My mother raised me to believe that if I didn’t understand something then I should keep my trap shut until I knew what was going on. The sentence, "I don’t know what you are talking about, " was a confession of stupidity.
In Taiwan it seems that locals and big noses alike bandy this sentence about with gay abandon. What is most perplexing is that this sentence is also being used in some way to suggest that the speaker is at fault for the stupidity of the listener.
I also find the expression, “Don’t take it personally,” to mean, “Don’t waste any sleep over the fact that I am a jerk.” And I see very little need to add the word, ‘basically,’ to the start of everything. When I hear that I hear, “I am an idiot and I asume you are one too.”
Thanks Bob, add that to the list. In Taiwan, "You think too much, " is used to mean, "Join us, and think of nothing, " or, “Things would be much easier if you only stopped having an opinion.”
Don’t take it personally but I don’t know what you are talking about. I say “I don’t know what people are talking about” whenever I don’t know what they are talking about basically.
But seriously though…
English and Chinese are about as different as two languages could be and the people attempting to bridge the divide often know very little about the culture or language on the other side. It’s inevitable that the process will be frustrating, confusing, irritating.
The trick is to simply accept that you are caught up in a huge cross cultural experiment and at least try to remain clear and calm yourself.
[quote]‘basically,’ to the start of everything. When I hear that I hear, “I am an idiot and I asume you are one too.”
[/quote]
What I can’t stand is the expression “…in time” as in “At this moment in time.”
What?
Well, thanks for the clarification. I thought you were talking about this moment in Cumbria, or this moment in Swiss Cheese manufacturing.
Basically, it makes me feel the speaker is little more than annoying or a politician (which usually means idiocy in it’s own right) - especially because people who say “this moment in time” usually repeat it again and again and again during a party political conference or when being faced with David Frost.
Half the time I don’t know what people are on about…but that’s largely due to the fact that I don’t always understand the language. But when that happems I DO take Tom’s mother’s advice, as it was my granny’s advice too. I shut up and give understanding nods when I think it’s appropriate…
[quote=“TomHill”]My mother raised me to believe that if I didn’t understand something then I should keep my trap shut until I knew what was going on. The sentence, "I don’t know what you are talking about, " was a confession of stupidity.
In Taiwan it seems that locals and big noses alike bandy this sentence about with gay abandon. What is most perplexing is that this sentence is also being used in some way to suggest that the speaker is at fault for the stupidity of the listener.
[/quote]
When A says “I don’t know what you are talking about” to B, he means he thinks that B is mentally ill and is rambling on about something that no one could possibly understand, because B is a half-witted lunatic.
It also means that A doesn’t want to talk to B, so I don’t know what B’s best recourse could be. Either look amazed and explain patiently, or just tell A to fuck off and walk away.
I think being stupid is akin to being God. So next time you are confused by a situation A simple response of “I’m stupid” is fine. Since nothing more will be expected of you, just like nothing more is expected from God.
I’m sure even the wisest of men are tired of managing their perception and coming up with fortune cookie tidbits to be dribbled at exactly the right time.
It’s okay to be thought of as stupid, especially if you can avoid responsibility. Thus leaving you plenty of time to cultivate your wise persona.
[quote]I think being stupid is akin to being God. So next time you are confused by a situation A simple response of “I’m stupid” is fine. Since nothing more will be expected of you, just like nothing more is expected from God.
I’m sure even the wisest of men are tired of managing their perception and coming up with fortune cookie tidbits to be dribbled at exactly the right time.
It’s okay to be thought of as stupid, especially if you can avoid responsibility. Thus leaving you plenty of time to cultivate your wise persona.
[/quote]
Great post AC. I always thought you were more intelligent than your politics.
[quote=“Fox”][quote]I think being stupid is akin to being God. So next time you are confused by a situation A simple response of “I’m stupid” is fine. Since nothing more will be expected of you, just like nothing more is expected from God.
I’m sure even the wisest of men are tired of managing their perception and coming up with fortune cookie tidbits to be dribbled at exactly the right time.
It’s okay to be thought of as stupid, especially if you can avoid responsibility. Thus leaving you plenty of time to cultivate your wise persona.
[/quote]
Great post AC. I always thought you were more intelligent than your politics. [/quote]
I’m happy with honest admissions of stupidity. As Socrates once may have said, wise is he who knows he knows nothing. Or something like that. What I find unacceptable are situations where the listener makes the speaker feel that they are stupid, or worse -lying- just because the listener doesn’t understand/ have any knowledge about the matter at hand.
Is there a tendency for people here to think they are the centre of the universe, and what they don’t know must either be wrong, or a fault of the speaker?
Last week I told someone when my birthday was, and they questioned the accuracy of my statement. Christ alive, it hasn’t changed for the last 31 years, why should I screw it up now?
I agree on this one. Seems to come from the Chinese 我不懂你的意思, which generally means that the speaker has failed to communicate the idea clearly. Most of the time it is because of fault on the part of the speaker rather than lack of intelligence on the part of the listener.
But I’m surprised that you are hearing it from Westerners as well. I usually hear that used as a denial of guilt.
“Why did you kill him, Tom?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
When foreigners are trying to say someone is not making any sense I normally hear “What the **** are you talking about?”
You’re right. It’s over-used. If you’re a coach and one of your players is in a slump and you start someone else, then I think the phrase is still valid. But now it’s being used to say that anyone taking offence at what you do to them is over-reacting.
Yep, over-used. I’m guilty of doing that myself, though.
It should be used to introduce something that is being somewhat over-simplified, often to put things in layman’s terms. By extension we use it to qualify what we are saying as not completely accurate, or that it’s our opinion.
It becomes part of our rhetoric. Unfortunately, it comes off sounding the way you said.
That’s just a bad translation from Chinese. They should say, “You’re reading too much into this.” Or, “That’s not really your business.”
We should definitely try an eradicate this from Taiwanese English before it spreads to other places.
What I find extremely irritating is when people (and here I mean other English-speaking people) rephrase what you just said because they apparently don’t understand perfectly good English.
For example:
Stanley: “Hi Matt! Let’s go down to the Tavern for a couple of beers after work, shall we?”
Matt: “You mean we should go to the Tavern for a few beers after work?” :fume: OR “Are you trying to say we should go to the Tavern for a couple of beers after work?” :fume: :fume:
[quote=“stan”]What I find extremely irritating is when people (and here I mean other English-speaking people) rephrase what you just said because they apparently don’t understand perfectly good English.
For example:
Stanley: “Hi Matt! Let’s go down to the Tavern for a couple of beers after work, shall we?”
Matt: “You mean we should go to the Tavern for a few beers after work?” :fume: OR “Are you trying to say we should go to the Tavern for a couple of beers after work?” :fume: :fume:
This happens all the time! [/quote]
I just respond with, “What? Don’t they speak English in your home country?”
[quote=“bismarck”][quote=“stan”]What I find extremely irritating is when people (and here I mean other English-speaking people) rephrase what you just said because they apparently don’t understand perfectly good English.
For example:
Stanley: “Hi Matt! Let’s go down to the Tavern for a couple of beers after work, shall we?”
Matt: “You mean we should go to the Tavern for a few beers after work?” :fume: OR “Are you trying to say we should go to the Tavern for a couple of beers after work?” :fume: :fume:
This happens all the time! [/quote]
I just respond with, “What? Don’t they speak English in your home country?”[/quote]
Or: “Drink however many you like. I’m not your wife.”
[quote=“j99l88e77”][quote=“bismarck”][quote=“stan”]What I find extremely irritating is when people (and here I mean other English-speaking people) rephrase what you just said because they apparently don’t understand perfectly good English.
For example:
Stanley: “Hi Matt! Let’s go down to the Tavern for a couple of beers after work, shall we?”
Matt: “You mean we should go to the Tavern for a few beers after work?” :fume: OR “Are you trying to say we should go to the Tavern for a couple of beers after work?” :fume: :fume:
This happens all the time! [/quote]
I just respond with, “What? Don’t they speak English in your home country?”[/quote]
Or: “Drink however many you like. I’m not your wife.”[/quote]
Hehehe…yes. There’s also that spin on the question. I applaud you for noticing that… :bravo:
