[lit-ideas] Re: The Saga of Jenny

  • From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2004 16:56:00 EDT

 
 
STONE (hypothetical). Do you mind if I sit  _here_?
     Jenny: Yes.
                      "In twenty-four languages she couldn't say no".
                        
In a message dated 9/4/2004 3:28:08 PM Eastern Standard Time,  
judithevans001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
>(Paul Stone) writes: Two  things that piss me off:

>  1) when I say "Do you mind if I sit here?" and  the person being
>  asked says "Sure"


Jac> There may be an 'implicature' explanation  for the use of "Sure" as
Jac> ellipsistical for "Sure I don't". The  alternative, "Not at all", "No, I 
don't  mind"
Jac> bring an  element of _negativity_ ("Not", "don't") which the utterer may 
  not
Jac> feel like bringing about. "Sure" cannot be but _positive_  (affirmative).


I don't think there is an implicature like "Sure I  don't", but I think
you're right to bring in implicature and inference. If  someone says
"Do you mind if I sit here?" I never say simple "No", as they  take
that as "no you can't sit here".  A rapid "No, please do sit  here" is
a bit too much like hard work... I've opted for "Sure" ("you  may"
understood, or "please do", or simply a smile and a gesture to  the
chair/s.




-----
 
That's partly idiolectal.
 
I'm sure Geary has heard:
 
     Geary: Do you mind if I sit here?
     Person: I sure don't.
 
--- This adverbial use of 'sure' (vs. 'surely') is reminiscent of Stone's  "I 
literally shit in my pants", but not quite.
 
Note that according to Judy, the dialogue -- implicatures included --  goes:
 
    A: Do you mind if I sit here?
    B: Sure (+> you may)
 
-- but A never asked if they may or may not, only if B _minded_. So there  
seems to be something like a long-circuit implicature here:
 
   A: Do you mind if I sit here?
   B: Sure (+> you may -- as a consequence of
                      "I don't mind"
                      which is what A is inquiring (literally).
 
Ditto for Judy's other opted response:
 
   A: Do you mind if I sit here?
   B: Please do.
       with the implicature that B would  not _order_
       or utter the imperative "_do_"   unless B 
       did _not_ mind ("No, I don't mind"  coming out
       as implicated, then).
 
Cheers,
 
JL


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