Merely observing . . .

Questions of pronunciation in all languages.
brogine
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Merely observing . . .

Postby brogine » Wed Jan 05, 2022 8:17 pm

The on-line OED renders ‘threshold’ as thresh’-hold, while my old print edition (1971) has thre’-shoaled. Actually, in the former the ‘h’ is in parentheses, but the audio reflects my version.
As I say (but may not really believe), “After all, language is what people say, not what I say”.
Another nifty, subtle zeugma.

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Slava
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Re: Merely observing . . .

Postby Slava » Sun Jul 09, 2023 6:37 am

Looking at this again, I realize I don't see the zeugma. Is it just me?
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

brogine
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Re: Merely observing . . .

Postby brogine » Sun Jul 09, 2023 6:05 pm

Hi. Perhaps an over-enthusiastic remark on my part. The latter ‘say’ is meant to be taken in the sense of ‘dictate’, not merely ‘utter’.
I think that constitutes a zeugma . . . ?

The earlier one I’ve mentioned before, (obliquely referred to) is in the lyric

“I’ll sparkle and gleam so,
Make somebody dream so
That some day, he may . . . .”

The first ‘so’ meaning ‘to such an extent’,
and the second being ‘with the result that’.
The lyric, incidentally, is from Baubles, Bangles and Beads.

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Slava
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Re: Merely observing . . .

Postby Slava » Sun Jul 09, 2023 6:29 pm

But, isn't a zeugma the use of one term once to apply to more than one thing at the same time? The 'so' in your quote is used in different ways, but it's repeated.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

brogine
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Re: Merely observing . . .

Postby brogine » Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:58 pm

What a surprise! You’re right. It’s a similar construction, but not at all the same thing. Now, maybe I can learn a new word which applies to my erroneous examples!

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Re: Merely observing . . .

Postby Audiendus » Tue Jul 11, 2023 3:43 am

What a surprise! You’re right. It’s a similar construction, but not at all the same thing. Now, maybe I can learn a new word which applies to my erroneous examples!
Antanaclasis?

brogine
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Re: Merely observing . . .

Postby brogine » Tue Jul 11, 2023 1:24 pm

That’s it! Once again I am indebted to you for a contribution to my lexicon of rhetoric. Thanks, really.


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