http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTEDUCATION/0,,menuPK:282391~pagePK:149018~piPK:149093~theSitePK:282386,00.html

I must be crazy, but I am intrigued by Yilgun´s figures.  This is the World Bank site.  Would anyone care to search it?

Pardon me if I am showing my lack of intellect but is it scientific research or economic research?

A quote from the above site:

"The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Our mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors."

Yilgun, perhaps the percentages you quoted relate to the developing countries . . . I don´t know.

Turkish people identify me as  English as soon as they see me!  Sometimes they ask if I´m German but in the main they say I "look" English.

For my part, I was referring to how I like to hear people from the North East speak,  It´s like music to my ears.  Whether I understand all of it is another matter.  It´s more the accent rather than the dialect that I was talking about.  A salesman from Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesborough or close by could sell me anything

I think most nationalities may have a problem with certain pronunciations in other languages and I think it adds character.

I have nothing against anyone with any type of English accent and I certainly would never expect anyone to change their accent.  We are who we are.  This does not mean that I have to like the sound of every accent in England.  Some accents don´t sound as nice as others but I´m not stupid enough to judge a person by their accent. I also mentioned that I don´t like the sound of my own voice!

Many members on this site don´t have English as their first language and I´m in awe of them.  Firstly because I haven´t got the same level of skill in French or Turkish and secondly because their level of English is higher than many "native" English speakers I come across on other forums. 

You are wrong, there are non native English speakers who DO care about their competence when it comes to speaking and writing English.  They never stop wanting to learn more, even when they have reached a more than functional level.  My friend´s daughter is a Turkish civil engineer, currently studying for her Masters and she needed to attain a certain level of English in order to get on the course.  I think it is standard procedure in Turkey, to take a test for English competency before being accepted for study at Masters level. On occasion I receive texts from Turkey, asking for advice on points of grammar or the meaning of a word because friends work in international situations and they want their correspondence to be perfect.  Turkishcobra is another member here who takes a pride in his language skills.  There is nothing wrong with this.  What I witness here is many people working hard to learn Turkish and also English.  I wish I had the same tenacity when it comes to learning a language. 

You are right, there are many that don´t care.  That´s their own personal view on what is right for them in their situation.

Horses for courses.

I´ve read many a discussion here too, amongst Turkish translators, regarding the nuances of Turkish.  Language does matter to people, whatever language it is, especially when it´s being taught.  When I´m with my Turkish friends I feel duty bound to be on my best behaviour when speaking, because I´m setting an example for them.  I just wish they would speak Turkish so that I could learn more quickly!

btw . . . You also have an excellent level of English.

Yes, it does happen, and not only in London.  I work in a school in Blackburn (North West England) and "f" for "th" is rife.  The trouble is, the children carry it through into their writing.  That´s one of the issues I cover with my Queen´s crown

I´m on a roll

We had a training session, related to Literacy, last week.  The speaker referred to the letter "H/h" (aitch) as "haitch" . . . boy that really annoys me!!!!

Or naughty Empire builders of the past perhaps?

My favourite English accents:

North East - "Geordie"

The Liverpool accent, but not too "thick" (my dad´s a Liverpudlian)

I also like the Welsh and Southern Irish accent.

Sorry, but I´m not keen on:

The Birmingham accent (Brum?) - but it´s growing on me

the Nottingham accent

Mancunian (Manchester/Manchestah) - this one can vary. It´s the more "street" version that I don´t like.

I also cringe when I hear myself speaking on  recorded video or audio . . . yuk!

Are you a native English speaker Janette?

I might speak in a more rushed and colloquial style amongst friends but at work, and when speaking to my turkish friends, I use more formal language and speak more clearly. When I email my Turkish friends I use formal English, because I know they´ll learn from it.  One of my Turkish friends prides himself on his standard of English and I must say it´s excellent.  I tend to use more challenging words when I email him, in order to broaden his vocabulary (I know he will look up the word).  It´s the same with idioms etc. I will use them in emails in order to broaden the knowledge of the recipient.

Although I´ve lived in the North West of England for most of my life, I wasn´t born there and I´ve lived in more than a handful of areas of England, as well as abroad.  I would class myself as from the North West, but people can´t always detect this from my accent. 

"For example.... i would type dint instead of didn´t or summat instead of something."

Do you mean you would write this if you were a non native English speaker, listening to English natives from the North?

However informal my language might be orally, I wouldn´t use it when writing.  That brings me to another annoyance (for me) . . . text messages!  I have OCD and hate to abbreviate or use lower case when there should be a capital letter (mainly I/i).  Thankfully I have unlimited texts so I can tap away endlessly .

There is a boy in the school where I work and he is of Asian Indian heritage.  He has red hair!  The only member of his family to have it.