This reminds me of the first time I went through American customs. Upon being asked "do you speak english?" my American friend told them, "he's English, he speaks better English than you...". This cannot in all honesty be said to have speeded up the customs process... leading to such worrying moments as Customs: "have you been arrested for smuggling drugs before?" Me: "what do you mean before?" Customs: frowns and makes notes
Fortunately I had a pair of mickey mouse boxer shorts in my luggage, which convinced them I was a worthwhile citizen and America welcomed people like me... (I thought it would have been churlish to point out that actually I'm a subject, not a citizen... and actually from my experience America hates people like me ... Atheist book reading scum that I am.)
Oh and yes you're right about seeing "students's" in print, it fills one with about as much confidence as someone unable to distinguish "their" from "they're". Once "American English" is referred to as "American" perhaps I'll stop feeling physically ill every time I read some new "improvement". After all deviations in French bother me not at all (well ok, just not very much).
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Date: 2004-05-27 03:22 am (UTC)Customs: "have you been arrested for smuggling drugs before?"
Me: "what do you mean before?"
Customs: frowns and makes notes
Fortunately I had a pair of mickey mouse boxer shorts in my luggage, which convinced them I was a worthwhile citizen and America welcomed people like me... (I thought it would have been churlish to point out that actually I'm a subject, not a citizen... and actually from my experience America hates people like me ... Atheist book reading scum that I am.)
Oh and yes you're right about seeing "students's" in print, it fills one with about as much confidence as someone unable to distinguish "their" from "they're". Once "American English" is referred to as "American" perhaps I'll stop feeling physically ill every time I read some new "improvement". After all deviations in French bother me not at all (well ok, just not very much).