Oct 10, 2004 23:08
19 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term
Panama
Synesthete with a flair for tasty words!
Native in: Spanish (Variants: Argentine, US, Guatemalan, Salvadoran, Latin American, Colombian, Costa Rican, Panamanian, Nicaraguan, Mexican, Peruvian, Venezuelan, Cuban, Honduran) 
Works in: Spanish to English, English to Spanish
a question of rhetoric... semantics?
English
Art/Literary
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
I'm a bit confused... What is it called when you want to say something that is supposed to be one thing, but it's not actually it?
Like, for instance, when you say "I'm going back to work tomorrow", but you want to add that "back" is between quotation marks because you never stopped working in the first place. So, would you say, "I'm going back to work tomorrow, well, actually, 'back' is a figure of speech/euphemism, because I never stopped working during my vacation."?
I'm not so sure that "figure of speech/euphemism" fits here. And I want to add something along those lines... (I'm writing a letter, sort of).
Thanks a lot.
Like, for instance, when you say "I'm going back to work tomorrow", but you want to add that "back" is between quotation marks because you never stopped working in the first place. So, would you say, "I'm going back to work tomorrow, well, actually, 'back' is a figure of speech/euphemism, because I never stopped working during my vacation."?
I'm not so sure that "figure of speech/euphemism" fits here. And I want to add something along those lines... (I'm writing a letter, sort of).
Thanks a lot.
Responses
+3
5 mins
Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Germany
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
Germany
Quality Translations since 1986
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, English, German, and 6 more.
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28
Selected
redundant
'back' is redundant because I never stopped...
- not sure I understand your Q
- not sure I understand your Q
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks to all of you, I liked all your answers, but can only choose one, of course. Sorry for the delay in grading."
2 hrs
Mikhail Kropotov
Germany
Germany
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Germany
US-educated, precise & thorough
Native in: Russian
Works in: English to Russian, Russian to English, Russian
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28
i would say "no, i can't say that" and correct myself, but so that the other person would >>>
>>> would understand why I'm correcting myself. People actually do this all the time. I think that's very likely to come across as spontaneous speech/writing.
I guess I could be misreading your question, so I'll give an example.
For instance I'm having lunch with my girlfriend, eating a piece of chocolate. I say to her, "You know, I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday!" Then I think for a second and say "No, I guess I can't say that (or 'that's not true'). I did have a nibble of you last night!" Or something like that - I don't wanna get too indecent :=]
I guess I could be misreading your question, so I'll give an example.
For instance I'm having lunch with my girlfriend, eating a piece of chocolate. I say to her, "You know, I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday!" Then I think for a second and say "No, I guess I can't say that (or 'that's not true'). I did have a nibble of you last night!" Or something like that - I don't wanna get too indecent :=]
7 hrs
see comment below...
I don't know the technical term for this lingusitically, but in informal writing/speech, you might well say:
"What am I saying, I never actually stopped!", or something like that
"What am I saying?" seems to be quite a modern expression, possibly of US origin, I've come across it a lot on TV. Someone like Joan Rivers (no longer that 'modern'!) springs to mind....
"What am I saying, I never actually stopped!", or something like that
"What am I saying?" seems to be quite a modern expression, possibly of US origin, I've come across it a lot on TV. Someone like Joan Rivers (no longer that 'modern'!) springs to mind....
7 hrs
misnomer
well, actually, "back" is a misnomer
4 days
Deborah Workman
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
United States
Telecom/new media tech, law, bus, mktg
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, Portuguese to English, French to English, and 1 more.
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8
supposedly
One possibility. It's common to use supposedly to meet the need you describe. "I'm supposedly 'going back' to work tomorrow."
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Note added at 4 days (2004-10-15 00:28:56 GMT)
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\"I\'m supposedly \'going back\' to work tomorrow -- except that I never stopped working during my vacation!\"
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Note added at 4 days (2004-10-15 00:28:56 GMT)
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\"I\'m supposedly \'going back\' to work tomorrow -- except that I never stopped working during my vacation!\"
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