RE: the grammar of spam
Hysterical! A similar, though in some sense, a more excusable scrambling of English, were those warning labels on Asian electronic goods. The best ones were from the 1960's. I had an early 60's Sansui receiver with a warning label on the bottom. I kid you not: "In order to electrocute oneself, place fingers in wiring." At least it got the message across. I always intended to remove the bottom plate and frame it but Melody gave it away to our housekeeper before moving to Santa Fe -- unbeknownst to me. It's probably still enjoying good use somewhere in SoCal. Maybe someone will make a collection of those Nigerian scam letters. They are precious. --Dick -----Original Message----- From: Judy Seigel [mailto:jseigel@panix.com] Sent: Saturday, October 06, 2007 12:54 PM To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca Subject: the grammar of spam I have been mocked (or praised?) on this very list as grammarian, (or maybe it was "goddess of between you and me"?), but I share this off-topic topic as not entirely frivolous.... AFAIK, no bank or reputable business e-mails customers about anything, let alone asks them to "sign in" with their credentials (my husband's bank phones if there's a question). But I have never seen any communication from a legitimate institution, financial or otherwise, not in proper business English. The following, in my queue today, is NOT a joke, as the rest of the pitch was obviously serious. Some people must bite, or they wouldn't bother (would they)? So grammar isn't all snobbery (just the fun part). Anyway, for the general amusement: "We've designed our service to ensure that all our customer are assured and protected. To this notification you are required to validate your profile to enable us serve you more better. Sign In to start the validation process." (next, about my darkroom) J.
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