Fractured Syntax - Platinum Edition

You have words - now what do you do with them?
brogine
Lexiterian
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Joined: Sun Feb 11, 2007 4:41 pm

Fractured Syntax - Platinum Edition

Postby brogine » Sun Dec 30, 2018 6:57 pm

From MSNBC TV: "More Americans watch NBC News than any other news organization in the world"

A translation from the Talmud I've seen in more than one place: "Whoever saves a single life is as if one saves the entire world"

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Slava
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Re: Fractured Syntax - Platinum Edition

Postby Slava » Sat Feb 27, 2021 11:32 am

What's interesting is that the meaning is clear, even though the parsing shows it shouldn't be.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

brogine
Lexiterian
Posts: 232
Joined: Sun Feb 11, 2007 4:41 pm

Re: Fractured Syntax - Platinum Edition

Postby brogine » Sun Mar 07, 2021 4:26 pm

Yeah, I guess meaning is generally clear in these cases. Who’d think “I could care less” means precisely that? Most people aren’t as conscious of language per se as you and I might be.
You hear quite intelligent and well-educated people on NPR and PBS make errors, sometimes even in composed text, as opposed to speaking extemporaneously.
I sometimes wonder if there are individuals who’ve never realized how ‘breakfast’ came to mean what it does.


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