So it is 1:30 in the morning and I am awake with far too many thoughts which I am sure I will write about in future days but the latest thoughts have turned to the entry two posts ago about Bliss' realization at our strange idioms.
Here is my new thought. We say "I like that don't I?" which we already decided makes no sense, but we also say "I don't like that do I?" That makes no sense either!!!!! But there has to be something to the negative positive and the positive negative, but really it IS past 1:30 in the morning and I am not going there.
Night night.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
the mother of the genius...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 om's.:
Tag questions :-)
[I'm sorry, but that is something I teach..]
And one asks what's the time, very logical except that in Hebrew we ask - what's the hour which I view as equally logical. And many other weirdness of languages.
It is strange, as a grammatical construction. I think it must come from the fact that it is a question, and you are asking for confirmation or rather, sort of daring someone to disagree with you, it's an interaction with the person you are speaking to.
"I like pancakes, don't I?" (do I not?)
"She is beautiful, is she not? (isn't she?)
You put your listener in a situation of having to agree with you, because you challenge them with the opposite. C'mon, I dare you tell me she is not beautiful.
And the same in the reverse, "I don't have to go, do I?" I don't want to, please don't contradict me and tell me I do.
Who know where this construction comes from, and Bliss is totally right, it's counter-intuitive!
fyi (since you're canadian now!!!) French has a similar phrase: n'est-ce pas (isn't it so?)
:)
I am soooo behind....ahem-
CONGRATS ON THE HOUSE HOLY CRAP hope there's room for me and Swim when we come visit and invade Canada!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THE NAME SOUL! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!! OMG I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE IT!!!
I cant believe you are having a baby like in 5 minutes. Holy crap Bleu. WTF???????
Post a Comment