tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278627155528988806.post7044306652792166898..comments2011-11-19T05:31:36.150-08:00Comments on The Relay from Chile: Mind-Numbing Linguistics!Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00904149336736824856noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278627155528988806.post-69974151961107555322011-08-13T03:11:55.028-07:002011-08-13T03:11:55.028-07:00Ahhh…the old “When do I reveal what information?” ...Ahhh…the old “When do I reveal what information?” question. I’ve always liked that Spanish (and other languages) put the nouns first and then the adjectives. “The house green” just sounds cool. And it’s a more effective way to implant an image in the reader’s mind – give them the thing first and then describe it. Otherwise, they just have this giant blob of green in their heads and then….wait…what?…I have to build a house too? SO MUCH WORK!!!!<br /><br />Anyway, there are ways around this in English. The only problem is the diction elevates if you write “The house of green” or the line gets too wordy if you write “The house that is green.” Blech. I suppose some would argue that we read so fast, “green” and “house” are thought of so almost-simultaneous that we don’t even notice that we think of green before house. But much of poetry happens on a subconscious level. The reader may not consciously realize they thought of green before house, but it happened, and it caused a different reaction than “house green” or “house of green” or “house that is green.” <br /><br />Anyway, I guess my point is that you’re right…mostly. English can unfold just as well as Spanish or any other noun/adjective language:<br /><br />And if, by fate’s bitterness most coarse,<br />animal old, animal blind, you don’t know the way,<br />I have two eyes and can teach you.<br /><br />Yeah, it’s not as “pretty” as the original, especially since you lose the end rhyme of the first two lines, but it does unfold in a similar way. (I repeated “animal” because I used my poetic license. Came in the mail last week.) Though that can be remedied with a change to the translation:<br /><br />And if, by fate’s bitterness most coarse,<br />animal old, animal blind, you don’t know the course,<br />I have two eyes and can teach you.<br /><br />I think my license just got revoked for being overly-cute. When it comes to this (Spanish, translation, etc.), I am certainly the old, blind animal and you are the teacher with eyes of two. (See what I did there? HA!)<br /><br />I do like the way English can be twisted around grammatically and syntactically, yet still retain the same meaning (though the experience does change). I do wonder whether or not it’s possible to finagle the adjective before the noun in Spanish, just like there are ways in English to put the adjective after the noun? How pliable is Spanish?<br /><br />I’m sorry my comment is longer than your post. I’ll get back to insulting one-liners next time. Unless you really do write about balloons. Then I’ll have to delve into the inveterate effects a popped balloon has on a five-year-old’s fear response.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08360674216761204660noreply@blogger.com