Someone has suggested that a question of mine should be migrated to the ELL site.
Why are there two Q&A sites for the English language?
What can I ask on each site?
Note: ELU refers to English Language & Usage; ELL refers to English Language Learners.
ELU is a site intended for "serious linguists." Over time, many non-native speakers stumbled across ELU, and would ask questions that native speakers considered very basic. This caused mixed feelings: on one hand, as the board became flooded with more and more basic and trivial questions, some users got discouraged or bored. On the other hand, no one really wanted to tell these English language learners, who were asking legitimate questions for a non-native speaker, that their questions were either not valid or not welcome.
The proposed solution was to create a new community where English learners could ask their questions without fear of those questions being deemed too basic.
A few key points:
Basic Stack Exchange standards are supposed to apply at both sites. O.P.s are expected to research their questions, and not be overly broad. ELL is not a dumping ground for bad questions.
Your question won't get second-class treatment at ELL. Many of the language enthusiasts frequent both sites, and answer questions at both locations.
Just because someone recommends that you ask your question at ELL, that doesn't mean they want you to "scram" from ELU. Such recommendations are directed at particular questions, not particular users. You're welcome to peruse and participate in both communities.
I would say that, in general, if English is not your first language, and a native speaker is likely to find your question very basic, as opposed to particularly perplexing, then you're probably better off asking your question at ELL.
Welcome to both communities.
