2)Almost everybody on television news shows now starts answers to questions with the word 'Look'. I think this comes from America, at least that's where I first noticed it. Fox News is now a blizzard of looks. But 'look' is now definitely over here. For me, it is a touch brutal, as in 'You are completely wrong, now listen to what I have to say, you ignorant clod', but it's probably just a nervous tic as in 'I really don't know what I am talking about, but I'd better sound as confident as I can'. You get that a lot at the end of the world.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Word News
1) I was just about to write the phrase 'for example', decided it was over-used and was going to employ 'for instance' instead. I didn't, however, because, somehow 'for instance' sounds vulgar, even illiterate. Why is that?
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A blog about, among other things, imaginary ideas - What ifs? and Imagine thats. What if photographs looked nothing like what we see with our eyes? Imagine that the Berlin Wall had never come down. What if we were the punchline of an interminable joke? All contributions welcome.
Australian cricketers are forbidden to start a sentence without using the word 'look'...
ReplyDeleteyes, Jim Naughtie uses it a lot on Today. You'd think he'd use ''Listen...'' instead.
ReplyDeleteDo the people, who we are told know what they are talking about, actually know what they are talking about, do the people who tell us "those people know what they are talking about" know themselves what they are talking about. Shiver me timbers, we live in an age of complete uncertainty. This when the media is awash with people who sound like they know what they are talking about, talking about us and what, according to them, we should be thinking and doing. We know of course that they, in general know sod all, but are making a living pretending that they do.
ReplyDeleteThat's it, we live in an age of paid pretence.
Morning, Icelanders, how's Landsbanki this fine day of judgment.
I think it was Tony Blair that coined 'Look, the thing is...' over here. It's a good way of completely dodging a direct question.
ReplyDeleteSouth African cricketers too, Anonymous (change your name by the way).
ReplyDeleteGraeme Smith starts every single sentence with "Aw look". It must be colonial for "y'know".
Bryan, are you offended that TV commentators don't know what they are talking about, or that they just display their ignorance in such poor style?
ReplyDeleteI think you should write a book titled "Disaster Chic - Approaching the Apocalypse with Distinction and Style".
I think it comes from Spanish discourse. Very common among those of Latin descent in America is the phrase "Mira tu!" It begins many conversations. The French "Regardez" does it too, though it more often refers to something literal -- really there to be looked at.
ReplyDelete"Consider" is the elegant alternative to "for example," "for instance," and "look". There, I give it to you for your next essay, free of charge.
Look, too many correspondents nod as they are being asked a question. It's annoyingly cocky and knowing. And Fox news always appears to have the volume on 11. Too many news programmes resemble the peerless Chris Morris and The Day Today.
ReplyDeleterecoder's got a strong point. This one might be down to Tone. He used "Look" to inject a note of honesty and genuineness as if to say "Let's drop the spin and get down to brass tacks." But alas the brass tacks usually turned out to be spin as well.
ReplyDeleteOften there's no need for a "for example", "for instance" or other equivalent. Simple rephrasing may do, a pause that may lead one to consider whether the example is apposite anyway.