Hi Dave,

I sometimes say "LOL" as I type it, but I try not to say it to other people! :)

Here's a great way to keep real laughter alive, just laugh really loud and be genuine about it while watching TV at home, visualize yourself in the front row of a movie theater, and not care who hears you or who's behind you or near you. Laugh loud when you're alone and you'll do it all the time, you'll become the leader of the laughter when you are at a theater! (Lucille Ball's mother's laugh was on the laugh-track of the "I Love Lucy" TV shows:)

I'm not really into electronics, except the computer, someone was trying to talk me into winning an iPad or iPhone or whatever in an online contest, it doesn't appeal to me.

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English, itself, will probably always be called, "English," though if time travel were possible, a visitor from the 1600s would likely wonder with what manner of frowardness we would so unintelligibly venture to express ourselves!

It is interesting, Kathleen, that you mention the French teacher. Therein I am reminded of several teachers I had in public school, and wonder if perhaps the teachers, themselves, have much to answer for in the formation of our vocabulary.

Our librarian, a wonderful man, and also a teacher in our elementary school, was from India, and apart from having a very strong reminder of his former home in the way he pronounced every word, also added, "Isn't it?" to the end of every sentence.

My French teacher was Irish, so I had the benefit in Canada of learning Parisian French with an Irish accent! (I will never understand why they teach us Canadian Anglos Parisian French, rather than Canadian French!)

Perhaps the entire mix from around the world is the greatest influence on the simplification and loss of sharpness and beauty in our present form of English. I simply shudder to think what it will be like, once the SMS language is fully integrated into our language!

Already, I here people SAY "ttyl," instead of "Talk to you later," and "lol," instead of actually laughing. I fear this is going to continue and increase.

As a very good friend of mine likes to say, "Woe is us."

God bless,

Dave

Hi Mike,

you are absolutely correct about English being truly the only international language. Oddly I worked in some out of the ordinary places when lecturing, and admit to getting a bit complacent about it. After all I was in France, Russia, Hungary, Vietnam, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, and the Middle East at various times and ALWAYS lectured in English.

One notable lecture was held in a church in Kiev - you know the sort with the golden onions on top? There I lectured from a pulpit would you believe? To say it was a bit of a farce was an understatement as I had a Ukrainian 'instant' translator alongside me, who not only translated the words, but my every gesture and movement to the screen to illustrate points. At the first halfway break, people were asking me to stop him as it was annoying.

Easier said than done, but we managed after ensuring he would be paid anyway. He did have a case of the sulks though!

However I did get caught out in Vilnius (Lithuania) where I had a full house and cheerfully launched into my presentation. After a few minutes I realised I wasn't getting through to them, and asked the local representative what was amiss. Deeply embarrassed he told me the event had been publicised in Lithuanian, and it had never occurred to them that people would automatically assume the lecture was in that language.

The one and only time that happened in over 20 years! Lesson - check out the details and use the old acronym (is that right?) 'Never ASSUME anything - as it can make an ASS of U and ME.

How true.