Scott said:
leading ellipsis...
> The message: "I didn't say she loves me."
>
> A low risk bet is to assume that most readers, even English as second
> language ones, understand exactly what I meant.
>
> But if I emphasize different words, I change the meaning dramatically.
> Thus,
>
> _I_ didn't say she loves me.
>
> I DIDN'T say she loves me.
>
> I didn't SAY she loves me.
>
> I didn't say SHE loves me.
>
> I didn't say she LOVES me.
>
> I didn't say she loves ME.
Language, in particular, human language, in all of its forms may be used
rigorously to clarify all of the values suggested by Scott's examples.
Both syntax and body language/inflection can be modified to clarify these
examples. Where Scott poses:
> _I_ didn't say she loves me.
We can paraphrase:
It was not I who said "she loves me."
> I DIDN'T say she loves me.
&
> I didn't SAY she loves me.
I did not produce the sentence "she loves me".
> I didn't say SHE loves me.
I didn't say it is she who loves me.
> I didn't say she LOVES me.
I didn't say that love is what she feels for me.
> I didn't say she loves ME.
I didn't say that I am the one she loves.
In a face to face, there are of course, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, and
other punctuation marks, but the casual use of language in the written or
the verbal mode will have the same results. Its not the fault of the
modality (although, by editing email, you CAN take back some of the things
you wish you'd never said in real time, verbal production).
My own language (and demeanor) is more rigorously structured and
unambiguous in writing (unless I am waxing poetic or doing a Robin
Williams imitation) and I worry much less about my personal hermeneutics'
effect on the reader than I do of it's effect on a listener. As this
technology progresses, systems will be open enough that we'll be able to
put our napkin sketches in messages as well, thereby clarifying even more
(or convincing ourselves of it, anyway), the intent of our communication.
Meanwhile: "Flying planes can be dangerous."
--jzavacki@epix.net John Zavacki The Wolff Group 900 James Avenue Scranton, PA 18510 Phone: 717-346-1218 Fax: 717-346-1388
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>