How come Americans are so bad at spelling and grammar?

It has to do with another or you snotty remarks about how well educated Americans are.

I'm not being defensive.

Here's a thread about the Dutch you may find entertaining/interesting/annoying: http://able2know.org/topic/35301-1#post-936101

There is a stereotype about Americans not knowing/caring about anything outside of their own country. I have to say there is a lot of truth in that. Just try to see how many average Americans can find certain countries on the world map, and compare it to the number of Europeans, Asians etc. who can do the same.

That reminds me of a joke I heard back home:
"People in different countries were asked this question: What is your personal opinion about food shortages in the rest of the world? The answers were rather interesting. Russians didn't know what personal opinion is; Africans didn't know what food is; Germans didn't know what shortage is; and Americans didn't know what the rest of the world is."
I know it's not politically correct and may be offensive, but it's just a joke, so relax

When encountering a different culture, it's natural you will always be bothered by some things. By the way, if those people think the Dutchmen are arrogant for speaking their own language in their own country and not speaking English all the time, maybe we can look at it from another angle: Maybe those Americans are arrogant for expecting everyone to speak English and not trying to learn Dutch?

We know about it, we just don't care about it.


Who cares?


Okay, I'm an average American, and you're an average European. Let's have a country finding contest, me vs. you. Waddaya say?

Of course we're arrogant. We're Americans.

I hadn't thought of that, Set. That makes complete sense now that I get it.

If it was only the two of us, it wouldn't give accurate results Besides, don't forget I have spent the past 20 years on the planet America, exposed to the American media and everything else... hehe

What are you saying? You're a careless, arrogant American like me?

Gabrielle, some of us longtimers on this site have regard for people from the Netherlands; Nimh from Utrecht, for example, a loved and argued with poster, brilliant.

A close friend of mine was spirited away as a child from his good home in Austria in 1939, or was it '38 on their part, because of heritage, to Amsterdam. Eventually got to the US and made a long life, but returned to Amsterdam often for love of it. He's an excellent photographer, still, all these years later, great takes of the city. (No, he doesn't post here.)

We have Dutchy, very loved a2ker who lives in Australia. Superb brave wonderful man.

You sound young to me, not a dig.

Or maybe just pedantic.

Insulting whole countries is tacky.

Gabrielle:
If you listen very carefully to President Obama and his wife, when they're speaking, you'll think they're making mistakes in English. However, if you ever travel and live in Chicago, you'll find that what you think are mistakes in English are considered by most folks living there to be normal.

Remember both Mr. and Mrs Obama graduated from Harvard Law School and President Obama was at one time an adjunct professor at the U of Chicago Law School.

One very common mispronanciation the Obamas make ( as do I, also being from Chicago ) is saying ta for to. "I'm going ta the White House for a visit".

Remember, that correct and acceptable American English varies considerably across the USA

We Americans may not speak the kind of English you learned in Europe, but we're still kind and gentle folks, who do try hard.

I didn't know that there was a planet named America. Is that in our solar system? Maybe she's more of an alien than we think. She certainly is a jerk, and it's so easy to show. She never tripped to the Dutchman reference, and thought she needed to tell me that the Dutch don't speak German. She truly has a problem with arrogance.

Wait . . . what's an average American? Is that someone who hits over .250 but under .300?

Do you reallize that the majority of west Europeans do not know how many coutnries there are in Europe - note I am not talking about EU.

Many politicians - especially Merkel - talk about Europe, when they mean EU.

Even bankpeople do not always know which countries have the Euro and which do not.
I think for every story you have about uneducated Americans I can give you one about uneducated Europeans

One thing I do agree with about. The result of the education was better a couple of generations ago.

LOL ) Maybe I'm becoming one )

Again, I'm not insulting the whole country. Just pointing out some differences I've come across.

What you're talking about is an accent. People in different parts of the country pronounce things differently; nothing unusual about that. I was talking about obvious spelling and grammar mistakes a lot of people make. By the way, I never said Americans weren't nice and kind people; on the contrary.

Here's one that isn't nice and kind. I could respond in the same manner, but that's way below my level.

Oh yeah . . . your superior European level, the one which lead you to start this shitty thread in the first place.

Not my fault if you feel inferior.