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Milky Posted 19 years ago
Linguistics Studies
remoteness versus proximity
0 This is from the book "From Sign to Text: A Semiotic View of Communication By Yishai Tobin". Talking about Hebrew: 02 br
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00 "the extra-linguistic contexts between the encoder and decoder (e.g. the social and professional distance between them) may also influence the choice of tense used in these utterances: the more distant the relationship, the more likely a remote form will be used to convey these specific kinds of messages; while the closer the relationship, the more likely a proximate form will be deemed acceptable or appropriate." 02 br
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00 I think the same goes for English usage. What do you think? 0-
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00 "the extra-linguistic contexts between the encoder and decoder (e.g. the social and professional distance between them) may also influence the choice of tense used in these utterances: the more distant the relationship, the more likely a remote form will be used to convey these specific kinds of messages; while the closer the relationship, the more likely a proximate form will be deemed acceptable or appropriate." 02 br
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00 I think the same goes for English usage. What do you think? 0-
Top answer
02 br 02 br 00 "Encoder" and "decoder"? 0-
- 02 br 02 br 00 "Encoder" and "decoder"?
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10 Answers
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0 I can't answer that as I don't know what the writer means by a "remote form" or a "proximate form" nor what "utterances" or "specific kinds of messages" are being referred to. 02 br
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00 "Encoder" and "decoder"? Does he mean "speaker" and "listener"? 0-
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00 "Encoder" and "decoder"? Does he mean "speaker" and "listener"? 0-
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0 I'm not sure about the absolutes. Perhaps "the more distant" and "the closer" the speaker 01 i 00 perceives 02 i 00 the relationship to be. 02 br
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00 1. What if you give him a call? (proximate) 02 br
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00 2. What if you were to give him a call? (remote) 02 br
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00 #2 sounds more polite to me; it might indicate deferen
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00 1. What if you give him a call? (proximate) 02 br
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00 2. What if you were to give him a call? (remote) 02 br
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00 #2 sounds more polite to me; it might indicate deferen
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0 <Perhaps "the more distant" and "the closer" the speaker 01 i 00 perceives 02 i 00 the relationship to be.> 02 br
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00 But many relationships are factually/literally distant. I agree with your examples above. 02 br
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00 <#2 sounds more polite to me; it might indicate deference, tentativeness, or condescension.> 02 br
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00 But many relationships are factually/literally distant. I agree with your examples above. 02 br
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00 <#2 sounds more polite to me; it might indicate deference, tentativeness, or condescension.> 02 br
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0 01 blockquote
01 cite 10 Forbes 12 cite 12 br
10 I can't answer that as I don't know what the writer means by a "remote form" or a "proximate form" nor what "utterances" or "specific kinds of messages" are being referred to. 12 br
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10 "Encoder" and "decoder"? Does he mean "speaker" and "listener"? 12 br
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0 01 blockquote
01 cite 10 Milky 12 cite 10 <Perhaps "the more distant" and "the closer" the speaker 11 i 10 perceives 12 i 10 the relationship to be.> 12 br10 Yes, that's true. But I think I see the
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10 But many relationships are factually/literally distant. 12 br
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12 blockquote
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0 <Yes, that's true. But I think I see the distance/closeness as what the speaker wants to express, rather than what the distance/closeness really is.> 02 br
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00 If a student goes to his/her university professor and says "I want to speak you", what would the speaker be wanting to express? What would it be if the same student were to say "I wanted to speak to you" instea
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00 If a student goes to his/her university professor and says "I want to speak you", what would the speaker be wanting to express? What would it be if the same student were to say "I wanted to speak to you" instea
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0 If I were the professor, and the student said, "I want to speak to you", I would take it as an expression of urgency, aggression, etc., depending on the context; or it might simply be the habit of a particularly direct student. I think all the interpretations would have "unceremoniousness" in common, though. 02 br
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00 The more oblique "I wanted..." would not have that effec
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00 The more oblique "I wanted..." would not have that effec
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0 <The more oblique "I wanted..." would not have that effect: the speaker is distancing himself from the "wanting".> 02 br
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00 And those students who've been taught to use the oblique form in such contacts with professors, have been told it is out of respect. There, it seems nothing to do with what the speaker wants to, personally, express. I think urgency can be expres
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00 And those students who've been taught to use the oblique form in such contacts with professors, have been told it is out of respect. There, it seems nothing to do with what the speaker wants to, personally, express. I think urgency can be expres
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0 Well, I've no doubt there are such students; but there are many others who haven't been told to use the past form to their professors (no one told me, for instance). 02 br
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00 As we discussed earlier, respect and acceptance of social distance aren't the only interpretations. Cf. 01 blockquote
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00 As we discussed earlier, respect and acceptance of social distance aren't the only interpretations. Cf. 01 blockquote
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10 #2 sounds more polite to me; it might
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0 <As we discussed earlier, respect and acceptance of social distance aren't the only interpretations. Cf.> 02 br
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00 Indeed not, but we shouldn't leave those things out of the equation. 0-
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00 Indeed not, but we shouldn't leave those things out of the equation. 0-
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