[Ads-l] OT: comments re: assumptions about dialects was Re: Miscellanea: Well, that makes sense.
Wilson Gray
hwgray at GMAIL.COM
Tue May 30 21:33:53 UTC 2017
On Mon, May 29, 2017 at 2:21 PM, Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:
> And these are not necessarily Wilson's but the folks on Dr. Phil, and I
> think Wilson is merely calling them out.
Unfortunately, we're not even in the same book, let alone the same page.
I've received Nigerian Letters from all over the world and have long
wondered why a letter purporting to be from an exiled member of the local
aristocracy reads like something written by someone using a
[Whatever]-to-English dictionary who has never heard of cross-referencing.
Needless to say, my experience with the English used by members of the
ruling classes of ESL nations is severely limited, but what little
experience that I have had is that members of the aristocracy of such
countries, having been educated at Oxbridge, speak and/or write RP and not
the fancied-up corner-boy English used in the average Nigerian Letter that,
somehow, nevertheless uses such forms as the spelling, _cos_ for _because_
or uses "Hello darling sir" as the salutation. The following is a typical
example.
Dearest One in Christ,
With Due Respect And Humanity,Let me first of all inform you, I got your
email address from a mail Directory and decided to mail you for a
permission to go ahead.
I am Mrs.Marina Robert from Switzerland. I am married to Mr.Tom Robert who
worked with a construction company in Asia for twenty Years before he died
in the tsunami disasters, we were married but without Any children.
Since his death I decided not to re-marry. I deposited of the sum of four
million five hundred thousand united states dollars($4.5million) with the
bank Abidjan Cote D' Ivoire. And now i am willing to donate this sum of
$4.5million to the less privilegeds and to contribute to development of
church in Africa, America, Asia, and Europoe.
My late husband was a very wealthy and after his death, I inherited all his
business and wealth, Presently this money is still with the bank and the
management just Wrote me as the beneficiary to co me forward to receive the
money or rather Issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it
on my behalf If I cannot come over.
I am presently in a hospital where I have been undergoing treatment Cancer
of the lungs in a hospital , I have since lost my ability To talk and my
doctors have told me that I have only a few months to Live. Please i want
you to note that this money is lying in the Bank in Abidjan Cote D' Ivoire
I want a person that is trustworthy that will utilize 90% of this money to
fund churches, orphanages and widows around the world but in my name Mrs
Marina Robert "As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact
of the bank.I will als o issue you a letter of authority that will prove
you as The new beneficiary of this fund.
Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein and Keep
this contact confidential till such a time this funds get to your
Custody,this is to ensure that nothing jeopardizes my l ast wish on Earth.
Thanks and God bless you
I await your urgent reply.
Regards,
Mrs Marina Robert
A Swiss too dumb to avail herself of the Swiss banking system is also
likely to be dumb enough to give me control of the sum of four million five
hundred thousand united states dollars. Right?
Youneverknow.
One of Dr. Phil's guests had been ripped of for $720,000 over ten years by
someone using such a series of e-mails.
--
-Wilson
-----
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-Mark Twain
------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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