Re: Ironic Use of Attitudinals

[Robin Turner <robin@BILKENT.EDU.TR>]

At 11:15 07/11/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Ashley Yakeley wrote:
>
>> I assume the refgram is merely saying that none of the attitudinals are
>> ironic by default, rather than that attitudinals should never be used
>> ironically. Is this right?
>
>The point is that *explicit* expressions of emotion in English are
>inherently somewhat ironic; English has a stiff-upper-lip assumption,
>especially in writing.  Not so Lojban.

Sounds like a good way to examine SWH.  If presented with a language which
doesn't have a "stiff-upper-lip assumption", will English (and specifically
male British english) speakers

(a) underuse attitudinal indicators,
(b) use them, but only because they feel they are called for, or
(c) use them, and reduce their own "stiff-upper-lip factor" as a result?

I often find myself becoming more emotional when speaking (or thinking in)
Turkish, but I'm not sure if this is a feature of the language, my lack of
proficiency in it (maybe I've missed some of the subtleties), or my
association of the Turkish language with Turkish culture, where displaying
emotion tends to be approved of (although there are the usual gender, class
and regional variations to be considered, of course). Lojban would provide
a more noise-free linguistic environment to look at this phenomenon.


Robin Turner

Bilkent Universitesi,
IDMYO,
Ankara,
Turkey.

<http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/8309>