[mc32]

Non-native speakers often have better spelling than native speakers, though grammar mistakes do become apparent in non-native speakers.

It grates me when I have to read business communication with poor spelling or poor grammar, especially when done by native speakers --just as much as it grates native speakers of non-English languages when I attempt to speak their language non-natively and they admonish me for my non-native mistakes.

[hgsgm]

There is no such thing as a grammar mistake, only a grammar inconsistency. Intelligent people use grammar consistently up to the moment where that consistency impedes clear communication. A grammar "mistake" is a foreign dialect.

Unintelligent people babble wisps of ideas and leave it to the listener to make sense of them.

[mc32]

I disagree. When I took foreign language classes I wanted to apply the prescribed/common grammar rules, but I mistakenly used them incorrectly. I wanted to do apply the rules as a native would, but I got it wrong despite my desire to get it right. Therefore I classify that as a mis-take.

[liquidk]

It depends. English is a lot more tolerant of inconsistencies than latin based languages, and the grammar rules are more disperse. Typically in latin based languages the rules are stricter, and it is less socially acceptable to violate them. English is surprisingly tolerant both in the rules and the social acceptance of not following them.

[mc32]

It's a good observation. In my experience, often speakers of non-English will suggest that we switch to English because they feel uncomfortable with my mistakes in their language, rather then put up with my attempt at speaking their language. English speakers don't typically do this even when they are versed in a second language.

[randomcarbloke]

agreed, non-native speakers see the rules where native speakers do not.

[liquidk]

I suspect this is a bit of a generalization. While learning and seeing the rules is an essential part of bootstrapping the learning os a new language, at some point for both efficiency and style, it'll become second nature and awareness of the rules fades away almost as necessity.

[red-iron-pine]

Or put another way, the native speakers have learned to stop following the formal rules and fall into slang, regional dialects, etc.

The non-native speakers only have experience with the more formal approaches. Over time you can see them pick up the local idioms.