Are you a foreign national and you have a decent English vocabulary? Good. Do you have a good understanding of English grammar and do you shudder at seeing the words ‘should of’ appear together in a sentence? Good. This means that you’re fluent in English, right? Wrong.
A common mistake is to assume that knowing a few words and some grammar suffice to speak a language properly. It’s absolutely true that they’re vital building blocks to speak a language properly, but it is not all that you need. For instance, if I were to translate translate a perfectly acceptable Dutch sentence into English, it may come across as very rude – even if the grammar and spelling is faultless. That means there’s a third dimension: culture.
Whereas my native Dutch is a very direct language, Britons often utilise their language to hint at what they mean rather than actually saying it (because: rude). I’ve therefore found that there’s an art to ‘reading between the lines’ as the nuances are easily misunderstood by the untrained ear.
Below are a few examples of this:
| ‘Before I Forget‘ What you think it means: ‘I nearly forgot to tell you this’ What it actually means: ‘This is the sole reason I was talking to you in the first place. Everything I’ve said before was just unimportant rambling’ |
| ‘I hear you‘ What you think it means: ‘My point of view is accepted’ What it actually means: ‘Your point of view is garbage’ |
| ‘No, thanks, I’m alright for tea‘ What you think it means: ‘They mean they don’t want a cup of tea’ What it actually means: ‘They may very well want a cup of tea. Ask again’ |
| ‘Why are you doing that?‘ What you think it means: ‘They’re interested in knowing my reasons for doing this’ What it actually means: ‘Have you lost your mind?’ |
| ‘*Tut*‘ What you think it means: ‘They’re mildly annoyed’ What it actually means: ‘They’re boiling over with blinding rage’ |
| ‘Perhaps you should consider this idea‘ What you think it means: ‘They’re being helpful’ What it actually means: ‘They really don’t like your original idea’ |
| ‘I had a drop of liquor‘ What you think it means: ‘They had a nightcap’ What it actually means: ‘They got hammered’ |
| ‘I must be getting on‘ What you think it means: ‘They have to go somewhere else’ What it actually means: ‘They don’t necessarily have somewhere to go. They just want to leave’ |
| ‘I’m sure that it’s just me, but…‘ What you think it means: ‘They are the one who have the problem’ What it actually means: ‘You’re the problem’ |
| ‘I would appreciate it if you could…‘ What you think it means: ‘A kind request’ What it actually means: ‘I’m very cross’ |
| ‘You should visit me next time you’re in the area‘ What you think it means: ‘They want me to come over’ What it actually means: ‘They don’t mean it, they’re just being polite’ |
What this illustrates is that taking all English sentences at face value is surely an ‘interesting’ approach.
Categories:English
The Dunglishman 