Dear English speakers,
I would like to see your opinion, please.
Is it sounds right in writing: “As a linguist it is important to let go of the security of your native language and culture and broaden your identity”?
I think it would be better to say: “For a linguist…” or “To be a linguist …”
The connection “As a linguist it is…” seems wrong to me.
Sorry, I can not express it in grammar terms.
“As a linguist” sounds good to me.
“As a linguist…” is correct.
@daw:
Your are right. “As a linguist it is…” is indeed wrong. The problem lies in the “it”. Following “As a linguist” has to be “he” or “she” or “I”. Of course, you could reformulate the sentence by changing “As a linguist” to “For a linguist…” or “To be a linguist…”
@3kingdoms - What are you talking about?
The only thing I can think of to make it more clear is putting a comma after “As a linguist”. (As a linguist, it is important to let go…).
As a learner, it is best to accept native speakers’ use of the language as being correct.
The fact is many native English speakers have poor grammar, as demonstrated daily in their writing on the Internet.
And I am not here to learn English. My English was good enough years ago to enable me to work in foreign affairs and multinational corporations. Also, as a child of two professors of foreign languages and literature, I paid close attention to grammar and spelling, unlike many native English speakers.
3kingdoms, you are wrong.
‘As a linguist’ is not only correct, your explanation shows that you have not understood the sentence.
- As a linguist, he can speak several languages.
- As a linguist, it is better to be humble than boast of achievements.
The first ‘as a linguist’ is describing ‘he’, and I believe this is the construction you were referring to. It could be reworded as:
- Because he is a linguist, he can speak several languages
However, the second meaning is the one used in the passage. This ‘as a linguist’ is not describing anyone, but the following clause can be applied to linguists in general. I suppose it could be replaced by ‘if you are a linguist’.
2. If you are a linguist, it is better to be humble than boast of achievements.
You can replace ‘as’ with ‘for’, but the meaning changes. Without getting into too much detail, ‘as’ has a nuance that the writer is including the reader as a linguist, ‘for’ does not.
Just because some people on the internet have bad grammar doesn’t mean you can paint the whole of the English speaking population of the world with the same brush.
I did not say “As a linguist” is wrong; I was saying “it” following “As a linguist” is wrong.
Your writing just shows that you did not understand what the original poster and I was concerned with.
was → were
I never “paint the whole of the English speaking population of the world with the same brush”. Your have no evidence.
3kingdoms, are you trying to say the sentence should be “As a linguist, he is important to let go of the security of your native language …”? That makes no sense at all.
Multiple native English speakers are telling you that you are wrong. It would be wise to take note of that.
@aybee77: That is not what I was trying to say. It indeed makes no sense.
“As a linguist, it is important to be…” (in the original quote)
“As a linguist, it is better to be…” (an example given by roan)
What I am saying is these are not grammatically correct sentences.
They are mistakes that people often make and teachers and grammar books warn us about. They are understandable but grammatically wrong.
3kingdoms, please heed aybee77’s advice.
I’m sure your English is very good indeed, but not only is this usage correct, it is well written. As I pointed out, ‘as a linguist’ may be followed by ‘it’ in some circumstances.
There are numerous grammatical errors in your posts, and people in glass houses really shouldn’t throw stones.
“Multiple native English speakers are telling you that you are wrong. It would be wise to take note of that.”
Including you, the number becomes multiple. I disagree with you and I am not intimidated.
Yes, roan, I noticed my errors after I posted. I am actually too tired to type right now so I will stop. I have said all I needed to say, for the moment anyway. You and I posted at the same time above. I explained my position about the “advice”.
I was trying to help the person who posted the question. You disagree. That’s OK.
Perhaps it will be easier for you to see if the sentence is rewritten.
It is, as a linguist, important to blah blah blah.
Linguist is not the subject of the sentence, therefore I do not think he or she is necessary. But I don’t really have a nuanced understanding of English grammar.
Still, you’d think that if this sort of construction were really incorrect, I’d have at least heard of it in passing before now. It’s very common in English.
I am not trying to intimidate anyone. I simply pointed out that Peter, Yvette, Roan, and now SolYViento, have all said that nothing is wrong with using “As a linguist, it is …”.
What is wrong with the sentence? I read your first explanation, but didn’t understand it. What is correct phrasing for the sentence?
@SolYViento:
The closest correct construction would be “As a linguist, I find it important to…”