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A. G. Maisey · 21st December 2014, 12:02 PM

Henk, as the person who first used the word "troll" in this thread I believe it is my place to clarify both the meaning of the word in this context and the way in which I used it.

I will once again repeat what I said, because it seems clear to me that either what I have written is unclear, or people are simply not reading what I wrote.

This is important:- if something is written it is vital that the words written should be read and understood, the words written should not have meanings read into them, nor should they be interpreted in any other way than the way they are written.

For the third time, this is what I wrote:

"To my way of thinking this sort of behaviour comes dangerously close to the behaviour one would expect of a Troll."

At no time did call Semar a troll.

What I said was that his perceived behaviour was in my opinion dangerously close to the type of behaviour that one would expect of a Troll.

There is fine, but extremely important distinction between accusing a person of being a Troll and expressing one's personal opinion that a type of behaviour appears to be Troll-like.

The meaning of the word "troll" in the context in which I used it should not be understood in the way it would be understood in common English usage.

We are here engaged in an internet discussion Forum, and in this context the word "troll" should be understood as internet jargon, which as far as I am aware is universal.

In internet jargon a troll is a person who deliberately makes provocative statements in an attempt to ignite adverse or inflammatory reactions from others participating in the discussion.

I now understand and accept that Semar did not intend to act in this way, and that my perception was in error, but that perception was absolutely understandable when we take into consideration the fact that our opinions were sought in the absence of incomplete information that had already permitted Semar to form a concrete opinion.

I acknowledge that there can be considerable difficulties for non- native English speakers in a discussion group of this kind, and this becomes even more clear when I read the comments that my post # 13 have generated, I can count more that just one incidence of misunderstanding, or misinterpretation of what I have written. Whether these misunderstandings are genuine, or whether they are intentional I have no intention of even considering, but that they exist at all seems to indicate that a more careful reading of a written comment is essential, prior to rushing into print.

Incidentally, where the meaning of a word is unclear this can be very easily checked by using google, these days it is not even necessary in many instances to access a dictionary.

There is no shame in seeking clarification of the meaning of a word. I get paid for writing English, and even though I am a native English speaker and have had very long practice in my use of the language, I still regularly use a dictionary or thesaurus, or even consult Dr. Google when I am writing or reading.

21st December 2014, 12:02 PM	#20
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,704	Henk, as the person who first used the word "troll" in this thread I believe it is my place to clarify both the meaning of the word in this context and the way in which I used it. I will once again repeat what I said, because it seems clear to me that either what I have written is unclear, or people are simply not reading what I wrote. This is important:- if something is written it is vital that the words written should be read and understood, the words written should not have meanings read into them, nor should they be interpreted in any other way than the way they are written. For the third time, this is what I wrote: "To my way of thinking this sort of behaviour comes dangerously close to the behaviour one would expect of a Troll." At no time did call Semar a troll. What I said was that his perceived behaviour was in my opinion dangerously close to the type of behaviour that one would expect of a Troll. There is fine, but extremely important distinction between accusing a person of being a Troll and expressing one's personal opinion that a type of behaviour appears to be Troll-like. The meaning of the word "troll" in the context in which I used it should not be understood in the way it would be understood in common English usage. We are here engaged in an internet discussion Forum, and in this context the word "troll" should be understood as internet jargon, which as far as I am aware is universal. In internet jargon a troll is a person who deliberately makes provocative statements in an attempt to ignite adverse or inflammatory reactions from others participating in the discussion. I now understand and accept that Semar did not intend to act in this way, and that my perception was in error, but that perception was absolutely understandable when we take into consideration the fact that our opinions were sought in the absence of incomplete information that had already permitted Semar to form a concrete opinion. I acknowledge that there can be considerable difficulties for non- native English speakers in a discussion group of this kind, and this becomes even more clear when I read the comments that my post # 13 have generated, I can count more that just one incidence of misunderstanding, or misinterpretation of what I have written. Whether these misunderstandings are genuine, or whether they are intentional I have no intention of even considering, but that they exist at all seems to indicate that a more careful reading of a written comment is essential, prior to rushing into print. Incidentally, where the meaning of a word is unclear this can be very easily checked by using google, these days it is not even necessary in many instances to access a dictionary. There is no shame in seeking clarification of the meaning of a word. I get paid for writing English, and even though I am a native English speaker and have had very long practice in my use of the language, I still regularly use a dictionary or thesaurus, or even consult Dr. Google when I am writing or reading.