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http://redclaydiary.com/
or read his tale…
WRITING ALOUD AND TALKING SILENTLY
How do you write aloud? How do you talk silently?
I might actually have the answers to these two questions.
For instance, my early training centered around the task of writing words as if they were being spoken. For instance, the phrase “Your NPR station” looks fine—as is—on a sheet of paper or a screen. If I were copy writer, I might dash off “Your NPR station” and hand it to the cold-read radio announcer to be uttered in dulcet toned Southernese.
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Unfortunately, I have perhaps not taken time to test this phrase to see how the listener will ingest it. Thus, it comes out, “Urine Pee-er Station,” which throws a certain percentage of listeners into a state of confusion. Or produces a passel of giggles. Or fails utterly to communicate at all. One person only hears something about Urine or about a station designated for urination—wouldn’t that be a restroom? Another might stop listening to figure out why the redundancy—urine pee. Another would snort at the word Pee and ask why the vulgar usage, when urination is the correct and proper word. Even another might wonder what the meaning of the technical term “your in pr’s tays yun” might mean.
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It’s all potentially distracting, this multimeaninged string of syllables. In the old days, I would be assigned the duties of a re-write man and attempt to fix this, such as, “This broadcast comes to you from the National Public Radio Network, of which WBHM is a member.” Clumsier but clearer, since lots of folks do not know what NPR stands for or even what WBHM means.
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So, writing aloud is not as simple as it seems. I guess that is one half of my original point.
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The other question is, How do you talk silently?
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I walk into a store and see a bold sign near the front, NO EATING ON SALES FLOOR. The author obviously feels strongly about this all-CAP phrase and feels that its silent message is quite loud. And clear.
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NO EATING ON SALES FLOOR. Well, who would do that? Eat on the floor, I mean.
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What am I to do, actually go scrounging for a plate from which to eat, assuming the floor is not clean enough to eat off of? What kind of unsanitary place is this? Can’t the floors be sanitized?
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There must be a better way to sort this out and make clear what is intended. But that would require effort.
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Damn, things always require effort, don’t they?
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Maybe I should stop obsessing over things like this and sit quietly, watching a Public Television program
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But then, you know what happens next. The announcer says the show is brought to me by Viewer Sly Cue.
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Who is this person, Viewer Sly Cue? Why is he trying to mess with my head?
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I need a nap
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© Jim Reed 2018 A.D.