Subject: I mean, it's sort of like...
Author:
Posted on: 2019-01-14 21:39:00 UTC
...a filler phrase. Like "like" or "um". Except, like, it sort of bleeds into writing as well—my guess is because it's longer and feels less like an actual filler to us.
I mean, that's how I sort of interpret it, anyway. :P
I found Larklight on a bookshelf in my classroom in... oh, say fourth grade? fifth? Probably round about then.
I don't remember much about it, but I distinctly remember it being... weird. Really distinctly weird.
-It's about two twins that live in a house that orbits the moon.
-They get a visit from "Mr. Webster" of the "Royal Xenological Society," who is a giant white spider who's trying to kill them and take the house.
-The rest of the book features them attacking the giant spiders from beyond the solar system.
-There are moon moths that grab them when they escape the house.
-And alien pirates.
-Did I mention that this is all set in some weird steampunk 1700s-esque era where the British empire is a spacegoing power that travels through the Aether?
-Colonists to Venus got turned into trees by pollination, through some kind of disease.
It is trippy as all heck. Like, almost as much as Sharkboy and Lavagirl, but it feels a hell of a lot more well-developed. And it's so bizarrely memorable that I still remember it despite having probably not read or even seen it in almost a decade.
Okay, hearing that, I kinda want to pick up a copy myself just to see what it's like.
I loved it and barely remember anything abkut it now :(
... are you sure you weren't asleep and dreamed the whole thing?
I mean, are you positive?
^_~
hS
(Actually to be honest it sounds like something out of Space Captain Smith, which interestingly enough if you say that name three times it automatically summons a Scapegrace to the thread.)
So, like, what does "I mean" mean? This is only bugging me because both you and Twistey used the phrase in near proximity to each other. I use it myself.
But why? What does it signify? It's not literal, because declaring that you literally mean what you're about to say is redundant in most instances.
Is it ironic? Does it signify that you're about to say something you don't mean literally, or that the statement will require interpretation beyond the literal?
That seems to fit the two examples I'm looking at. What Twistey actually means (I think) is that the Star Wars prequels are not considered very good, so looking for a sensible character motivation in them is, perhaps, a waste of time.
And what you actually mean (I think) is that if hS or anyone else really wanted to know what this thing is, it's possible to find that information rather than being silly and poking fun at it/you.
Did y'all forget this is the PPC Posting Board? Trying to find logic in the absurd and taking serious things silly is what we do here. {; P
~Neshomeh
You been talkin' about me behind my back?! *intentionally exaggerated face of pretend anger*
Okay, so more seriously, although I didn't do so in my response to the Star Wars thing (I haven't seen enough of the prequels to do so), I feel that when faced with the absurd, finding logic is just a bit inferior to finding their logic (they being the person who did/made/etc the thing.) By that I mean psychology. While I understand that in some cases (such as Suethors, who we don't attack directly, or the perpetrators of serious incidents, who it's kind of pointless to analyze), it's not the best idea to try to figure out what they were thinking, using our logic won't always reveal the solution, because it's our logic, not theirs, and in some cases, we may be unintentionally assuming that others think the way we do.
-Twistey
... did intend to be silly, though.
hS
Albeit extremely poorly conveyed.
It has a wikipedia page, so either I didn't dream of this, or Wikipedia's editors have a line into my dreams and consider them notable.
More fun when you actually say it, though. {= )
I think that goes to my point that it's worth considering what you-general-inclusive mean when you say "I mean." Same with "like" or "so" or any of the other introductory filler words. Are you saying what a thing is like, or how it is? "So" what—is this really relevant? Are you saying what you mean, or not? Basically, I think these phrases have a function, less in and of themselves, but more in pointing out places where increased clarity may be warranted.
... And there's another one. "Basically." What's foundational about that statement? Have I figuratively gotten to the bottom-most level of some structure? I don't know! The word is completely superfluous nine out of ten times I want to use it, and yet I keep putting it in all the damn time. What's up with that?
This has been Neshomeh's Brain Fixating on a Trivial Question of Word Usage in Casual English. Thank you and enjoy your evening. {= )
~Neshomeh
What you mean by that seems to be 'this is a summary of the point I was trying to make'. I think it's characteristic of people who try to explain their reasoning, and then want to make sure that their actual argument didn't get lost in the flood. I do it (or related terms) a lot in work emails, which probably means I need to write shorter work emails. -_-
hS
...a filler phrase. Like "like" or "um". Except, like, it sort of bleeds into writing as well—my guess is because it's longer and feels less like an actual filler to us.
I mean, that's how I sort of interpret it, anyway. :P
Does that mean "I mean" is the latest symptom of the braindeath of the world's youth?
Because, you know, er, that's like, a thing, right?
^_~
~Neshomeh
No. :-P
Sidenote: Tomash uses "words" elongated when he can't think of what to say when talking to people. This habit has infected me.
Especially if what I'm trying to say is coming out mangled. "[blah blah blah] ack... words... [frustrated gestures] stuff... you get it?"
Sometimes people even get it!
~Neshomeh