I get the impression from things various people have said that the
phrase "I'm just saying" means something different in American English
from what it means in my (South African) dialect.

Example of my usage:

Me to wife: The printer's not working.
Wife to me: I'm sorry, I don't know what i can do about it.
Me to wife: I'm just saying.

Meaning: I dodn't expect you to do anything about it, it's just a
piece of information I'm giving you, and I don't expect you to act on
it.

"I'm just saying" is the oral equivalent of FYI.

But someone recently posted a cartoon on social media of a philosopher
saying to a group of students that "I'm just saying" was not a valid
conclusion to an argument. I was whoooshed.

Are there students in America who do think "I'm just saying" IS a
valid conclusion to an argument? Because to me it would meen, in that
context, "I'm not arguing for anything, I'm not advocating anything,
I'm just saying."

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

On 10/07/22 14:25, Steve Hayes wrote:
> I get the impression from things various people have said that the
> phrase "I'm just saying" means something different in American
> English from what it means in my (South African) dialect.
>
> Example of my usage:
>
> Me to wife: The printer's not working. Wife to me: I'm sorry, I don't
> know what i can do about it. Me to wife: I'm just saying.
>
> Meaning: I dodn't expect you to do anything about it, it's just a
> piece of information I'm giving you, and I don't expect you to act
> on it.
>
> "I'm just saying" is the oral equivalent of FYI.
>
> But someone recently posted a cartoon on social media of a
> philosopher saying to a group of students that "I'm just saying" was
> not a valid conclusion to an argument. I was whoooshed.
>
> Are there students in America who do think "I'm just saying" IS a
> valid conclusion to an argument? Because to me it would meen, in
> that context, "I'm not arguing for anything, I'm not advocating
> anything, I'm just saying."

This is just a guess, but maybe it was a parody of the sort of person
who says "I'm telling you, therefore it's true".

A bit like those who write "Do the research" or "You could look it up",
which are both shorthand for "You need to check the conspiracy web sites".

--
Peter Moylan Newcastle, NSW http://www.pmoylan.org

On 7/10/2022 2:52 AM, Peter Moylan wrote:
> Steve Hayes wrote:

>> I get the impression from things various people have said that the
>> phrase "I'm just saying" means something different in American
>> English from what it means in my (South African) dialect.
>>
>> Example of my usage:

>> Me to wife: The printer's not working. Wife to me: I'm sorry, I
>> don't know what i can do about it. Me to wife: I'm just saying.

>> Meaning: I dodn't expect you to do anything about it, it's just a
>> piece of information I'm giving you, and I don't expect you to act
>> on it.

>> "I'm just saying" is the oral equivalent of FYI.

>> But someone recently posted a cartoon on social media of a
>> philosopher saying to a group of students that "I'm just saying"
>> was not a valid conclusion to an argument. I was whoooshed.

>> Are there students in America who do think "I'm just saying" IS a
>> valid conclusion to an argument? Because to me it would meen, in
>> that context, "I'm not arguing for anything, I'm not advocating
>> anything, I'm just saying."

> This is just a guess, but maybe it was a parody of the sort of
> person who says "I'm telling you, therefore it's true". A bit like
> those who write "Do the research" or "You could look it up", which
> are both shorthand for "You need to check the conspiracy web sites".

I think I use it to mean "Please don't read between the lines". I mean
(or purport to mean*) that I intend none of the implications a hearer
might otherwise take from what I say.
_______________________

*It is a phrase that lends itself to ironic use.

On Sun, 10 Jul 2022 06:25:02 +0200, Steve Hayes
<hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

>I get the impression from things various people have said that the
>phrase "I'm just saying" means something different in American English
>from what it means in my (South African) dialect.
>
>Example of my usage:
>
>Me to wife: The printer's not working.
>Wife to me: I'm sorry, I don't know what i can do about it.
>Me to wife: I'm just saying.
>
>Meaning: I dodn't expect you to do anything about it, it's just a
>piece of information I'm giving you, and I don't expect you to act on
>it.
>
>"I'm just saying" is the oral equivalent of FYI.
>
>But someone recently posted a cartoon on social media of a philosopher
>saying to a group of students that "I'm just saying" was not a valid
>conclusion to an argument. I was whoooshed.
>
>Are there students in America who do think "I'm just saying" IS a
>valid conclusion to an argument? Because to me it would meen, in that
>context, "I'm not arguing for anything, I'm not advocating anything,
>I'm just saying."

To me it means "there's no guarantee that what I'm saying is correct."

On 10-Jul-22 7:52, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 10/07/22 14:25, Steve Hayes wrote:
>> I get the impression from things various people have said that the
>> phrase "I'm just saying" means something different in American
>> English from what it means in my (South African) dialect.
>>
>> Example of my usage:
>>
>> Me to wife: The printer's not working. Wife to me: I'm sorry, I don't
>> know what i can do about it. Me to wife: I'm just saying.
>>
>> Meaning: I dodn't expect you to do anything about it, it's just a
>> piece of information I'm giving you, and I don't expect you to act
>> on it.
>>
>> "I'm just saying" is the oral equivalent of FYI.
>>
>> But someone recently posted a cartoon on social media of a
>> philosopher saying to a group of students that "I'm just saying" was
>> not a valid conclusion to an argument. I was whoooshed.
>>
>> Are there students in America who do think "I'm just saying" IS a
>> valid conclusion to an argument? Because to me it would meen, in
>> that context, "I'm not arguing for anything, I'm not advocating
>> anything, I'm just saying."
>
> This is just a guess, but maybe it was a parody of the sort of person
> who says "I'm telling you, therefore it's true".
>
> A bit like those who write "Do the research" or "You could look it up",
> which are both shorthand for "You need to check the conspiracy web sites".

It sometimes means "Please don't shoot the messenger.".

--
Sam Plusnet

On 10/07/2022 4:25 p.m., Steve Hayes wrote:
> I get the impression from things various people have said that the
> phrase "I'm just saying" means something different in American English
> from what it means in my (South African) dialect.
>
> Example of my usage:
>
> Me to wife: The printer's not working.
> Wife to me: I'm sorry, I don't know what i can do about it.
> Me to wife: I'm just saying.
>
> Meaning: I dodn't expect you to do anything about it, it's just a
> piece of information I'm giving you, and I don't expect you to act on
> it.
>
> "I'm just saying" is the oral equivalent of FYI.
>
> But someone recently posted a cartoon on social media of a philosopher
> saying to a group of students that "I'm just saying" was not a valid
> conclusion to an argument. I was whoooshed.
>
> Are there students in America who do think "I'm just saying" IS a
> valid conclusion to an argument? Because to me it would meen, in that
> context, "I'm not arguing for anything, I'm not advocating anything,
> I'm just saying."
>

The way I hear it most often is as a way of disclaiming a conversational
implicature. So in your example, if the normal implicature from a
factual statement such as "The printer's not working" might be: [You
should fix it], but you feel that this would be an unreasonable demand,
or might start a fight, you can avoid it with "Just saying." Of course
the disclaimer works only if the person spoken to accepts it. Pragmatics
is slippery stuff.

So the students if, for example, they concluded in an essay or argument
that "America has too many guns", might add "I'm just saying" as a way
of dissociating themselves from any implied political position or
program of action on the problem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implicature

On Sun, 10 Jul 2022 06:27:01 -0400, CDB <bellemarecd@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 7/10/2022 2:52 AM, Peter Moylan wrote:
>> This is just a guess, but maybe it was a parody of the sort of
>> person who says "I'm telling you, therefore it's true". A bit like
>> those who write "Do the research" or "You could look it up", which
>> are both shorthand for "You need to check the conspiracy web sites".
>
>I think I use it to mean "Please don't read between the lines". I mean
>(or purport to mean*) that I intend none of the implications a hearer
>might otherwise take from what I say.

That's certainly how I use it, but I was told that no one under 50
uses it like that, and that "I'm just sayong" means anything but, and
that it is loaded with implications.

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

On Sun, 10 Jul 2022 21:38:08 +0100, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

>On 10-Jul-22 7:52, Peter Moylan wrote:
>> On 10/07/22 14:25, Steve Hayes wrote:
>>> I get the impression from things various people have said that the
>>> phrase "I'm just saying" means something different in American
>>> English from what it means in my (South African) dialect.
>>>
>>> Example of my usage:
>>>
>>> Me to wife: The printer's not working. Wife to me: I'm sorry, I don't
>>> know what i can do about it. Me to wife: I'm just saying.
>>>
>>> Meaning: I dodn't expect you to do anything about it, it's just a
>>> piece of information I'm giving you, and I don't expect you to act
>>> on it.
>>>
>>> "I'm just saying" is the oral equivalent of FYI.
>>>
>>> But someone recently posted a cartoon on social media of a
>>> philosopher saying to a group of students that "I'm just saying" was
>>> not a valid conclusion to an argument. I was whoooshed.
>>>
>>> Are there students in America who do think "I'm just saying" IS a
>>> valid conclusion to an argument? Because to me it would meen, in
>>> that context, "I'm not arguing for anything, I'm not advocating
>>> anything, I'm just saying."
>>
>> This is just a guess, but maybe it was a parody of the sort of person
>> who says "I'm telling you, therefore it's true".
>>
>> A bit like those who write "Do the research" or "You could look it up",
>> which are both shorthand for "You need to check the conspiracy web sites".
>
>It sometimes means "Please don't shoot the messenger.".

That I can understand.

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

On Mon, 11 Jul 2022 14:44:04 +1200, Ross Clark <benlizro@ihug.co.nz>
wrote:

>So the students if, for example, they concluded in an essay or argument
>that "America has too many guns", might add "I'm just saying" as a way
>of dissociating themselves from any implied political position or
>program of action on the problem.
>
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implicature

That sounds very complicated, and almost obfuscature to me.

"Implicate" in MyE carries a lot more cnnotations than "imply"

And does "implicature" mean anything more than "implication"?

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

On Mon, 11 Jul 2022 14:49:00 +0200, Steve Hayes
<hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

>On Sun, 10 Jul 2022 06:27:01 -0400, CDB <bellemarecd@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On 7/10/2022 2:52 AM, Peter Moylan wrote:
>>> This is just a guess, but maybe it was a parody of the sort of
>>> person who says "I'm telling you, therefore it's true". A bit like
>>> those who write "Do the research" or "You could look it up", which
>>> are both shorthand for "You need to check the conspiracy web sites".
>>
>>I think I use it to mean "Please don't read between the lines". I mean
>>(or purport to mean*) that I intend none of the implications a hearer
>>might otherwise take from what I say.
>
>That's certainly how I use it, but I was told that no one under 50
>uses it like that, and that "I'm just sayong" means anything but, and
>that it is loaded with implications.

I'm far from being under 50, but I never use it like that, nor do I
use it any other way. I don't use it at all.

On 2022-07-10, Peter Moylan wrote:

> On 10/07/22 14:25, Steve Hayes wrote:
>> I get the impression from things various people have said that the
>> phrase "I'm just saying" means something different in American
>> English from what it means in my (South African) dialect.
>>
>> Example of my usage:
>>
>> Me to wife: The printer's not working. Wife to me: I'm sorry, I don't
>> know what i can do about it. Me to wife: I'm just saying.
>>
>> Meaning: I dodn't expect you to do anything about it, it's just a
>> piece of information I'm giving you, and I don't expect you to act
>> on it.
>>
>> "I'm just saying" is the oral equivalent of FYI.
>>
>> But someone recently posted a cartoon on social media of a
>> philosopher saying to a group of students that "I'm just saying" was
>> not a valid conclusion to an argument. I was whoooshed.
>>
>> Are there students in America who do think "I'm just saying" IS a
>> valid conclusion to an argument? Because to me it would meen, in
>> that context, "I'm not arguing for anything, I'm not advocating
>> anything, I'm just saying."
>
> This is just a guess, but maybe it was a parody of the sort of person
> who says "I'm telling you, therefore it's true".
>
> A bit like those who write "Do the research" or "You could look it up",
> which are both shorthand for "You need to check the conspiracy web sites".

Cf. "I'm not racist but...."

--
yes, I know the secrets of the circuitry mind
it's a flaming wonder telepath

On 12/07/2022 1:00 a.m., Steve Hayes wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Jul 2022 14:44:04 +1200, Ross Clark <benlizro@ihug.co.nz>
> wrote:
>
>> So the students if, for example, they concluded in an essay or argument
>> that "America has too many guns", might add "I'm just saying" as a way
>> of dissociating themselves from any implied political position or
>> program of action on the problem.
>>
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implicature
>
> That sounds very complicated, and almost obfuscature to me.
>
> "Implicate" in MyE carries a lot more cnnotations than "imply"
>
> And does "implicature" mean anything more than "implication"?
>

I was taking the term from Grice, who apparently invented it. (See the
Wiki article.) He talked about "conversational implicature", and I think
the new word was coined precisely to be different from "implication",
which already had a use in logic (connected to "imply"). And I don't
think "implicate" (meaning involve, with negative connotations) was in
his mind.

* Ross Clark:

> On 10/07/2022 4:25 p.m., Steve Hayes wrote:
>> I get the impression from things various people have said that the
>> phrase "I'm just saying" means something different in American English
>> from what it means in my (South African) dialect.
>>
>> Example of my usage:
>>
>> Me to wife: The printer's not working.
>> Wife to me: I'm sorry, I don't know what i can do about it.
>> Me to wife: I'm just saying.
>>
>> Meaning: I dodn't expect you to do anything about it, it's just a
>> piece of information I'm giving you, and I don't expect you to act on
>> it.
>>
>> "I'm just saying" is the oral equivalent of FYI.
>>
>> But someone recently posted a cartoon on social media of a philosopher
>> saying to a group of students that "I'm just saying" was not a valid
>> conclusion to an argument. I was whoooshed.
>>
>> Are there students in America who do think "I'm just saying" IS a
>> valid conclusion to an argument? Because to me it would meen, in that
>> context, "I'm not arguing for anything, I'm not advocating anything,
>> I'm just saying."
>>
>
> The way I hear it most often is as a way of disclaiming a conversational
> implicature. So in your example, if the normal implicature from a
> factual statement such as "The printer's not working" might be: [You
> should fix it], but you feel that this would be an unreasonable demand,
> or might start a fight, you can avoid it with "Just saying." Of course
> the disclaimer works only if the person spoken to accepts it. Pragmatics
> is slippery stuff.
>
> So the students if, for example, they concluded in an essay or argument
> that "America has too many guns", might add "I'm just saying" as a way
> of dissociating themselves from any implied political position or
> program of action on the problem.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implicature

That fits what I understand the phrase to communicate. In practice, this
can mean many things; for example, I feel a common use of the phrase is
to pre-empt counterarguments to a stance someone takes that they
intuitively like, but aren't really ready and equipped to defend, or
maybe they just fear it would be too controversial to really argue out
with specific people that they know to be opposed to it.

--
....an explanatory principle - like "gravity" or "instinct" -
really explains nothing. It's a sort of conventional agreement
between scientists to stop trying to explain things at a
certain point. -- Gregory Bateson

In message <b9kkch5dssop0huthcl3tv1isffapnrvb2@4ax.com> Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:
> I get the impression from things various people have said that the
> phrase "I'm just saying" means something different in American English
> from what it means in my (South African) dialect.

> Example of my usage:

> Me to wife: The printer's not working.
> Wife to me: I'm sorry, I don't know what i can do about it.
> Me to wife: I'm just saying.

> Meaning: I dodn't expect you to do anything about it, it's just a
> piece of information I'm giving you, and I don't expect you to act on
> it.

Yes, that is perfectly normal in AmE.

> But someone recently posted a cartoon on social media of a philosopher
> saying to a group of students that "I'm just saying" was not a valid
> conclusion to an argument. I was whoooshed.

More context would be needed.

> Are there students in America who do think "I'm just saying" IS a
> valid conclusion to an argument?

It certainly can be.

> Because to me it would meen, in that context, "I'm not arguing for
> anything, I'm not advocating anything, I'm just saying."

This is perfectly normal in AmE.

--
First we must assume a spherical cow.

On Mon, 11 Jul 2022 20:39:55 -0400, Quinn C
<lispamateur@crommatograph.info> wrote:

>* Ross Clark:
>> So the students if, for example, they concluded in an essay or argument
>> that "America has too many guns", might add "I'm just saying" as a way
>> of dissociating themselves from any implied political position or
>> program of action on the problem.
>>
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implicature
>
>That fits what I understand the phrase to communicate. In practice, this
>can mean many things; for example, I feel a common use of the phrase is
>to pre-empt counterarguments to a stance someone takes that they
>intuitively like, but aren't really ready and equipped to defend, or
>maybe they just fear it would be too controversial to really argue out
>with specific people that they know to be opposed to it.

That sounds different from my usage, then.

It sounds like something someone appends to a statement.

I only use it in response to a response that indicates that the person
has inferred something from my statement that I was not implying (or
implicating, if you prefer).

For me, "I'm just saying" means (and is shorthand for) "I'm not
expecting you to do anything about it, I'm just informing you that X
is the case."

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

Ross Clark:

> So in your example, if the normal implicature
> from a factual statement such as "The printer's
> not working" might be: [You should fix it], but
> you feel that this would be an unreasonable de-
> mand, or might start a fight, you can avoid it
> with "Just saying."

One of the most useful psychological skills is
never to attach such personal implications to com-
plaints one hears, and calmly to ignore them if
they are there. If somebody wants you to fix that
printer, let them pluck enough courage to offer an
explicature.

--
() ascii ribbon campaign - against html e-mail
/\ http://preview.tinyurl.com/qcy6mjc [archived]

On 12/07/22 19:18, Anton Shepelev wrote:
> Ross Clark:
>
>> So in your example, if the normal implicature
>> from a factual statement such as "The printer's
>> not working" might be: [You should fix it], but
>> you feel that this would be an unreasonable de-
>> mand, or might start a fight, you can avoid it
>> with "Just saying."
>
> One of the most useful psychological skills is
> never to attach such personal implications to com-
> plaints one hears, and calmly to ignore them if
> they are there. If somebody wants you to fix that
> printer, let them pluck enough courage to offer an
> explicature.

They will, of course, label you as passive-aggressive.

--
Peter Moylan Newcastle, NSW http://www.pmoylan.org

On 12/07/2022 11:43 am, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 12/07/22 19:18, Anton Shepelev wrote:
>> Ross Clark:
>>
>>> So  in  your  example, if the normal implicature
>>> from a factual statement such as "The  printer's
>>> not  working" might be: [You should fix it], but
>>> you feel that this would be an unreasonable  de-
>>> mand,  or  might start a fight, you can avoid it
>>> with "Just saying."
>>
>> One of the most  useful  psychological  skills  is
>> never to attach such personal implications to com-
>> plaints one hears, and calmly to  ignore  them  if
>> they are there.  If somebody wants you to fix that
>> printer, let them pluck enough courage to offer an
>> explicature.
>
> They will, of course, label you as passive-aggressive.

Is that labelling not in itself passive-aggressive?

--
Richard Heathfield
Email: rjh at cpax dot org dot uk
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
Sig line 4 vacant - apply within

On Tue, 12 Jul 2022 12:18:35 +0300, Anton Shepelev
<anton.txt@g{oogle}mail.com> wrote:

>Ross Clark:
>
>> So in your example, if the normal implicature
>> from a factual statement such as "The printer's
>> not working" might be: [You should fix it], but
>> you feel that this would be an unreasonable de-
>> mand, or might start a fight, you can avoid it
>> with "Just saying."
>
>One of the most useful psychological skills is
>never to attach such personal implications to com-
>plaints one hears, and calmly to ignore them if
>they are there. If somebody wants you to fix that
>printer, let them pluck enough courage to offer an
>explicature.

An explicature? Is that a special tool used to fix printers?

On 12/07/22 20:50, Richard Heathfield wrote:
> On 12/07/2022 11:43 am, Peter Moylan wrote:
>> On 12/07/22 19:18, Anton Shepelev wrote:
>>> Ross Clark:
>>>
>>>> So in your example, if the normal implicature from a factual
>>>> statement such as "The printer's not working" might be: [You
>>>> should fix it], but you feel that this would be an unreasonable
>>>> de- mand, or might start a fight, you can avoid it with "Just
>>>> saying."
>>>
>>> One of the most useful psychological skills is never to
>>> attach such personal implications to com- plaints one hears, and
>>> calmly to ignore them if they are there. If somebody wants
>>> you to fix that printer, let them pluck enough courage to offer
>>> an explicature.
>>
>> They will, of course, label you as passive-aggressive.
>
> Is that labelling not in itself passive-aggressive?

There will be claims and counter-claims, of course, but really the whole
thing is moot. By the time you reach the point described by Anton, there
is negligible chance of being able to rescue the relationship.

--
Peter Moylan Newcastle, NSW http://www.pmoylan.org

On Monday, Ken Blake pointed out that ...
> On Mon, 11 Jul 2022 14:49:00 +0200, Steve Hayes
> <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 10 Jul 2022 06:27:01 -0400, CDB <bellemarecd@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 7/10/2022 2:52 AM, Peter Moylan wrote:
>>>> This is just a guess, but maybe it was a parody of the sort of
>>>> person who says "I'm telling you, therefore it's true". A bit like
>>>> those who write "Do the research" or "You could look it up", which
>>>> are both shorthand for "You need to check the conspiracy web sites".
>>>
>>> I think I use it to mean "Please don't read between the lines". I mean
>>> (or purport to mean*) that I intend none of the implications a hearer
>>> might otherwise take from what I say.
>>
>> That's certainly how I use it, but I was told that no one under 50
>> uses it like that, and that "I'm just sayong" means anything but, and
>> that it is loaded with implications.
>
>
> I'm far from being under 50, but I never use it like that, nor do I
> use it any other way. I don't use it at all.

But you're very useful for giving us a view of archaic formulations, so
carry on.

/dps "lawns, for the offing of"

--
We’ve learned way more than we wanted to know about the early history
of American professional basketball, like that you could have once
watched a game between teams named the Indianapolis Kautskys and the
Akron Firestone Non-Skids. -- fivethirtyeight.com

On Tue, 12 Jul 2022 07:04:34 -0000 (UTC), Lewis
<g.kreme@gmail.dontemailme.com> wrote:

>In message <b9kkch5dssop0huthcl3tv1isffapnrvb2@4ax.com> Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:
>> I get the impression from things various people have said that the
>> phrase "I'm just saying" means something different in American English
>> from what it means in my (South African) dialect.
>
>> Example of my usage:
>
>> Me to wife: The printer's not working.
>> Wife to me: I'm sorry, I don't know what i can do about it.
>> Me to wife: I'm just saying.
>
>> Meaning: I dodn't expect you to do anything about it, it's just a
>> piece of information I'm giving you, and I don't expect you to act on
>> it.
>
>Yes, that is perfectly normal in AmE.
>
>> But someone recently posted a cartoon on social media of a philosopher
>> saying to a group of students that "I'm just saying" was not a valid
>> conclusion to an argument. I was whoooshed.
>
>More context would be needed.
>
>> Are there students in America who do think "I'm just saying" IS a
>> valid conclusion to an argument?
>
>It certainly can be.
>
>> Because to me it would meen, in that context, "I'm not arguing for
>> anything, I'm not advocating anything, I'm just saying."
>
>This is perfectly normal in AmE.

Thank you.

Someone on another forum has offered a different explanation -- that
there are two different styles of communication, one with implications
and the other without.

The example she gave was that her husband was carrying something and
said "This load is heavy" and she responded, "Yes, it is."

Later he said he had asked her to help him carry it, and she said he
hadn't.

His mode of communication meant that giving information implied that
he wanted someone else to do something about it, but hers was that
information was just information, and a request for help should be
explicit.

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

On 14/07/22 14:49, Steve Hayes wrote:

> Someone on another forum has offered a different explanation -- that
> there are two different styles of communication, one with
> implications and the other without.
>
> The example she gave was that her husband was carrying something and
> said "This load is heavy" and she responded, "Yes, it is."
>
> Later he said he had asked her to help him carry it, and she said he
> hadn't.
>
> His mode of communication meant that giving information implied that
> he wanted someone else to do something about it, but hers was that
> information was just information, and a request for help should be
> explicit.

Good point.

I've been caught in that trap many times in the past. Apparently I'm not
very good at hearing what was not said.

--
Peter Moylan Newcastle, NSW http://www.pmoylan.org

On 2022-07-13 23:13, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 14/07/22 14:49, Steve Hayes wrote:
>
>> Someone on another forum has offered a different explanation -- that
>> there are two different styles of communication, one with
>> implications and the other without.
>>
>> The example she gave was that her husband was carrying something and
>> said "This load is heavy" and she responded, "Yes, it is."
>>
>> Later he said he had asked her to help him carry it, and she said he
>> hadn't.
>>
>> His mode of communication meant that giving information implied that
>> he wanted someone else to do something about it, but hers was that
>> information was just information, and a request for help should be
>> explicit.
>
> Good point.
>
> I've been caught in that trap many times in the past. Apparently I'm not
> very good at hearing what was not said.

My feeling about hints.

I don't respond to subtle hints.
I don't respond to strong hints.
If you want me to do something, just tell me.

--
Glibido (v): All talk and no action.

On 14/07/2022 10:00 pm, lar3ryca wrote:
> On 2022-07-13 23:13, Peter Moylan wrote:
>> On 14/07/22 14:49, Steve Hayes wrote:
>>
>>> Someone on another forum has offered a different explanation
>>> -- that
>>> there are two different styles of communication, one with
>>> implications and the other without.
>>>
>>> The example she gave was that her husband was carrying
>>> something and
>>> said "This load is heavy" and she responded, "Yes, it is."
>>>
>>> Later he said he had asked her to help him carry it, and she
>>> said he
>>> hadn't.
>>>
>>> His mode of communication meant that giving information
>>> implied that
>>> he wanted someone else to do something about it, but hers was
>>> that
>>> information was just information, and a request for help
>>> should be
>>> explicit.
>>
>> Good point.
>>
>> I've been caught in that trap many times in the past.
>> Apparently I'm not
>> very good at hearing what was not said.
>
> My feeling about hints.
>
> I don't respond to subtle hints.
> I don't respond to strong hints.
> If you want me to do something, just tell me.

ONE mood. ALL the damn time.

--
Richard Heathfield
Email: rjh at cpax dot org dot uk
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
Sig line 4 vacant - apply within