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Re: GG: So you want to write a fugue?
Hello Junichi,
>I am now re-thinking about what the appropriate Japanese title for "So You
Want to Write a
>Fugue?" is.
>
>Being asked by Sony Tokyo, I once translated the title with the complete text
into Japanese
>for the Japanese linernotes of Sony's "GG, the Composer", and for the "GG
Collection" as
>well.
>
>At that time, I made a *literal* translation for the title (and the first
line) as a kind of
> *question*.
>
>However, now I suppose this is not an ordinary question to ask whether "you"
want to write a
> fugue or not, but a rethorical question for uring "you" to write a fugue,
like: "Why don't
> you write a fugue?"
>
>What do you think? Is it an urging or a persuading expression? A strong
expression? A gentle
> one? Just a suggestion?. . .
>
>If you take it as a rhetorical question, what does the first word "So" mean?
>
>Let me know your ideas.
>
>(Soon I will have an opportunity to revise
>my translation.)
>
>Thank you in advance.
No doubt other f-miners will help to throw light on the answers to your
questions, but I hope I can also help.
'So' is a difficult word for most non-native English-speakers (and for
some to whom English is their only language). When I worked for Kumagai
Gumi in Hong Kong, a Mr Chung (not his real name) in the main office came
to me one day. Mr Chung prided himself on his good English. He had been
arguing with some Chinese colleagues about the meaning of the phrase 'So
far, so good'. I asked Mr Chung to tell me what his interpretation of the
phrase was.
Mr Chung said: 'Suppose I want to buy a car. I go to the showroom and see
a good car, one probably worth buying. I ask the salesman how far it will
go on one gallon of petrol. He tells me 40 miles. I am impressed. I buy
the car, and put exactly one gallon into the fuel tank. I then drive the
car without stopping or refilling. The car reaches 40 miles, but it keeps
going. It passes 45 miles. Then, at 50 miles, it finally stops. This is
excellent because 50 miles is much better than the 40 miles the salesman
told me to expect. I am amazed. I say to myself: So far? So...Good!'.
Unfortunately, Mr Chung's ingenious explanation was not quite right. Also
unfortunately, when I tried to explain to him the real meaning I found it
very difficult to do so.
Without going into too much detail, the word 'so' can often act as a
filler, a little bit like the 'er' most of us fill our pauses in English
speech with. In that case it has no definite meaning itself, but it can
impart a new shade of meaning to the sentence it appears in. In the
sentence 'So you want to write a fugue?' the 'so' turns a statement ('You
want to write a fugue') into a question. An alternative method of turning
that statement into a question is to say 'Do you want to write a fugue?'.
But that question invites only a yes or a no as an answer; it implies
that the questioner doesn't know the answer and also doesn't really care
one way or the other.
On the contrary, starting the question with 'so' is certainly rhetorical.
It implies that the questioner does know the answer (it must be yes), and
it also implies that the questioner has some definite views on the wisdom
of wanting to do such a thing. This form of English is one used mainly by
the more powerful or knowledgable of two people talking together. A
teacher might use the formation sarcastically when talking to his class
('So which of you clever people believed me when I said I wasn't going to
give you an exam today?'), or mock-admiringly by an uncle ('So who
deserves a dollar's pocket money now that he's a big man of five?').
It can also be used sneeringly, grudgingly and in many other ways. The
exact shade of meaning can often only be determined by the manner in
which the complete sentence is spoken. This makes it a very difficult
formation for a non-native-English-speaker to use and understand. In
fact, even for native English-speakers it is easy to give unintended
offence if one is not careful when using this formation.
My interpretation of GG's use of this formation is that he (ie, the
questioner) knows that 'you' (ie, the listener) want to write a fugue,
and he also agrees that doing so would be a good thing -- but he also has
lots of warnings and advice to give. GG uses this rhetorical question to
let him cleverly explain the way he would write a fugue ('...just plunge
right in...') and the things he would avoid ('But never be clever...').
(And all the while the 'you' is standing there open-mouthed with
admiration and grateful for such excellent advice from 'Uncle' GG, I
suppose.)
I hope all that makes sense. I'm sure others will have been more erudite
and concise. Best regards,
Tim
_________________________________________________________________
Tim Conway mail: Conway Consulting Pty Ltd
301 Glenfern Road (P O Box 1042)
Upwey, VIC 3158, Australia
tel: +61.3.9754.8544
fax: +61.3.9752.5309
email: <tpconway@ozemail.com.au>
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'A filthy mind is a perpetual feast.'
-Osbert Lancaster
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