Assignment 2

Functions are said to be identical in all languages, and the number of them is so
high for one to count. They are always stated using gerund forms, such as requesting,
asking for clarification, complimenting, etc. Therefore, in all languages, people request
what they need and they ask for clarification if something is vague. However, the forms
which are used to state the functions are different in different languages.
Tolerating errors, when made by NNS, in understanding wrong forms to state an
identical function is difficult for NS. For example, imagine a Persian speaker who is
intending to compliment on a favor he has done to an English speaker and says, “I am
your servant!” You could imagine the puzzled face of the English native speaker when he
hears this Persian equivalent of the expression “Nokaretam!”