|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
|
 Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:02 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
| JongnoGuru wrote: |
Well put.
Though "argh" is a dumb word, do you think? I've never liked it. I mean, sure, I suppose it's okay to write it and if you couldn't, I wonder how you would have replied to my post. But it's one of those words that's written and nearly never spoken. We never actually say "argh", do we? Do you teach those sorts of words to Korean children? Words like "Argh!" and "Ugh!" and "Gasp!"? If you do, I hope you explain that we don't really say those words aloud, and they're not even very good approximations of the sounds we do make, are they? |
If I were having this conversation in person, I would have replied with a gutteral expression of frustration, which might have also been described as a grunt, or a strangled moan. In writing, however, it looks much more vulgar than it would sound. Properly rendered, I guess I would type "Aghghg."
"Argh", in this case, means I don't think it's possible to successfully argue about what is or is not funny. You seem determined to take it quite seriously, whereas I'm sure no one was actually hurt in the making of that joke (though as you know, I myself should not have wasted my youth on a certain man.)
In this case, there are two factors that make this humourous to me.
1) Surprise. That phrase is unexpected, given that homosexuality (particularly male) is not well-tolerated in some parts of America. It's also, as Peppermint pointed out, quite inappropriate for a children's text.
2) Black humour. When we hear something painful, we chuckle or we wince. Allow me to illustrate with another one of these so-called jokes:
| Quote: |
| Father always said laughter was the best medicine. I guess that's why so many of us died of tuberculosis." |
Now go and have a nice vodka with a slice of lime, and try not to think about that goiter or whatever is troubling you. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 11:34 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| kermo wrote: |
| If I were having this conversation in person, I would have replied with a gutteral expression of frustration, which might have also been described as a grunt, or a strangled moan. In writing, however, it looks much more vulgar than it would sound. Properly rendered, I guess I would type "Aghghg." |
Yes, I think "aghghg" would be closer to it. Maybe not ending in the "g", though, but perhaps a final "h". Or several aitches.
| Quote: |
| "Argh", in this case, means I don't think it's possible to successfully argue about what is or is not funny. You seem determined to take it quite seriously, whereas I'm sure no one was actually hurt in the making of that joke (though as you know, I myself should not have wasted my youth on a certain man.) |
(I don't know about "quite seriously"... I'm smiling, so it can't be too serious.) Yes, we can disagree about what's funny to us personally, but I think we can also speculate with reasonable confidence as to what the broadest spectrum of English-speaking people will find funny, funnier and funniest in your example. And I believe that broad English spectrum (  ) will agree that most of the humour pivots entirely on the fact that a man is reading it.
You said it would have been just as funny (okay, what you said was "equally ludicrous") had it been spoken by a woman, and I'm saying No Way! Ludicrous maybe, but not nearly so funny. Sure, it would still have been awkwardly serious, suddenly bitter, out of place, too mature, beyond the children's comprehension -- all of those things that you and Peppermint say it is -- if a woman were to have read it. But (and here's my turn to say "aw c'mon!") aren't these books & tapes utterly rife with such niggling problems as those? Like, nearly all of them? I've read threads here that had me spitting beverage all over the desk with errors and illogical constructions that people found in their English teaching materials. That's typical, that's expected, and that's frequently worth a chuckle. But aw c'mon! THAT is not what was so darned funny about your example!  Change the man to a woman, and you wouldn't even have posted it, I'll bet.
| Quote: |
| Quote: |
| Father always said laughter was the best medicine. I guess that's why so many of us died of tuberculosis." |
Now go and have a nice vodka with a slice of lime, and try not to think about that goiter or whatever is troubling you. |
Lovely idea! But the goiter remark would have gone over much nicer with a winky-face on it, I think. An indication that you weren't taking this whole thing as seriously as I fear you may have thought I was.
(BTW, it's vodka + tonic water + lime.  ) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
guangho
Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Location: a spot full of deception, stupidity, and public micturation and thus unfit for longterm residency
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 1:51 am Post subject: |
|
|
| neandergirl wrote: |
| neandergirl says argh daily. Also oi vey. |
Hey that's my shtick! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
neandergirl
Joined: 23 Jun 2005
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
Hmmmm, what to do, what to do?
Perhaps we could follow the wisdom of Solomon and cut it in half.
You get ar and oi - I'll take gh and vey?
Or we could get academic about it and you take Oi gevalt and I'll stick with Vey is mir while one of us replaces argh with genug.
How do you want to work it out? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
guangho
Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Location: a spot full of deception, stupidity, and public micturation and thus unfit for longterm residency
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:42 am Post subject: |
|
|
| neandergirl wrote: |
Hmmmm, what to do, what to do?
Perhaps we could follow the wisdom of Solomon and cut it in half.
You get ar and oi - I'll take gh and vey?
Or we could get academic about it and you take Oi gevalt and I'll stick with Vey is mir while one of us replaces argh with genug.
How do you want to work it out? |
Perhaps we should stop kvetching? Nah.......that would be mesuggah. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
hypnotist
Joined: 04 Dec 2004
Location: I wish I were a sock
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:42 am Post subject: |
|
|
Is there any work for native speakers correcting these books?
Hell, I'd consider doing it for fun, given these examples (not that I have a work visa in any case, obviously). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
