mysteries of rhetorical nuance

[Jonathan Lighter]

But how do I know that? And did the writer?

JL

On Mon, Jul 2, 2012 at 2:58 PM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: mysteries of rhetorical nuance
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Didn't you answer you own question?
>
> "carefully chosen to be wry
> and suggestive rather than solemn and direct"
>
> DanG
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 2, 2012 at 2:49 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
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> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      mysteries of rhetorical nuance
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > As I drove down a shady lane the other day, I noticed a small church by
> the
> > roadside, which exhibited rhetorically remarkable marquee.
> >
> > It said,
> >
> > LIFE WITHOUT JESUS
> > HOW'S THAT WORKING OUT FOR YOU?
> >
> > I laughed. The idiom framing the question seemed carefully chosen to be
> wry
> > and suggestive rather than solemn and direct, like those I've seen on
> many
> > similar marquees.
> >
> > Essay 1: Precisely what is the incongruity that makes the question seem
> > intentionally humorous? How might one explain the nuance to a non-native
> > speaker?
> >
> > Essay 2: What are the chances that the letterer didn't see anything funny
> > or unusual about it?
> >
> > JL
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
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> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org