English Expertise

Why is it that we expect people from England to speak proper English?

Granted, I'm not talking (ha ha) about accents and dialects.  I'm talking about the grammar.

It's like we naturally expect that people from that country are good communicators in their own language.

But, I've discovered several times in the past week, developers from any country speak about the same...both over the phone and in writing.

It's amazing.

For example:

"these ones"

GUHGUHGUHGUHGUGH!!!!

It's "one of these" of "this one" or just plain old "these".

DRIVES ME CRAZY!

And it's so much more of an affront to my ears when you hear someone from York (that would be where Downton Abbey is filmed just to get a gauge on the accent) say "these ones".

ARGH!

I also, wrongly, expect that people from California are better communicators than most Americans (sorry, but that's been my experience).  Perhaps it's the quick talking or the enforced standardized testing standards in reading and writing.  Californians, in my experience, are also great at presenting, because they're all secretly hoping someone in the audience will make them famous.

I dunno.

But that, too, has been shattered today when I was on the phone with someone (supposedly) from California that could barely string two words together about a product he was representing.  And it is times like these where a poker face or a phone call will save your career.

Just don't let them hear the nails on the chalk board.