Skip to main content

The English Language

I wish I were more specific in my speaking. I really do. I go back over these things and realize that an omitted comma has made my sentences vague and confusing.

My husband and I had a funny exchange the Saturday before we went to Montreal. We were running around doing errands including dropping the house-key off with my friend and pet-sitter. On the way there I said that we should get more dog food "...before we go," meaning, sometime Saturday (we were leaving Sunday morning). I had earlier said we should fill the tank with gas before we go, again meaning sometime in the next 24 hours.

Him: What good would that do?

Me: What do you mean? Aren't we close to being out? I don't want to leave M worrying she's going to run out of food.

Him: What? But if we have it, what good would it do M?

Me: Why would we have it? What are you talking about?

What he had understood me to mean was, literally before we go--as we are leaving Somerville and taking to the highway--therefore taking a bag of dog food to Canada with us. What's funny is we actually did end up getting gas literally before we went--on the way out of town just because that's when we passed a gas station, but we did buy the dog food on Saturday.

Now, could I have made that sentence more clear. Yes--"We should buy some dog food now and take it home." "We should buy some dog food today." But those are unwieldy and unlikely to be used in conversation. Was I using incorrect English? No, but again, it is in the nature of spoken language to be sometimes indefinite. Again I wonder about other languages. How do the Japanese keep track of things without personal pronouns (but an abundance of politesse?).

Obviously we explained ourselves and laughed and played with the image of taking a bag of dog food to Canada. Of poor M trying to ration out Guinness's food for the week, but my friend B has been writing a book for years about these types of miscommunication. Of what is wished (let us stop now and buy dog food) and what is expressed. The example I remember him giving was, wife says, "Are you hungry?" meaning I'm hungry. Husband says, "No." Wife seethes, resentments grow.

(Note to JT--we said we were leaving at 9 am. Hit the highway after getting gas and coffee--for husband, smoothie for me at 9:02! Hope I can continue that next week!)
Labels:

Comments

Unknown said…
One overcompensation on the part of the Japanese: words akin to "um" and "y'know" are EXPECTED when you speak, both to show deference and humility, but also to be sure people are keeping up with what you're talking about. In standard Japanese, there's of course "ne" which is less "y'know" and more a polite intensifier. "It IS, isn't it?" Then there's "desshou" which is "y'know" for most practical purposes, or rather similar to the Minnesota "Don'tcha know." In Kansai, they say "yaro" instead of "desshou." There are 3 ways I can think of to say "um" in Japanese - "eto...", "ano..." and something else I've suddenly forgotten. Oh, and in Kansai, there's also "naa" which is sort of "ne" but a bit more like "it's like that, innit?"
10:11 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Adapting a book--The Prestige

I was completely blown away by the movie of The Prestige , and I thought then about reading the novel, but it seemed too soon. So I carried the author's name around with me for over a year (Christopher Priest) and then, finally remembered to buy it through an odd sequence of events. We watched The Painted Veil based on the novel by Maugham starring Edward Norton, and while I decided I didn't want to read The Painted Veil because of it's differences from the film (which was more romantic and tragic) it reminded me that I had wanted to read Fight Club (the movie version of which starred Edward Norton) and that reminded me that I had wanted to read The Prestige (which did not star Edward Norton, but was up against The Illusionist which did). Whew...so it's all Edward Norton's fault. The Prestige is a very good novel, and yet, the movie differs from it considerably. And I am still trying to figure out what exactly that means. The central premise is the same, AND HE...
Post a Comment
Read more

Putting my money (read time) where my mouth is

Some Duran Duran with some songs that I believe prove their musical merit. eSnips gives me the power and I'm going to use it. ( Bwahaha ) Get this widget Share Track details This is one of my all time favorite songs. I have it on a B-Side Collection, although I can't find any mention of what it was B-Side of, just that it came out in 1988. The words are quite haunting, as is the melody. But, I can hear you say, this is not at all a standard D2 song. Well, no, but what is a standard song by any band? How do you average that? Thomas Dolby's singles were always abnormal compared to the rest of their respective albums. Same with Barenaked Ladies. I think the B-Sides are often truer to what the band wants to be without the pressure of the labels for commercial success. Get this widget Share Track details This is probably more like Duran Duran you're thinking of, right? It's from Pop Trash , released 2000. The words are based on the true story of a boy who was building ...
8 comments
Read more

The end of Cloud Atlas

Feel I must write this--promised it to myself, can I finish before midnight (when I said I would go to bed at 11)? Where was I? Oh, yes, section 5, where it gets interesting--because it's the future, at least 25 years, hopefully more. I say hopefully, because I don't want to be living in this future. The section is called "An Orison of Sonmi-451." An Orison (I had to look it up, proving I don't remember my Shakespeare) is a prayer, but in this future world where language has taken as many turns as in Orwell's 1984, it is more a confession or final statement. Sonmi-451 is a clone (as the name might suggest). The section is not entirely original. It owes much to Brave New World and Phillip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (made into the film Bladerunner ). I find it interesting that 40 or so years ago--when Dick wrote his book he believed that future slaves would be Androids, replicants. Now we are much more likely to presume they will be clo...
5 comments
Read more