I was reading "Overheard at the Ateneo de Manila University" on Facebook and I realized how much Ateneans are irritatingly corrective when it comes to grammar and pronunciations.
Perfect examples:
I will not be a hypocrite and say that I have never corrected or even laughed at anyone before but there are times when you just have to ignore the mistake and let it go. At first I thought that this was a common thing in the Filipino culture but after some reflection, I noticed that only my Atenean friends do it. Something as simple as a mispronunciation is laughed at or corrected, making the speaker conscious; and therefore, more prone to mistakes. Even smart people make these errors and they ARE aware of these so there really isn’t a reason to correct them, especially in public. Sure, I laugh whenever Sherald, our friend, tells us about his misadventures.. "from pelvic Vones" to "going to the gEEm"; but I would never correct him in public.
I have to admit, I am a person who does not like being corrected on anything but that is beside the point. This constant pressure to speak perfect English is downright irritating. I am often amazed at how Singaporeans speak with Caucasians so casually; while here I am, an English speaker since 2 years old and still so conscious when talking. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve delivered speeches for hundreds of people because I often take leadership roles in my projects. However, the fear of saying something wrong prevents me from confidently speaking!
This might be just a mindless rant, and some 'serial corrector' might react violently or even correct something that I wrote here.. but I really don't care.
As I always tell Ayney, "Tomato is the same as tomáto!"
Perfect examples:
I will not be a hypocrite and say that I have never corrected or even laughed at anyone before but there are times when you just have to ignore the mistake and let it go. At first I thought that this was a common thing in the Filipino culture but after some reflection, I noticed that only my Atenean friends do it. Something as simple as a mispronunciation is laughed at or corrected, making the speaker conscious; and therefore, more prone to mistakes. Even smart people make these errors and they ARE aware of these so there really isn’t a reason to correct them, especially in public. Sure, I laugh whenever Sherald, our friend, tells us about his misadventures.. "from pelvic Vones" to "going to the gEEm"; but I would never correct him in public.
I have to admit, I am a person who does not like being corrected on anything but that is beside the point. This constant pressure to speak perfect English is downright irritating. I am often amazed at how Singaporeans speak with Caucasians so casually; while here I am, an English speaker since 2 years old and still so conscious when talking. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve delivered speeches for hundreds of people because I often take leadership roles in my projects. However, the fear of saying something wrong prevents me from confidently speaking!
This might be just a mindless rant, and some 'serial corrector' might react violently or even correct something that I wrote here.. but I really don't care.
As I always tell Ayney, "Tomato is the same as tomáto!"
I agree! But I guess we really can't help but be conscious of what comes out of our mouths. As Ateneans, people expect you to speak perfect English all the time!
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess but it's so IRRITATING!!! Haha
ReplyDelete