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Rothkowitz Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

"Their"

I just wanted to note how much English relies on context to disambiguate cases like this:

"All know the man their neighbour knows." - Yeats

We understand, as readers, that the speaker means to reference each man known by each man's neighbor--

not the (singular) neighbor of all men.

any comments?
  

Top answer

Comment: Every language requires its speakers to have extra-linguistic knowledge of the world. English is not the slightest bit unusual in relying on context to decipher the meaning encoded in its sentences. CJ

— CalifJim

  • Comment: Every language requires its speakers to have extra-linguistic knowledge of the world.
  • English is not the slightest bit unusual in relying on context to decipher the meaning encoded in its sentences.
  • CJ
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3 Answers
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Comment: Every language requires its speakers to have extra-linguistic knowledge of the world. English is not the slightest bit unusual in relying on context to decipher the meaning encoded in its sentences.

CJ
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Of course.

Thanks for the sweeping and condescending response.

Perhaps you did not pick up on my tone. My point is that this formulation is in fact

grammatically dubious. Do you not think so?
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Sweeping, perhaps, but necessarily so for such a broad topic.
Condescending, absolutely not. Now it is you who did not pick up on the tone!

You didn't ask about the grammar at all, but then this is a poet. They are allowed all sorts of liberties not afforded to the rest of us! (Yes, I think the thing is a twisted thought.)
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