tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post3178500234433981055..comments2024-02-12T02:22:30.561-05:00Comments on The Lousy Linguist: My GermanChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558846279006287148noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-77666986915661187362010-06-03T09:27:58.207-04:002010-06-03T09:27:58.207-04:00Jason, I think you're onto something. To my ea...Jason, I think you're onto something. To my ear, the metonymy in 1 is different from the metonymy in 2 & 3. <i>German</i> is standing in for something different than "skills" or "homework" in my reading. Not sure how to express it though.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09558846279006287148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-61967926724605317462010-06-03T09:13:54.040-04:002010-06-03T09:13:54.040-04:00I find them all acceptable, though I would say tha...I find them all acceptable, though I would say that the last two I would interpret as amusing innovations. They sound grammatical to my ear, but would probably make me chuckle (given the reading that most closely matches #1). If the context were skills or homework, they are perfectly normal to me.Jason M. Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14396075067541286700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-37786434734580750842010-05-30T21:36:05.020-04:002010-05-30T21:36:05.020-04:00N, this was just my personal intuition, which is c...N, this was just my personal intuition, which is clearly not shared by many, but my intuition is strong. I'm still convinced we're all not quite reading these the same.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09558846279006287148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-86129318050217951522010-05-30T20:49:16.672-04:002010-05-30T20:49:16.672-04:00Funny, I speak southern Englsh and find them all a...Funny, I speak southern Englsh and find them all acceptable. Who have you tested these judgments on, or are they simply your own?NWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12626377419233860251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-78899661984622468692010-05-29T11:44:06.731-04:002010-05-29T11:44:06.731-04:00For me, the "homework" implication isn&#...For me, the "homework" implication isn't necessary at all. "I have to work on my math" = "I have to try to improve my math skills" or "I have to work on my math homework". I don't really have a strong preference for one reading over the other, depending on context (i.e. in the case of a school-age child speaker, I would likely assume they mean homework).<br /><br />In contrast, the non-possessives do not easily allow the non-homework reading for me, *except* in the case of languages. "I have to work on math" = ?"I have to work on math skills" is doubtful, but = "I have to work on math homework" is fine. "I have to work on German" = "I have to improve my German fluency" is much better, though the homework reading is still preferable.D. Sky Onossonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03878129270916134167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-58975859167727110852010-05-29T11:00:35.721-04:002010-05-29T11:00:35.721-04:00Interesting. My intuition is clearly in the minori...Interesting. My intuition is clearly in the minority. Is it that y'all are thinking of "working on homework" as the semantics (where there is a specific object <i>homework</i> that is being modified by <i>math</i>? Whereas I'm thinking of "working on a general skill set" as the semantics. Think of the phrase "I'm working on my health." That's a close cousin to the "my German" semantics that I'm envisioning.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09558846279006287148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-45617661401078582032010-05-28T16:04:23.905-04:002010-05-28T16:04:23.905-04:00jp 吉平:
I find all your examples acceptable.jp 吉平:<br /><br />I find all your examples acceptable.D. Sky Onossonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03878129270916134167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-80589774415049423692010-05-28T15:38:18.459-04:002010-05-28T15:38:18.459-04:00A Midwesterner, I also find all three acceptable (...A Midwesterner, I also find all three acceptable (when the homework context is understood).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03224238547694519061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-35854699337852314742010-05-28T14:42:39.307-04:002010-05-28T14:42:39.307-04:00I speak Pacific Northwest English, and I find the ...I speak Pacific Northwest English, and I find the three examples acceptable. <br /><br />I would suggest however, that when I say "I have to work on my math" there is an understood "homework" at the end. <br /><br />Also, I wonder if the "my" items like languages might be considered "skills" or rather than school subjects. How do you feel about the following: <br /><br />I have to work on my German.<br />I'm a music major, so I have to work on my piano.<br />I have to work on my parallel parking. <br />You should work on your pirouettes.jp 吉平https://www.blogger.com/profile/15198270192000552582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-79331515223255271352010-05-28T12:31:45.213-04:002010-05-28T12:31:45.213-04:00I find all three perfectly fine and ordinary, too....I find all three perfectly fine and ordinary, too. I'm from the UK.Chris, The Book Swedehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00063580097665443750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-91307360441658321392010-05-28T11:57:43.339-04:002010-05-28T11:57:43.339-04:00Seems natural to me in that language is clearly va...Seems natural to me in that language is clearly varies greatly between people. Completely aside from prescriptive or descriptive linguistic concerns about the indefinite nature of any given language, word choice and style constitute individual expression.<br /><br />In contrast, biology and mathematics are essentially studies of universal truths about the universe. In fact, using the possessive with them is often considered insulting -- "That (stupid thing) only makes sense if you are using (so-and-so)'s math."Matthew Sullivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01911773959629894667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-12560333410219363322010-05-28T11:53:11.215-04:002010-05-28T11:53:11.215-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Sylviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07327134933893955723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-520807396714463309.post-53412702544414856862010-05-28T11:40:50.226-04:002010-05-28T11:40:50.226-04:00Interesting - I find all three perfectly acceptabl...Interesting - I find all three perfectly acceptable. I also find them all fine without the possessive. Not sure if this reflects a Canadian (me) vs. American divide, or if it's just more idiosyncratic.D. Sky Onossonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03878129270916134167noreply@blogger.com