Hi Ann,
Yeh, I think you're saying important things here (well, important from my
point of view!). I heard someone making the same point about breathing a few
weeks ago when they were talking about Mandarin - and I knew a few chinese
speakers when I lived on Tyneside and was entranced by the way they spoke to
each other (and sang!).
Maybe words, and not just for a poet, are like colours are for a painter -
where they need other colours close to them - and our words are text that
(perhaps always?) needs context.
And, grassy, thrushes is an amazing comparison! The sound of sense...
Bob


>From: "V. W." <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Pennine Poetry Works <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Heft
>Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 15:17:31 EDT
>
>Dear Bob,
>        I used to work with a Geordie Staff Nurse that used the word
>'canny' a
>lot, only the tone in which she said it gave a total difference to the
>meaning. In answer to the question 'How is he today?' You could get the
>reply, brightly 'Oh! he's canny,'' or lowered voice, concerned look, 'Oh!
>He's only canny.' If he was a crafty soul he would be 'A canny one that,'
>and
>if he was careful with his money he would be again 'canny' as he would if
>he
>was a nice man but without the exasperated tone of the latter.
>        A friend of mine has recently taken lessons in the Thai language
>prior
>to going out to work there and she was finding it difficult because
>depending
>on how you pitch a word the same one could have an absolutely different
>meaning, a problem she informs me that just does not happen in English.
>
>                                      Slippery thing language    regards
>Ann






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