So, I was talking to Xiggy...
Mar. 13th, 2005 07:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
And she mentioned "this chick at avalon". This chick (whoever she is) is somebody I don't know, and who hadn't been mentioned before, in this conversation or previously. And it got me thinking.
If she says "this chick at avalon", it's fairly obvious that I'm not supposed to know which chick at avalon, she's about to tell me. But if she'd said "that chick at avalon", I would be expected to identify which chick at avalon she meant - she wouldn't say that unless she'd previously talked about that chick at avalon. And "the chick at avalon" is even worse - either there is only one chick at avalon, or the is acting the same was as that!
But this chick at avalon...? I can't think of a way it'd be used to identify a chick at avalon whom I already knew about.
Why is that?
Another question: Why doesn't English tend to use that good old word yon?
If she says "this chick at avalon", it's fairly obvious that I'm not supposed to know which chick at avalon, she's about to tell me. But if she'd said "that chick at avalon", I would be expected to identify which chick at avalon she meant - she wouldn't say that unless she'd previously talked about that chick at avalon. And "the chick at avalon" is even worse - either there is only one chick at avalon, or the is acting the same was as that!
But this chick at avalon...? I can't think of a way it'd be used to identify a chick at avalon whom I already knew about.
Why is that?
Another question: Why doesn't English tend to use that good old word yon?
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no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 05:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 05:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 05:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 05:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 05:49 pm (UTC)I personally am campaigning to restore "whither", "whence", "hither", and "hence" to the English language. They're so much better than "go over there".
no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 05:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 06:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 05:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 05:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 05:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 05:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 05:49 pm (UTC)I personally am campaigning to restore "whither", "whence", "hither", and "hence" to the English language. They're so much better than "go over there".
no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 05:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-13 06:39 pm (UTC)