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Confidence in foreign language skills

In every instance the statement is used in an adversarial context. "yeah, whatever" is generally completely dismissive of what has preceded it in conversation, and is used by people that don't wish to even consider for a moment what has been said to them. However, one really needs to hear the tone used to understand how infuriating the statement can be. For example, think of a teenager arguing with a parent, rolling their eyes and saying "...yeah, whatever." before stomping off to sulk.

Another example. The drunk guy at the bar. Everybody has had an encounter with this guy - the fellow that thinks he can win a debate with volume instead of wit. The statement may be used by this person when they realize they have lost the debate but don't wish to admit such. It can also be used by the (likely?) victor of such an encounter when they wish to disengage from further debate. In this example, one might as well say "you're dumb as a brick and I don't wish to speak to you again." It's quite rude.

Hope this helps.
 
DonQuixote99 said:
God save the non-native speaker from idioms, irony, and off-the-cuff puns....
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No, Don, no! I want to live in a community - THIS community here - not in a vacuum.

GuyK thank you for your understandable and therefore helpful remarks. I think I got it entirely now!

:thmbsp:
 
HarmanKardon said:
No, Don, no! I want to live in a community - THIS community here - not in a vacuum.

GuyK thank you for your understandable and therefore helpful remarks. I think I got it entirely now!

:thmbsp:
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Ha! An example!

My remark should not be taken literally, to mean that non-native speakers should hope to avoid idioms, irony, and puns. All speakers of course should seek to appreciate the full richness of the language as it is used.

My "God save" usage was a hyperbolic idiom, indicating that the subject can be a very significant source of difficulty.
 
You see - it is this what I want to get more familiar with - realizing when something is intended to be ironic.

Now as you focus on "God save" I feel the slight irony in it. Too late...:tears: in this case... :tears:

:D
 
It is a hard job to understand everything here in the foreign language, but it is even harder to notice irony in remarks which is quite often a level that makes a remark witty. So I have to learn as far as possible to notice irony in remarks when irony is intended.

You're Welcome GuyK, your talent to express things in a very comprehensive manner is very fine.
 
...And then you have all the SOUTHERN sayings, which are a world unto themselves...a good example might be, "Bless your Heart", which can mean exactly what it says, well-wishes. Or it COULD mean 180 degress the other way, as in "SCREW You !" Sweet little old Southern ladies, in particular, are often EXPERTS in the fine art of SOUNDING like butter wouldn't melt in their mouth, but actually MEANING to verbally SLICE you into pieces...
 
I am a bit familiar with that Sandy. Frank Zappa has been a wonderful American English & American Slang teacher for decades. And a teacher in irony or sarcasm or cynism as well. But I think such discriminations like you mention I could integrate into my skills only if I would speak American English or English sometimes. Don't forget folks - I mentioned it quite often - I NEVER, NEVER speak a single sentence, a single word English, all my English skills are in my imagination. The incident described in the original post was an exception.
 
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I just noticed something pretty funny: I'm holding an album by Richie Blackmore in my hands - Rainbow: "Difficult To Cure". The name of the last song on Side One is

"Vielleicht das nachster Zeit (Maybe Next Time)" [sic!]

It is actually: "Vielleicht das nächste Mal" which may sound pretty similar to you but believe me - "Vielleicht das nachster Zeit" is so awfully wrong...! This should not have happened Richie...:D No google translation available in 1981 is no excuse...:D

BTW the google translations are still a nightmare sometimes although they improved recently.
 
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There's no substitute to having translation work done by a native speaker of the target language.

So what if anything does the wrong translation mean?
 
DonQuixote99 said:
There's no substitute to having translation work done by a native speaker of the target language.

So what if anything does the wrong translation mean?
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Zeit = Time (as in the time of day)

Mal = occurrence (as in "next time I see you...")

Accordingly, Blackmore's phrase is simply non-sensical (i.e., it doesn't have a meaningful translation).
 
On the use of the term "Sir"

We do not have something similar in German. Yes there is the term "Herr" but we use this term also as form of address like your Mister or Mr. ("Hallo Herr Müller!") and in the sense of "Sir" there is the term "mein Herr" which is in a way related to the French "mon Sieur" - but correctly spelled "Monsieur", anyway "mein Herr" ("Sie verschwenden meine Zeit mein Herr" - "You waste my time mein Herr") is very old fashioned and therefore unusual in daily life.

I am familiar with "Sir" as honorary title (Sir Roger Moore, Sir Simon Rattle). I was impressed when I was a kid and watched American tv shows watching children saying "Sir" to their father from time to time, for instance after an arguing. Nobody taught me the use of the term "Sir", so these are the three different manners I use it (asking if they are correct and if there are other ones).

Friendly, informal. Example: "You John Sir are sometimes such a 'punny' person!"

Respectful. Example: "Thank you Rich Sir for your support."

Ironic. Example: "You are walking on thin ice Sir, I hear it already creaking."

So I got it? Another question: Which is the female equivalent for "Sir"?
 
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Female equivalent would be 'Madam' - certainly in written form at least.

When I was at school it was always absolutely required to address male school teachers as 'Sir'. Female teachers were always 'Miss' - thus not presuming or inferring their marital status.

Other examples of usage:

You Sir, are a gentleman.

Sir, that is a fine example of good sportsmanship.

Please Sir, may I have some more? ('Oliver' quote - or school environment)

From a woman perhaps...
Kind Sir, would you move that out of the way for me?
 
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Wasen't the senior lady in the "Dallas" tv show called respectfully "Miss Ellie"? I could imagine that "Madam" was used quite often in former times, right John?

So there is actually no equivalent? Probably nobody would formulate "You Miss Darcy are such an appreciated AK member." :scratch2:
 
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I think there is a longer version of this, but I'm not able to find the full version at the moment, so this will have to do. I think it is apropos of this thread's topic, and worth repeating:

There is no egg in eggplant or ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple...
Is cheese the plural of choose?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
In what language do people recite at a play, and play at a recital?
Ship by truck, and send cargo by ship?
Have noses that run and feet that smell?
Park on driveways and drive on parkways?
Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham?
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth?
One goose, 2 geese. So, one moose, 2 meese?
One index, two indices?
How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?
When a house burns up, it burns down.
You fill in a form by filling it out, and an alarm clock goes off by going on.
When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it?
.English muffins were not invented in England or French fries in France.
How can 'slim chance and a fat chance' be the same, while ' wise man and a wise guy' are opposites?
 
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