Would you help with my survey?

[Mrs Irons]

Are you a native speaker of English? Would you help with my survey?
Scroll down to read more.

Hi,

All languages are inevitably changing, though they do so rather slowly. The English language is no exception. In fact, it has proven to have dazzling flexibility and an extraordinary power to absorb new words and phrases. New dialects, new “Englishes” are evolving all the time throughout the world.

I am pleased to invite you to join a survey from now on to May 10, 2009 with the purpose of investigating to what degree native speakers of English understand/accept certain English.

I am currently a third-year major of English and this is part of my linguistics research project. I’d be grateful if you’d be so kind to take the time to complete the questionnaire. Also, any advice or comments from you will be welcome.

Please find the questionnaire below, complete it before Midnight, May 10, 2009. If there’s a format disorder, please contact me or send me a private message. I'll send to your email box a same questionnaire in DOC. version. Sorry for the inconvenience. I look forward to your participation.

Thank you!

A Survey of the Development of English

Informed Consent and Purpose
This survey will focus on the development of English. It is meant to be completed by native English speakers or near-native English speakers.

This survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary, and all information is confidential. Results are for research purposes only.

Demographic Information
Please tick a “ü” in “[ ]” for your choice and fill in the blanks where necessary. Feel free to leave any space blank that you do not wish to answer.

Gender:
Male
[ ]
Female
[ ]
Age:
Below 30
[ ]
30-50
[ ]
Above 50
[ ]


Occupation:
_______________
Nationality:
_______________
Have you ever lived abroad?
Yes
[ ]
No
[ ]
If so, how long?
_______________
Where?
_______________


Multiple Choices
You will be given 15 statements/phrases/sentence fragments in bold; please choose ONE option that best describes how you feel about it. Please tick a “ü”for your choice.

A. This is baffling. I have no idea what this means.
B. It’s understandable, but not acceptable. No English speaker would say this.
C. It’s understandable, but I wouldn’t express it like this.
D. It’s understandable, acceptable, and I might express it like this.
E. This is Standard English. It’s commonly used.



Statements/phrases/sentence fragments
A
B
C
D
E
1. You walk into a hotel lobby with marble floors, and see a sign which reads “Slip and fall down carefully.”





2. “…to accelerate the pace of economic reform.”
A
B
C
D
E





3. You come to an ATM cash point where there is a sign which reads “Cash Recycling Machine.”
A
B
C
D
E





4. You are in a park; on the lawn there is a sign, “I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face.”
A
B
C
D
E





5. “Long time no see.”
A
B
C
D
E





6. “…following the realization of mechanization.”
A
B
C
D
E





7. You are looking for some information and found a sign that says, “Question Authority”.
A
B
C
D
E





8.“A person’s ideological problems can be solved only by gradually raising his political consciousness and remold himself through studying and thinking.”
A
B
C
D
E





9. You are on a very busy street. You hear an exclamation “people mountain people sea”.
A
B
C
D
E





10. In a supermarket there is a section called“F**k fruit”.
A
B
C
D
E





11. “The prolongation of the existence of this temple is due to the solidity of its construction.”
A
B
C
D
E





12.“…to have a look see”
A
B
C
D
E





13. “It’s important to give full scope to the role of experts.”
A
B
C
D
E





14. “Walking Street”
A
B
C
D
E





15. “Oil Gate”
A
B
C
D
E









Thank you for your help!
Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire.
If you have any questions, comments, or advice, please feel free to email me at EMAIL REMOVED - Send PM to This User Instead

[Tdol]

I am currently a third-year major of English and this is part of my linguistics research project. I’d be grateful if you’d be so kind to take the time to complete the questionnaire. Also, any advice or comments from you will be welcome.

Please find the questionnaire below, complete it before Midnight, May 10, 2009. If there’s a format disorder, please contact me or send me a private message. I'll send to your email box a same questionnaire in DOC. version. Sorry for the inconvenience. I look forward to your participation.

Thank you!

A Survey of the Development of English

Informed Consent and Purpose
This survey will focus on the development of English. It is meant to be completed by native English speakers or near-native English speakers.

This survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary, and all information is confidential. Results are for research purposes only.

Demographic Information
Please tick a “ü” in “[ ]” for your choice and fill in the blanks where necessary. Feel free to leave any space blank that you do not wish to answer.

Gender:
Male
[tick]
Female
[ ]
Age:
Below 30
[ ]
30-50
[tick]
Above 50
[ ]


Occupation: Teacher
_______________
Nationality: British
_______________
Have you ever lived abroad?
Yes
[tick]
No
[ ]
If so, how long?
_______________12 years
Where? Portugal, Japan, Cambodia
_______________


Multiple Choices
You will be given 15 statements/phrases/sentence fragments in bold; please choose ONE option that best describes how you feel about it. Please tick a “ü”for your choice.

A. This is baffling. I have no idea what this means.
B. It’s understandable, but not acceptable. No English speaker would say this.
C. It’s understandable, but I wouldn’t express it like this.
D. It’s understandable, acceptable, and I might express it like this.
E. This is Standard English. It’s commonly used.



Statements/phrases/sentence fragments
A
B
C
D
E
1. You walk into a hotel lobby with marble floors, and see a sign which reads “Slip and fall down carefully.”





2. “…to accelerate the pace of economic reform.”
A
B
C
D
E





3. You come to an ATM cash point where there is a sign which reads “Cash Recycling Machine.”
A
B
C
D
E





4. You are in a park; on the lawn there is a sign, “I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face.”
A
B
C
D
E





5. “Long time no see.”
A
B
C
D
E





6. “…following the realization of mechanization.”
A
B
C
D
E





7. You are looking for some information and found a sign that says, “Question Authority”.
A
B
C
D
E





8.“A person’s ideological problems can be solved only by gradually raising his political consciousness and remold himself through studying and thinking.”
A
B
C
D
E





9. You are on a very busy street. You hear an exclamation “people mountain people sea”.
A
B
C
D
E





10. In a supermarket there is a section called“F**k fruit”.
A
B
C
D
E





11. “The prolongation of the existence of this temple is due to the solidity of its construction.”
A
B
C
D
E





12.“…to have a look see”
A
B
C
D
E





13. “It’s important to give full scope to the role of experts.”
A
B
C
D
E





14. “Walking Street”
A
B
C
D
E





15. “Oil Gate”
A
B
C
D
E



I included long time no see as standard English because the form is standard if not the grammar.





Thank you for your help!
Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire.
If you have any questions, comments, or advice, please feel free to email me at EMAIL REMOVED - Send PM to This User Instead

[BobK]

A Survey of the Development of English

Informed Consent and Purpose
This survey will focus on the development of English. It is meant to be completed by native English speakers or near-native English speakers.

This survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary, and all information is confidential. Results are for research purposes only.

Demographic Information
Please tick a “ü” in “[ ]” for your choice and fill in the blanks where necessary. Feel free to leave any space blank that you do not wish to answer.

Gender:
Male
[X]
Female
[ ]
Age:
Below 30
[ ]
30-50
[ ]
Above 50
[X]


Occupation:
__Teacher_____________
Nationality:
__British_____________
Have you ever lived abroad?
Yes
[X](But only for a few months)
No
[ ]
If so, how long?
6 weeks/8weeks/7 weeks_______________
Where?
Rome/touring northern Spain/ Coimbra_______________


Multiple Choices
You will be given 15 statements/phrases/sentence fragments in bold; please choose ONE option that best describes how you feel about it. Please tick a “ü”for your choice.

A. This is baffling. I have no idea what this means.
B. It’s understandable, but not acceptable. No English speaker would say this.
C. It’s understandable, but I wouldn’t express it like this.
D. It’s understandable, acceptable, and I might express it like this.
E. This is Standard English. It’s commonly used.



Statements/phrases/sentence fragments
A
B
C
D
E
1. You walk into a hotel lobby with marble floors, and see a sign which reads “Slip and fall down carefully.”





2. “…to accelerate the pace of economic reform.”
A
B
C
D
E





3. You come to an ATM cash point where there is a sign which reads “Cash Recycling Machine.”
A
B
C
D
E





4. You are in a park; on the lawn there is a sign, “I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face.”
A
B
C
D
E





5. “Long time no see.”
A
B
C
D
E





6. “…following the realization of mechanization.”
A
B
C
D
E





7. You are looking for some information and found a sign that says, “Question Authority”.
A
B
C
D
E





8.“A person’s ideological problems can be solved only by gradually raising his political consciousness and remold himself through studying and thinking.”
A
B
C
D
E





9. You are on a very busy street. You hear an exclamation “people mountain people sea”.
A
B
C
D
E





10. In a supermarket there is a section called“F**k fruit”.
A
B
C
D
E





11. “The prolongation of the existence of this temple is due to the solidity of its construction.”
A
B
C
D
E





12.“…to have a look see”
A
B
C
D
E





13. “It’s important to give full scope to the role of experts.”
A
B
C
D
E





14. “Walking Street”
A
B
C
D
E





15. “Oil Gate”
A
B
C
D
E




Note: A few of my 'C' answers may raise eyebrows; they are only slightly off, but enough to be effectively meaningless in my view.

b

[Ouisch]

Demographic Information
Please tick a “ü” in “[ ]” for your choice and fill in the blanks where necessary. Feel free to leave any space blank that you do not wish to answer.

Gender:
Male
[ ]
Female
[X]
Age:
Below 30
[ ]
30-50
[X]
Above 50
[ ]


Occupation:
Editor/Writer
Nationality:
Born in the USA
Have you ever lived abroad?
Yes
[ ]
No
[X]

Multiple Choices
You will be given 15 statements/phrases/sentence fragments in bold; please choose ONE option that best describes how you feel about it. Please tick a “ü”for your choice.

A. This is baffling. I have no idea what this means.
B. It’s understandable, but not acceptable. No English speaker would say this.
C. It’s understandable, but I wouldn’t express it like this.
D. It’s understandable, acceptable, and I might express it like this.
E. This is Standard English. It’s commonly used.



Statements/phrases/sentence fragments
1. You walk into a hotel lobby with marble floors, and see a sign which reads “Slip and fall down carefully.”
A
B X
C
D
E
(Actually just a "qualified" B answer...I'm presuming the sign means to use caution, the floors are slippery, but the wording is unintentionally humorous.


2. “…to accelerate the pace of economic reform.”
A
B
C
D
E X





3. You come to an ATM cash point where there is a sign which reads “Cash Recycling Machine.”
A X
B
C
D
E





4. You are in a park; on the lawn there is a sign, “I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face.”
A X
B
C
D
E





5. “Long time no see.”
A
B
C
D
E X





6. “…following the realization of mechanization.”
A
B
C
D X
E





7. You are looking for some information and found a sign that says, “Question Authority”.
A
B X
C
D
E





8.“A person’s ideological problems can be solved only by gradually raising his political consciousness and remold himself through studying and thinking.”
A
B
C X
D
E





9. You are on a very busy street. You hear an exclamation “people mountain people sea”.
A X
B
C
D
E





10. In a supermarket there is a section called“F**k fruit”.
A X
B
C
D
E

(I mean, I would understand it in the literal sense, but I'm sure that's not what the merchant had in mind. Another sign that would provoke hilarity.)



11. “The prolongation of the existence of this temple is due to the solidity of its construction.”
A
B
C X
D
E


12.“…to have a look see”
A
B
C
D
E X



13. “It’s important to give full scope to the role of experts.”
A
B
C X
D
E



14. “Walking Street”
A
B
C X
D
E


15. “Oil Gate”
A X
B
C
D
E

A qualified 'A." If "Oil Gate" was the name given to some current fuel-based political scandal (like "Watergate"), it would be typical usage. If it is a technical mechanical term of some sort, only a specific segment of the population would recognize it.

[Anglika]

Demographic Information
Please tick a “ü” in “[ ]” for your choice and fill in the blanks where necessary. Feel free to leave any space blank that you do not wish to answer.

Gender:
Male
[ ]
Female
[ x ]
Age:
Below 30
[ ]
30-50
[ ]
Above 50
[x ]


Occupation:
_______________
Nationality:
_______________
Have you ever lived abroad?
Yes
[x ]
No
[ ]
If so, how long?
________18 months_____
Where?
_____Greece__________



1. You walk into a hotel lobby with marble floors, and see a sign which reads “Slip and fall down carefully.”
A

2. “…to accelerate the pace of economic reform.”

E

3. You come to an ATM cash point where there is a sign which reads “Cash Recycling Machine.”
A

4. You are in a park; on the lawn there is a sign, “I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face.”
A

5. “Long time no see.”

D


6. “…following the realization of mechanization.”
A
B
C
D
E


7. You are looking for some information and found a sign that says, “Question Authority”.
A


8.“A person’s ideological problems can be solved only by gradually raising his political consciousness and remold himself through studying and thinking.”
A

9. You are on a very busy street. You hear an exclamation “people mountain people sea”.
A

10. In a supermarket there is a section called“F**k fruit”.
A

11. “The prolongation of the existence of this temple is due to the solidity of its construction.”

C

12.“…to have a look see”
E

13. “It’s important to give full scope to the role of experts.”
C

14. “Walking Street”
C

15. “Oil Gate”
A

[Barb_D]

A Survey of the Development of English

Informed Consent and Purpose
This survey will focus on the development of English. It is meant to be completed by native English speakers or near-native English speakers.

This survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary, and all information is confidential. Results are for research purposes only.

Demographic Information
Please tick a “ü” in “[ ]” for your choice and fill in the blanks where necessary. Feel free to leave any space blank that you do not wish to answer.

Gender:
Male
[ ]
Female
[x ]
Age:
Below 30
[ ]
30-50
[ x]
Above 50
[ ]


Occupation:
Business Writer
Nationality:
USA
Have you ever lived abroad?
Yes
[ ]
No
[x ]
If so, how long?
_______________
Where?
_______________


Multiple Choices
You will be given 15 statements/phrases/sentence fragments in bold; please choose ONE option that best describes how you feel about it. Please tick a “ü”for your choice.

A. This is baffling. I have no idea what this means.
B. It’s understandable, but not acceptable. No English speaker would say this.
C. It’s understandable, but I wouldn’t express it like this.
D. It’s understandable, acceptable, and I might express it like this.
E. This is Standard English. It’s commonly used.



Statements/phrases/sentence fragments
A
B
C
D
E
1. You walk into a hotel lobby with marble floors, and see a sign which reads “Slip and fall down carefully.”
B. It’s understandable, but not acceptable. No English speaker would say this.





2. “…to accelerate the pace of economic reform.”
A
B
C
D. It’s understandable, acceptable, and I might express it like this.
E (This could be true to, but not many people talk about economic reform in common conversation)





3. You come to an ATM cash point where there is a sign which reads “Cash Recycling Machine.”
A. This is baffling. I have no idea what this means.
B
C
D
E





4. You are in a park; on the lawn there is a sign, “I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face.”
A. This is baffling. I have no idea what this means.
B
C
D
E





5. “Long time no see.”
A
B
C
D

E. This is Standard English. It’s commonly used.




6. “…following the realization of mechanization.”
A
B
C. It’s understandable, but I wouldn’t express it like this.
D
E
A. This is baffling. I have no idea what this means.





7. You are looking for some information and found a sign that says, “Question Authority”.
A
B
C
D
E

None of the above. "Question Authority" was a standard slogan telling people to NOT accept what those in authority had to say. I would wonder if someone who was a anti-authoritarian had been by to post the sign. It would NOT occur to that it was the place you would go to ask your questions, but it's not baffling either.




8.“A person’s ideological problems can be solved only by gradually raising his political consciousness and remold himself through studying and thinking.”
A
B
C. It’s understandable, but I wouldn’t express it like this. -- Only because I don't like academic-style writing (and "remold" would be "remolding" if I did write it).
D
E




9. You are on a very busy street. You hear an exclamation “people mountain people sea”.
A. This is baffling. I have no idea what this means.
B
C
D
E





10. In a supermarket there is a section called“F**k fruit”.
A. This is baffling. I have no idea what this means.
B
C
D
E





11. “The prolongation of the existence of this temple is due to the solidity of its construction.”
A
B. It’s understandable, but not acceptable. No English speaker would say this.
C
D
E




12.“…to have a look see”
A
B
C
D
E. This is Standard English. It’s commonly used.





13. “It’s important to give full scope to the role of experts.”
A
B
C. It’s understandable, but I wouldn’t express it like this.
D
E




14. “Walking Street”
A
B. It’s understandable, but not acceptable. No English speaker would say this.
C
D
E


15. “Oil Gate”
A. This is baffling. I have no idea what this means.
B
C
D
E

[MrPedantic]

Gender:
Male
[ ]
Nationality: British

1. You walk into a hotel lobby with marble floors, and see a sign which reads “Slip and fall down carefully.”
A
B
C
D
E


2. “…to accelerate the pace of economic reform.”
A
B
C
D
E


3. You come to an ATM cash point where there is a sign which reads “Cash Recycling Machine.”
A
B
C
D
E

4. You are in a park; on the lawn there is a sign, “I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face.”
A
B
C
D
E



5. “Long time no see.”
A
B
C
D
E





6. “…following the realization of mechanization.”
A
B
C
D
E


7. You are looking for some information and found a sign that says, “Question Authority”.
A
B
C
D
E



8.“A person’s ideological problems can be solved only by gradually raising his political consciousness and remold himself through studying and thinking.”
A
B
C
D
E

[I miss another answer here: "understandable but careless".]


9. You are on a very busy street. You hear an exclamation “people mountain people sea”.
A
B
C
D
E


10. In a supermarket there is a section called“F**k fruit”.
A
B
C
D
E

[I miss a possible answer here: "It is understandable as a translation error".]



11. “The prolongation of the existence of this temple is due to the solidity of its construction.”
A
B
C
D
E


12.“…to have a look see”
A
B
C
D
E



13. “It’s important to give full scope to the role of experts.”
A
B
C
D
E



14. “Walking Street”
A
B
C
D
E

[Again, my first thought is "mistranslation".]


15. “Oil Gate”
A
B
C
D
E

[RonBee]

If you are going to slip and fall it is best to do so carefully.





(I don't know how some people remembered which was A, which was B, which was C, etc. (The memory is the second thing to go. I forget what the first thing is.