Klarinet Archive - Posting 000051.txt from 2000/02

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: [kl] Gaffs
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 21:47:42 -0500

On Tue, 1 Feb 2000 16:44:25 -0800 (PST), leupold_1@-----.com said:

> Rien implied that his gaff was intentional. That's where my
> knowledge of the occurrence ends, but I've never heard anywhere else
> that Kennedy intentionally misconstructed the sentence for its humor
> effect.

No, I think not. The case is more delicate here, but I'd be prepared to
bet that on this occasion, it's Rien who is using English
unidiomatically when he writes:

> When Kennedy said "Ich bin ein Berliner" (David or Neil probably can
> translate it for you) he also did NOT mean he was a man from Berlin.

*He* did mean that; but Rien wants to say, contra me, that *it* didn't
mean that.

By the way, if you look up 'gaff' in the dictionary, you get:

1: a spear used in taking fish
2: the spar along the top of a fore-and-aft sail

If you look up 'gaffe', you get

a social blunder

.....but I knew what it (ie, "Rien implied that his gaff was
intentional"), *meant*;-)

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE GMN family artist: www.gmn.com
tel/fax 01865 553339

.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org