Eduard,
Your apology rings a bit hollow because it follows a lengthy argument in
which you claim that you did nothing for which to apologize!
Instead of arguing point by point, you might find it more beneficial
to read over what you've written and try to understand how people--not just
Johanna--might feel offended by what you said.
It's fine to express opinions, but asserting opinions as facts which
reflect negatively on others in the conversation (such as linguists and
Americans) can only create problems. The result is that people are not able
to understand your points because they cannot get past the
perceived insults.
I've enjoyed some of your contributions to the list, but I don't really
understand your disdain at all. And we should not confuse 'passion'
with 'anger'.
Deborah Tannen has an interesting book called (I think) THE ARGUMENT
CULTURE which might be worth talking about.
Linda DiDesidero
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