Standard English is very imperialistic, controlled, and precise; it's not got a lot of funk or soul to it.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
English, as a subject, never really got over its upstart nature. It tries to bulk itself up with hopeless jargon and specious complexity, tries to imitate subjects it can never be.
The conventionality of the English is something I find unattractive - the whole lack of joy in the physical.
A standard international language should not only be simple, regular, and logical, but also rich and creative.
I'm not very good at standard English.
A feature of English that makes it different compared with all other languages is its global spread.
Some of the substance of English words, I just don't understand at all because the culture's so strange to me.
English of course is your major tool, but it is not nearly so important as other aspects of writing for example you have to have some natural ability you can't buy it no one puts it there you're born with it.
What I see as specially English is the charm - everyone is so polite. Being restrained is part of the charm. And I love the sense of humour - it takes me back to Australia. The English are great at making fun of themselves. They're so self-effacing.
Apart from a few simple principles, the sound and rhythm of English prose seem to me matters where both writers and readers should trust not so much to rules as to their ears.
The air of the English is down-to-earth. They care about details; there's a tradition, but there's also a counter-culture: the younger generation versus the older generation and so on. But then that's well blended into a happy balance and crystallised into common sense.