Do you ever get the feeling that even though the words coming out of your mouth are english but are reaching the person your talking to in some other language. Sometimes I wonder. I thought that maybe I had a lisp or stammer or perhaps the words sounded English to me on the inside but were really coming out gibberish (there have been documented cases of such things, really) but I've heard my recorded voice... and to boot I get the same response from email/IM replies. The dumb look on their faces like a perplexed puppy... the actions that couldn't possibly come from someone that truly understood the concepts I was trying to relay. I sit and ponder it sometimes and all I can come up with is ... WTF?? It can only be one of two things... Either I'm a poor speaker or I speak above my audience. I spend a good portion of my life on the phone with customers. They seem to understand me ok but its highly technical and straight forward. So still could be either one.. my audience at work is on my level but there is very little room for deviation. Outside of work is where the confusion sets in. I talk, people listen, then I either get the puppy dog look/erratic behavior or I get a proper response and all is right in the world. Hmm.. looking a little more like its the audience at this point, but I could be biased.
Maybe it is a matter of intelligence level.. or rather the assumptions I make on people. I assume they understand English. I assume based on their appearance/age whether or not they can understand simple to complex concepts like time, weather, space, value of a warm beer, and arithmetic. I assume that based on their level of relation to me they will understand certain aspects/quirks about me and my life. I know they are not mind readers but when the sun rises to east and sets in the west every friggin' day for the past millions of years, you are safe to bet its going to do the same tomorrow. So with that I engage in conversation with these assumptions. And sure enough, there is a break down. I'm not direct enough, I am misunderstood, I am given the puppy dog look and I am astonished by it. Where is fault here?
At what point does my words turn to gibberish? Maybe someone already has told me why... and maybe all I did was cock my head to one side and gasp, "HUH?"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Does Ebonics count? OK, I'm not fluent in Ebonics or computer-speak or even history. My God, I have a lot to learn, but that's part of the fun of living, right? I hope so anyway.
Oh, and I like yellow M&M's. Does this matter? No, not really, but I felt like sharing. =)
Easy solution, stop trying to talk to men. Infact, if you can, eliminate them entirely from your life. Work on surrounding yourself with beautiful women, possibly scantily clad ones. Trust me, this will help your tolerance of their level of understanding of any language.
:)
Wow, talk about dichotomy. I had two replies for a. darcy's response. I could actually see the little devil and the primp angel on my shoulders fighting over which reply I should use. I decide myself just to share that little bit instead of responding with either. :P
Post a Comment