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Anonymous Posted 18 years ago
Linguistics Studies
ambiguous "let"?
0 Hello all, 02 br
00 I hope that someone can help me, a german for whom English is only a foreign language, with the following problem: 02 br
00 Does "let the first one to speak be our leader" mean that (i) the person who is currently our leader shall speak first, or that (ii) the first person who will speak will become our new leader? 02 br
00 To put it more formally: When I have two references "x" and "y", does "let x be y" mean that from here on, "x" shall refer to what is already known as "y", or that from here on, "y" shall refer to what is currently known as "x"? 02 br
00 Thank you very much, 02 br
00 Jobst 0-
00 I hope that someone can help me, a german for whom English is only a foreign language, with the following problem: 02 br
00 Does "let the first one to speak be our leader" mean that (i) the person who is currently our leader shall speak first, or that (ii) the first person who will speak will become our new leader? 02 br
00 To put it more formally: When I have two references "x" and "y", does "let x be y" mean that from here on, "x" shall refer to what is already known as "y", or that from here on, "y" shall refer to what is currently known as "x"? 02 br
00 Thank you very much, 02 br
00 Jobst 0-
Top answer
0 It could be either one. 02 br 02 br 00 Shhh! It's not your place to start the discussion.
- 0 It could be either one.
- 02 br 02 br 00 Shhh!
- It's not your place to start the discussion.
- Let the first one to speak be our leader.
- 02 br 02 br 00 No one wants to take charge.
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3 Answers
0
0 It could be either one. Context will tell you. 02 br
02 br
00 Shhh! It's not your place to start the discussion. Let the first one to speak be our leader. - Clearly, that's your i. 02 br
02 br
00 No one wants to take charge. No one knows how to get us out of this mess. I tell you what. Let the first one to speak be our leader, and we will follow that person's lea
02 br
00 Shhh! It's not your place to start the discussion. Let the first one to speak be our leader. - Clearly, that's your i. 02 br
02 br
00 No one wants to take charge. No one knows how to get us out of this mess. I tell you what. Let the first one to speak be our leader, and we will follow that person's lea
00
0 Thank you for this remark. I feared it may depend on context but hoped there would be only one "official" way to use "let". 02 br
00 So, if the construction with "let" is indeed ambiguous, is there an easy way to say such things more clearly in order to avoid confusion? 02 br
00 Perhaps using "become"? 0-
00 So, if the construction with "let" is indeed ambiguous, is there an easy way to say such things more clearly in order to avoid confusion? 02 br
00 Perhaps using "become"? 0-
00
0 The sentence, though perfectly good English, strikes me as slightly unnatural. It is almost as if it has been constructed to throw up the ambiguity. 02 br
02 br
00 More natural would be: 02 br
02 br
01 i 00 Let the leader speak first 02 i 00 or 01 i 00 The leader should speak first 02 i 02 br
02 br
01 i 00 Whoeve
02 br
00 More natural would be: 02 br
02 br
01 i 00 Let the leader speak first 02 i 00 or 01 i 00 The leader should speak first 02 i 02 br
02 br
01 i 00 Whoeve
0
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