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How do I deal with a regular contributor to an online forum who has a great deal of difficulty expressing themselves? I would guess by their spelling and grammar that English (the language of the forum) isn't their first language. Their postings are usually brief, but sometimes they make long statements that frankly don't make much sense. Requests for clarification usually go unanswered so I'm at a loss as to how to keep this person engaged in the forum. What can I do?

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There are of course other barriers to communication. There was a regular babbler a number of years ago who seemed to have an eccentric way of expressing himself, but later shared that he was using assistive devices on his computer to communicate. Once you got used to it, you almost stopped noticing.

Which is, I suspect, the general idea. Some Beltovs like to overturn the apple-cart, for the fun of it, a little too much. It may be hard to believe, but I'm the sensible one.

I actually get compliments on my English from people whose mother tongue isn't English. Many people who are learning English have an interested attitude towards the language and are, often, more respectful of the language than a native speaker. There's a great little exchange in the Henry Fonda version of Twelve Angry Men in which a recent immigrant corrects the English of a native speaker. Politeness probably prevents this from happening more often.

It's not just online forums where one can make a difference, and put others at ease, with a little effort. And there are benefits too; sometimes one gets asked those questions that aren't asked of anyone else and you one gets to know someone much better because of it.

[ 16 May 2008: Message edited by: N.Beltov ]