British politeness

One of the key things in learning English is getting the rules of politeness. They are really very unique, and require a lot of analysis on both sides of the conversation. If you think adding "PLEASE" to your requests, for example, is enough, you are in for a big surprise. Have a look at some phrases that are used every day. Some are a bit tongue-in-cheek, but not as much as you would have thought. It's all about understatement, both in negative and positive messages being communicated. Have a look! :)

WHAT THE BRITISH SAY	WHAT THE BRITISH MEAN	WHAT FOREIGNERS UNDERSTAND
I hear what you say	I disagree and do not want to discuss it further	He accepts my point of view
With the greatest respect	You are an idiot	He is listening to me
That's not bad	That's good	That's poor
That is a very brave proposal	You are insane	He thinks I have courage
Quite good	A bit disappointing	Quite good
I would suggest	Do it or be prepared to justify yourself	Think about the idea, but do what you like
Oh, incidentally/ by the way	The primary purpose of our discussion is	That is not very important
I was a bit disappointed that	I am annoyed that	It doesn't really matter
Very interesting	That is clearly nonsense	They are impressed
I'll bear it in mind	I've forgotten it already	They will probably do it
I'm sure it's my fault	It's your fault	Why do they think it was their fault?
You must come for dinner	It's not an invitation, I'm just being polite	I will get an invitation soon
I almost agree	I don't agree at all	He's not far from agreement
I only have a few minor comments	Please rewrite completely	He has found a few typos
Could we consider some other options	I don't like your idea	They have not yet decided

Source: oxfamblogs.org

Clash of the titans ;)

Recently we talked about Philip Roth and his long career (with my 2MA group). We also watched a trailer for The Humbling, another film adaptation of Roth's work. To understand the clip below you should know that most of these adaptations have not been very successful, probably because of the complexity of Roth's narration and language. These are not simple stories to tell on the screen, which is perhaps why the author's attitude to the idea of another attempt is not very enthusiastic. Here is a story of how Al Pacino met Philip Roth, right after he had bought the rights for the book to be made into a film.



For those of you who have not seen the trailer, here it is:

#JeSuisCharlie

Heartbreaking ;(

Inspiring!

RIP

A photo posted by Banksy (@banksy) on Jan 1, 2015 at 3:02pm PST

R.I.P. Stanisław Barańczak

Very sad news arrived right after Christmas: Stanisław Barańczak has died. He was a genius poet and translator of Polish poetry into English and English poetry into Polish. For example, his Shakespeare is absolutely brilliant, effortless and funny (where it should be, of course). Let me divert from the usual format of our blogs, then, and include two samples of Baranczak's genius (in Polish) - a darker one, and a lighter one.

First, his poem:

Nazajutrz

Nazajutrz po kolejnym
zbiorowym samobójstwie zawsze tak samo
idzie się rano po gazety,
zawsze tak samo bieli się świeżo
spadły śnieg albo wschodzi
czyściutkie słońce letniego poranka, zawsze
tak samo dzwonią butelki z mlekiem i
pachną rogaliki, zawsze tak
samo mała dziewczynka z tornistrem
biegnie do szkoły i potyka się, i pada,
i tłucze kolano, i jest dużo płaczu, i w tym płaczu
jest zawsze
tak wiele życia

(11 II 76)

Now, to see and appreciate his humour, read these "Twitter"-like summaries of Shakespeare's plays"

Podstawowe utwory Williama Szekspira, przystępnym sposobem streszczone i dla celów mnemotechnicznych w formę wierszowaną przyodziane:

"HAMLET"
Duch: brat jad wlał do ucha.
Syn ducha: o, psiajucha!
Stryja w ryj? Drastyczny krok.
Zwłoka. Jej finał: stos zwłok.

"ROMEO I JULIA"
Rody Werony: wraży raban.
Młodzi: hormony. Starzy: szlaban.
Mnich: lekarstwem zielarstwo?
Finał: trup grubą warstwą.

"OTELLO"
Tło: gondole i doże.
Centrum uwagi: łoże.
Wąż: Jago. Mąż: "Ja go!…" Duszona:
Żona. Finał: obsada kona.

"MAKBET"
Szkot: bestia bitna.
Żona: ambitna.
Ręce umywa. Ma gdzieś.
Bór: marsz na mur! Finał: rzeź.

"KRÓL LEAR"
Król ojciec: lebiega.
Błazen: go ostrzega.
Córki: dwie złe, jedna lepsza.
Finał: wszystko się rozpieprza.