What 'safe word' would you choose/use?
POSTED BY: ShinyFlan
UPDATED: Friday, March 17, 2006 23:42
VIEWED: 12857
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Just got done watching The day the earth stood still and my vote for a safe word would be:
"Klaatu beratta nichto"
Gelassenheit means Serenity
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Ok, I've had my German lesson today, time for my English one.
As I understand it, syntactics would be how the words work together grammitically, semantics would be do the words work together to form a meaning, and lexically... ummm... do the words, for lack of a better word, simply fit?
So, syntactically, it works. The sentence is grammatical.
Semantically it works. If you broke down it's meaning, it'd mean "ideas which are colorless and green sleep and a high rate of speed."
But lexically, it doesn't make sense. It means something, but the meaning is nonsensical.
Do I have it right?
Quote:
Originally posted by LaughingMuse:Quote:
Originally posted by shinyhappyklin:Quote:
Originally posted by LaughingMuse:
"Colorless green ideas sleep quickly."
Ah, the classic Noam Chomsky line....although isn't the last word peacefully? (or was it fitfully....hmmmm...gotta go back and read that chapter of the linguistics book, I guess).
In Cherokee that would be awesome!
I originally heard it as "quickly", though come to think of it, any adverb that wouldn't lexically fit with "sleep" would work.
Fitfully halfway makes sense. So does peacefully. The idea is: syntactically, the sentence parses. Semantically, the sentence parses. Lexically...the sentence falls on its colourless green backside. :D
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Mankind makes tools; we use them to augment our hands, arms and legs.
The computer augments the brain and this makes it very unpopular with totalitarians. - Charles J.C. Lyall
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Carry the Nuttin'
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In my old Art History class, the first thing our professor said, in fact shouted, to the whole class, and my choice for a safeword, was "Bulbuss Breasts!" He said the phrase sounded very funny to him, and went on to say that part of understanding art was getting rid of old assumptions of right and wrong, proper and improper. We would see works of art on the projection screen, he said, that some might find offensive, disgusting, and even horrifying to a degree, and if we weren't willing to study said work we sould leave. We stayed, all because of bulbuss breats.
No, I am not insane, I am crazy. Thank you for asking.
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Furcifer Diem
This literally translates to "Scoundrel Days", which was the title of A-ha's second album waaaaaay back in the day. I was a fan - still am - and made the saying up in Latin class.
Since then, I have ofttimes used it just to be obscure... I think it holds up after all this time and the 'scoundrel' element is fitting for Firefly.
Ching-wah TSAO duh liou mahng. Shiny.
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Quote:
Originally posted by ThePistonEngine:
Ok, I've had my German lesson today, time for my English one.
As I understand it, syntactics would be how the words work together grammitically, semantics would be do the words work together to form a meaning, and lexically... ummm... do the words, for lack of a better word, simply fit?
So, syntactically, it works. The sentence is grammatical.
Semantically it works. If you broke down it's meaning, it'd mean "ideas which are colorless and green sleep and a high rate of speed."
But lexically, it doesn't make sense. It means something, but the meaning is nonsensical.
Do I have it right?
____________
Carry the Nuttin'
Yes, that's it exactly.
Colorless doesn't fit with green - green is a color. A color, by definition, can't be without color.
Green doesn't fit with ideas - ideas are intangible, and can only have color in the poetic sense.
Ideas doesn't fit with sleep - sleep is state which is achieved by living things, not by inanimate objects or concepts (again, unless you get poetical)
...and so forth.
---------------------------------
Mankind makes tools; we use them to augment our hands, arms and legs.
The computer augments the brain and this makes it very unpopular with totalitarians. - Charles J.C. Lyall
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Quote:
Originally posted by LaughingMuse:Quote:
Originally posted by ThePistonEngine:
Ok, I've had my German lesson today, time for my English one.
As I understand it, syntactics would be how the words work together grammitically, semantics would be do the words work together to form a meaning, and lexically... ummm... do the words, for lack of a better word, simply fit?
So, syntactically, it works. The sentence is grammatical.
Semantically it works. If you broke down it's meaning, it'd mean "ideas which are colorless and green sleep and a high rate of speed."
But lexically, it doesn't make sense. It means something, but the meaning is nonsensical.
Do I have it right?
____________
Carry the Nuttin'
Yes, that's it exactly.
Colorless doesn't fit with green - green is a color. A color, by definition, can't be without color.
Green doesn't fit with ideas - ideas are intangible, and can only have color in the poetic sense.
Ideas doesn't fit with sleep - sleep is state which is achieved by living things, not by inanimate objects or concepts (again, unless you get poetical)
...and so forth.
Yep, that's it....the sentence was created by the famous scholar of linguistics, Noam Chomsky (who is also known as a political commentator these days), to show his concept of "universal grammar" -- that is, even children seem to know the proper structure of words (for example, without being taught, even children will always say "I caught the red balloon" instead of "caught I red the balloon"), even if the words themselves have no meaning together; the syntax is right, the meaning is nonsensical.
"We gotta go to that crappy town where I'M a hero..."
_______________________________
Shiny stuff for Browncoats at:
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http://www.outtotheblack.com
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Quote:
Originally posted by JamesTheDark:Quote:
Looks like your phrase has to do with "night" and "child", but so people don't have to use a machine translation or a German/English dictionary, what does it mean?
When I was younger, an effective phrase that could've been used for me is: "I'm telling mom!!!"
I'll tell it to you, if you explain what the hell yours is. I suck at anagrams, so cut me a break.
Well, since ya asked - (I'm not good at trying to string people along when it doesn't even look like they're interested in puzzling it out...) - it's from FIrefly, TAm, CObb, SHepherd, REynolds, SErra, TAm, FRye, ALleyne, and HOban.
It's cool to learn some new phrases in other languages and also about the "colorless green ideas"...
Here's one safe word idea (or at least maybe a paraphrase from "Demolition Man") - "Enhance your calm!" It sorta relates, because when they were on Miranda, Jayne said that River was beginning to damage his calm.
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Quote:
Originally posted by xenoprobe:
Furcifer Diem
This literally translates to "Scoundrel Days",
Oh? Granted, it's been a while since I had Latin in school (it's been a while since I was in school, period; lol), but I see no plural here. "Diem" is the accusative form of "dies" : day. As in "Dies diem docet," {one} day teaches the {other} day.
Okay, did I just earn the smart-ass award of the day, or what? :)
--
"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam
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