

Incorrect. A teacher who tolerated incorrect usage would not be doing his/her job correctly.

For the most part, it is the job of an English teacher to
teach conventional usage, not "correct" usage.

Incorrect. One of the teacher's most important tasks is to teach -correct- usage of words and mark wrong any misuse.

The language is defined in terms of how
it is actually used.

No, check some dictionaries, including the oldest printed versions you can find, for correct usage of words.

No, you can find descriptions of how words are actually used. That's
all the editor of a dictionary does.

Incorrect. The editor who accepts and publishes incorrect usage as correct is failing the users of his dictionary. His product is essentially worthless.