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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
Some Beckettisms.
1. In "Footfalls" (1976), when Beckett says
Watch how feat she wheels?
is he using an archaism for the sake of wordplay, or is "feat" used like that in Ireland?
2. In "Waiting for Godot", when Vladimir says to Estragon
Get up till I embrace you
is that just a quirky expression of Beckett's, or is that "till", as I suspect without any evidence, a colloquial Irish form?
3. There is a strange (to me) construction in the third sentence of thefollowing (from "Watt"):
The name of this dog, when Watt entered Mr. Knott's service, was Kate. Kate was not at all a handsome dog. Even Watt, whom his fondness for rats prejudiced against dogs, had never seen a dog that he less liked the look of than Kate.
I would have said " "whose fondness for rats prejudiced him against dogs"; but I have the greatest respect for Beckett's mastery of the English language, so I'd be interested if someone could explain what he was doing there.
Thanks.
Peasemarch.
Watch how feat she wheels?
is he using an archaism for the sake of wordplay, or is "feat" used like that in Ireland?
2. In "Waiting for Godot", when Vladimir says to Estragon
Get up till I embrace you
is that just a quirky expression of Beckett's, or is that "till", as I suspect without any evidence, a colloquial Irish form?
3. There is a strange (to me) construction in the third sentence of thefollowing (from "Watt"):
The name of this dog, when Watt entered Mr. Knott's service, was Kate. Kate was not at all a handsome dog. Even Watt, whom his fondness for rats prejudiced against dogs, had never seen a dog that he less liked the look of than Kate.
I would have said " "whose fondness for rats prejudiced him against dogs"; but I have the greatest respect for Beckett's mastery of the English language, so I'd be interested if someone could explain what he was doing there.
Thanks.
Peasemarch.
Top answer
[nq:1]1. In "Footfalls" (1976), when Beckett says Watch how feat she wheels? [/nq] It's in the OED meaing "dexterous, graceful, neat".
- [nq:1]1.
- In "Footfalls" (1976), when Beckett says Watch how feat she wheels?
- [/nq] It's in the OED meaing "dexterous, graceful, neat".
- htm> ; [nq:1]2.
- [/nq] It's used in Ireland to mean "so that (I can)".
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8 Answers
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[nq:1]1. In "Footfalls" (1976), when Beckett says Watch how feat she wheels? is he using an archaism for the sake of wordplay, or is "feat" used likethat in Ireland?[/nq]
It's in the OED meaing "dexterous, graceful, neat". See also http://www.english.fsu.edu/jobs/num02/Num2EnochBrater.h
It's in the OED meaing "dexterous, graceful, neat". See also http://www.english.fsu.edu/jobs/num02/Num2EnochBrater.h
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[nq:1]3. There is a strange (to me) construction in the third sentence of the following (from "Watt"): The name of ... for Beckett's mastery of the English language, so I'd be interested if someone could explain what he was doing there.[/nq]
Just active vs passive.
John Dean
Oxford
Just active vs passive.
John Dean
Oxford
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Any comments on the third person singular version? ("Get up till he embrace(s) you") CDB
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Alan Crozier typed thus:
[nq:1]It's used in Ireland to mean "so that (I can)". "Come here till I tell you." Alan (who went to the same school as Beckett but much later)[/nq]
Did you get detention?
David
==
[nq:1]It's used in Ireland to mean "so that (I can)". "Come here till I tell you." Alan (who went to the same school as Beckett but much later)[/nq]
Did you get detention?
David
==
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[nq:2]3. There is a strange (to me) construction in the ... interested if someone could explain what he was doing there.[/nq]
[nq:1]Just active vs passive.[/nq]
I'd say they're both dependent-clause-ifyings of "Watt's fondness for rats prejudiced him against dogs. Even he had never seen..." Beckett's version makes the relative pronoun out of the "him", and Peasemarch's makes it out of the
[nq:1]Just active vs passive.[/nq]
I'd say they're both dependent-clause-ifyings of "Watt's fondness for rats prejudiced him against dogs. Even he had never seen..." Beckett's version makes the relative pronoun out of the "him", and Peasemarch's makes it out of the
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[nq:1]Alan Crozier typed thus:[/nq]
[nq:2]It's used in Ireland to mean "so that (I can)". ... to the same school as Beckett but much later)[/nq]
[nq:1]Did you get detention?[/nq]
No, detention was never as long as 46 years. Once I had to write stay in and lines: "I must wear my cap on the bus to and from
school" 100 times. If Beckett suffered the same kind of punishment before me y
[nq:2]It's used in Ireland to mean "so that (I can)". ... to the same school as Beckett but much later)[/nq]
[nq:1]Did you get detention?[/nq]
No, detention was never as long as 46 years. Once I had to write stay in and lines: "I must wear my cap on the bus to and from
school" 100 times. If Beckett suffered the same kind of punishment before me y
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The third person form (indicative, not subjunctive) sounds just as natural in my dialect. "Take your shirt off till the doctor examines you."
Alan
Alan Crozier
Lund
Sweden
Alan
Alan Crozier
Lund
Sweden
00
Alan Crozier typed thus:
[nq:2]Alan Crozier typed thus: Did you get detention?[/nq]
[nq:1]No, detention was never as long as 46 years. Once I had to write stay in =and lines: "I must ... times. If Beckett suffered the same kind of punishment before=me you can understand why he wrote the way he did.[/nq]
I'm lucky I cycled to school (except on days when I needed to take my=20 bassoon, a
[nq:2]Alan Crozier typed thus: Did you get detention?[/nq]
[nq:1]No, detention was never as long as 46 years. Once I had to write stay in =and lines: "I must ... times. If Beckett suffered the same kind of punishment before=me you can understand why he wrote the way he did.[/nq]
I'm lucky I cycled to school (except on days when I needed to take my=20 bassoon, a
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