Re: Non native English speaker is checking whether a phrasing should be filed a minor bug report.

[Paul E Condon <pecondon@mesanetworks.net>]

On 20101130_183342, John Hasler wrote:
> Cybe R. Wizard writes:
> > Having been taught the same rule, I also find the sentence nonsensical
> > and for that same reason.
> 
> I was also taught that rule.
> 
> > The misuse of pronouns to refer to other than the most recent prior
> > noun is a great grinding pain to me when others so craft their
> > language.
> 
> Doesn't bother me at all.  The language has changed. (The current fad
> for misusing "issue" and "fail" irritates the hell out of me, though.)
> -- 
> John Hasler

John,

I wrote about what I learned long ago in school by way of introducing
some sympathy for people who know only the English that they learn as
a foreign language in school.

Debian seems to hold itself to a higher standard in many ways. I think
Debian should strive to have documentation that is easily understood
by people who know English only from books. The rule as learned long
ago didn't actually conform to actual usage long ago. Usage has always
been different from what schoolmen teach and it changes too fast for
schoolmen to ever catch up. So I think Debian docs should avoid
pronouns merely because the rule is poorly understood by people who
learned English from books. Easy to say, but tedious to do.

-- 
Paul E Condon           
pecondon@mesanetworks.net