Wednesday, May 11, 2016

He still argues, though he knows he’s wrong.

"That" is something I'd like to show you. 

And this is a pop quiz. Surprise! No fair, there is no way for you to prepare.

How do you visualize the title sentence? It seems like there is nothing concrete there to visualize. You have to see it to say it. Such that when you show it the result will be accepted as the meaning of the sentence. 

As a string of pictures, not a sentence, the essential ideas are, “he, know, wrong, continue, argue.” 

And all that can be pictured. 

He, that thing over there
know, a motion to the head
wrong, looks wholly wrong at the chin and so does the whole face.
continue, both thumbs pressing forward (this is where I differ with others)
argue, appears disputative between two arms

 That’s how I’d say it. 

But that is not how CODA say it, children of deaf adults, and it is not what is seen at large. 



"Anyway he knows he’s wrong that he argues." This is how they say it.

Except her “that” means “still.” 

I wouldn’t use the word “that.” This version of “that” is not natural to me while “continue” is natural. 

Here “that” is a different word altogether, a different concept, she mouths exaggeratedly  “ma” meaning “no change, “the same thing,”sort of “bully” the horns of a bull slapped on the palm while mouthing "ma," the same hand configuration and movement as the word “that” but more harsh. Here, “that” means stubbornly “still.” 

I’d convey the same idea with “continue” shown stubbornly, a choice that marks it my way, my style. 

"He know wrong continue argue." It seems clunky back into English from an eloquent string of visual ideas in sign and it means "he still argues though he knows that he's wrong." 

1 comment:

rhhardin said...

I've always been looking for an interlinear translation of anything in Japanese, word for word, similar to the Chip pic.

Radio Japan ("Let's Learn Japanese") offers completely useless lessons that give no clue what the individual words are or where else to use them. They're big on learning honorifics and fixed phrases to buy a camera and ask when the plane lands in Tokyo.

All I remember is "wa" goes at the end as a particle for place. I'd like (if that's so) an interlinear translation to end "[place particle]". I just want to get a feel for the weird order of hints in Japanese.

Only in French, somebody French said, do the words occur in the same order as the thought.