12-13-2014, 12:34 PM
No, as I mentioned at the end of my rant, I had killed my fox, that is I had pulled your leg. I quite agree with the idea of culling, we have the same problem with deer here. Nobody wants hunters to kill Bambi, well that is until they find Bambi in their living room, having broken the very expensive plate glass window (that the insurance company will try not to reimburse as an act of nature) to get in, not to mention trashed everything in that part of the house: paintings, electronics, furniture, et.al.. The projectile weapons I referred to were meant to be guns. Spears? No, I don't think you are Highlanders who wish to bath in the blud of their kill :)
In terms of the terminology, I think you do not realise just how exclusive you are actually being, or what kind of a burden you are placing on your reader, or in the long run what kind of arrogance that suggests; that you are of such high stature as a writer as to be worthy of such as effort on the part of your reader. .
Of the exclusiveness I can't convince you, I can only state it, but I think you know I am no lightweight when it comes to vocabulary, nor am I below average in overall knowledge of world historical events (of course I am going to know less about Britain's history than a native, but compared to most Americans I would be considered quite astute, whether you choose to acknowledge that or not. Although I grew up in a small town, my fathers people were farm people, and I spent a fair amount of time on their farm in my youth. I was taught how to shoot a gun by the age of ten, and owned my own semi-automatic .22 long rifle by that age also. I was taught to tract various animals, usual those that were bothersome animals to the workings of the farm. We never needed to use a larger caliber in most cases unless it was some sort of cat, or a coyote. The cats were of the smaller type, wildcats, bobcats, lynx, we never saw any jaguars, or puma in that area, although they were known a little further south. My father was such a proficient shot with a .22 he could light a match at fifty yards. I could never even hit a match at fifty yards. I was lucky to hit a can, but then again he was much more patient than I. As I grew to adult hood I left behind hunting as it generally made me sick to kill things, that however does not make me ignorant about it. Still there were ten to twelve words in your poem which I had to look up, I personally think that is excessive. Considering my background in literature it is fairly easy for me to "look up" a word's definitions and with little effort in most cases integrate it into the reading. A general reader does not have such experience and so would much more easily get frustrated and have a greater difficulty integrating the definition of the word into the reading, and would become much more easily frustrated. Even if the reader were a American hunter, I think few of the words would be similar, maybe "quarterers", and other terms specifically related to hunting dogs, but that is still a very small part of the population.
I am not saying to remove these words. I am saying that you show an amazing lack of empathy for your readers, and an arrogance beyond that of T.S. Elliot, by not footnoting the definitions of these words so at least your readers will only have to go to the bottom of the page to get the information. Just one specific and I'll conclude. Although I am all for picturesque language, if there is not a picture next to the definition of "Texels" then you might just as well use the word sheep, for it will make no difference to the reader. When I read it, that is what I read. I did not see "pig-faced sheep" I saw no faces at all. I saw a herd of sheep trying to cross a road when someone is trying to pass. The term did not bring up anything nostalgic for me, nor did I remember being on Uncle Ben's farm and playing hide and seek among the Texels with my cousins Bill and Ted. Nope, all I saw were plain old sheep.
BTW Here is the definition the dictionary gives for Texels...that is if you look far enough.
"a breed of sheep originating from the Netherlands having a heavy white fleece: kept for the production of lean lambs"
Nope nothing about pig-faced.
"Hmmm. All is googleable. I have never heard a huntsman call the fox "Reynard" but but is in common usage amongst the illiterate classes...which may explain why you haven't heard it before. More likely the officionados(is this meant as a play on words?) would use quarry, Basil, Sly, Ol'sly, Freddie."
Just the above quote shows how out of touch you are on this. The only term I have heard from the above is "quarry" and that as a generic term for anything one would hunt. Primarily I think I have heard it used by Elmer Fudd on Bugs Bunny, possibly in Little Abner. However I have generally heard it used to describe the place where Fred Flintstone works. A rock quarry. To quarry stone. Later used in WWII films regarding the opponent in dogfights. Or the opponent between submarines. Still it is by far the most common word used in the list. The rest seem fairly provincial, as do most of the words I pointed out in your poem.
Basil is an herb. There is also Basil Rathbone (who I suspect was more well known than your usage). Right up there with Errol Flynn I believe.
Freddie was Eliza Doolittle's boyfriend's name in "My Fair Lady". He sang "On the Street Where You Live", I'm sure you recall?
Sly, the nickname of the so called "actor" who played "Rocky", also Sly and the Family Stone. Surely you've heard of them, they are world famous.
Ol'sly, obviously a British spelling of "Owsley", the chap who produced copious amounts of LSD to fuel the chemical side of the cultural revolution of the 60'.
Pinks, has several definitions. Pink slips, car titles. Last pay check due to firing. As they say on "Big Bang Theory" refers to certain "Lady Parts". Also slang referring to a branding by Victoria Secrets.
Thomas, Saint Thomas Aquinas, or Thomas the doubter, follower of Jesus in the Bible. Also a book in the Nag Hammadi library, "Gospel of Thomas". Although not part of the Nag Hammadi Library, one of my favs is "Gospel of Mary Magdalene". I like the part where the disciples are complaining about Jesus spending so much time with Mary. They say, Why are you spending so much time with her, she is a woman, she cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus replies, I will make her a man... The possibilities are endless. I wonder if that is where the rocky Horror Show got that line, and title for that song, "I Can Make You a Man", sung of course by Frank N. Furter, Janet and and Transylvanians. I'm sure you've sang it before as part of the audience. Who did you dress up as? I'm betting "Dr. Scott." (Sorry off Topic of Camphor).
To illustrate the difficulty for the reader when one uses too much provincial/obscure language in a piece of writing (and I removed about half).
"A conversation with my Father while working in the oilfields."
Well throw some casing head on it and hit it with a sucker-rod, the damn things sucking air, but we don't have time to pull it today. It doesn't make much anyway. Just shut the thing down. We still have to change out the old gun barrel and see if circulating that new chemical through help the VS so they'll take the stuff this time. There's a big blow coming tomorrow I just hope the primaries hold this time.
Yeah, I know, I hate having to stick those things when it's windy and wet.
If they blow I'll call you so you can meet me here.
Gee, thanks!
Did you grease the powerhouse and make sure number 19 is hitting down.
Yeah, but we're gonna hav'ta change out that line 'fore too long, it's almost worn through, or at least a few rods.
That's true, but not today, we already need a bigger plate.
Yeah, but if it breaks, it will throw the power out of balance and burn up that 50 HP motor which will cost a shinny penny. I could come back this evening and change out the worst ones.
I thought you had class tomorrow.
I do but they don't start till noon, but I'll get enough, I'll just have to leave early from out here.
Well OK if you want to. I'll tell Briscoe to come over when he is done and give you a hand, getting that power stopped is more than a one man job.
I've done it before.
Yeah I know you have, but if something should go wrong, there would be no one here to call an ambulance.
OK, I'll wait for Briscoe.
Good, I'm off to the North Roller to put some drip in the Witte. I'll probably walk so you won't be able to get a hold of me for awhile, but I should be back before you get to the Body. Hit me on the 2-way and let me know how things are when you get there, I should be back in pocket by then.
Sure, I'll stop by Loyd's and see how Hitler is doing with his bite, and let you know. I can't believe it didn't kill him.
Big dumb dog. Never seen a white German Shepard before. Make sure the light oil reserve on the water pump is full and correctly discharging, those ceramics will break quick if they get too hot, and that is also a pretty penny. Jack has been having trouble keeping it clear, although I suspect the problem is more about Jack than the pump since we never have that problem over here. Make sure he is using the right viscosity. I suspect he is using a heavier because he is too God damn lazy to walk the extra ten feet. I know you don't want to, but I may have to move you to that lease, and pull him over here where I can keep an eye on him. Be sure and change the paper on the chart house first thing when you arrive, so you can check it when you leave.
OK I'll go in the back way, less chance of the scaly guards at the gate.
I've gone over there and a number of times it has not been changed. The output is dropping and it may be because the water-flooding has stopped, but he doesn't know it because he never changes the chart. You still got your snake charmer? Good! I killed one by the gate, and one right by the door of the chart house. Keep an eye out, you know it's shedding season, and they're virtual blind and will strike at anything. Stay safe.
"Hmmm. All is googleable." :hysterical:
In terms of the terminology, I think you do not realise just how exclusive you are actually being, or what kind of a burden you are placing on your reader, or in the long run what kind of arrogance that suggests; that you are of such high stature as a writer as to be worthy of such as effort on the part of your reader. .
Of the exclusiveness I can't convince you, I can only state it, but I think you know I am no lightweight when it comes to vocabulary, nor am I below average in overall knowledge of world historical events (of course I am going to know less about Britain's history than a native, but compared to most Americans I would be considered quite astute, whether you choose to acknowledge that or not. Although I grew up in a small town, my fathers people were farm people, and I spent a fair amount of time on their farm in my youth. I was taught how to shoot a gun by the age of ten, and owned my own semi-automatic .22 long rifle by that age also. I was taught to tract various animals, usual those that were bothersome animals to the workings of the farm. We never needed to use a larger caliber in most cases unless it was some sort of cat, or a coyote. The cats were of the smaller type, wildcats, bobcats, lynx, we never saw any jaguars, or puma in that area, although they were known a little further south. My father was such a proficient shot with a .22 he could light a match at fifty yards. I could never even hit a match at fifty yards. I was lucky to hit a can, but then again he was much more patient than I. As I grew to adult hood I left behind hunting as it generally made me sick to kill things, that however does not make me ignorant about it. Still there were ten to twelve words in your poem which I had to look up, I personally think that is excessive. Considering my background in literature it is fairly easy for me to "look up" a word's definitions and with little effort in most cases integrate it into the reading. A general reader does not have such experience and so would much more easily get frustrated and have a greater difficulty integrating the definition of the word into the reading, and would become much more easily frustrated. Even if the reader were a American hunter, I think few of the words would be similar, maybe "quarterers", and other terms specifically related to hunting dogs, but that is still a very small part of the population.
I am not saying to remove these words. I am saying that you show an amazing lack of empathy for your readers, and an arrogance beyond that of T.S. Elliot, by not footnoting the definitions of these words so at least your readers will only have to go to the bottom of the page to get the information. Just one specific and I'll conclude. Although I am all for picturesque language, if there is not a picture next to the definition of "Texels" then you might just as well use the word sheep, for it will make no difference to the reader. When I read it, that is what I read. I did not see "pig-faced sheep" I saw no faces at all. I saw a herd of sheep trying to cross a road when someone is trying to pass. The term did not bring up anything nostalgic for me, nor did I remember being on Uncle Ben's farm and playing hide and seek among the Texels with my cousins Bill and Ted. Nope, all I saw were plain old sheep.
BTW Here is the definition the dictionary gives for Texels...that is if you look far enough.
"a breed of sheep originating from the Netherlands having a heavy white fleece: kept for the production of lean lambs"
Nope nothing about pig-faced.
"Hmmm. All is googleable. I have never heard a huntsman call the fox "Reynard" but but is in common usage amongst the illiterate classes...which may explain why you haven't heard it before. More likely the officionados(is this meant as a play on words?) would use quarry, Basil, Sly, Ol'sly, Freddie."
Just the above quote shows how out of touch you are on this. The only term I have heard from the above is "quarry" and that as a generic term for anything one would hunt. Primarily I think I have heard it used by Elmer Fudd on Bugs Bunny, possibly in Little Abner. However I have generally heard it used to describe the place where Fred Flintstone works. A rock quarry. To quarry stone. Later used in WWII films regarding the opponent in dogfights. Or the opponent between submarines. Still it is by far the most common word used in the list. The rest seem fairly provincial, as do most of the words I pointed out in your poem.
Basil is an herb. There is also Basil Rathbone (who I suspect was more well known than your usage). Right up there with Errol Flynn I believe.
Freddie was Eliza Doolittle's boyfriend's name in "My Fair Lady". He sang "On the Street Where You Live", I'm sure you recall?
Sly, the nickname of the so called "actor" who played "Rocky", also Sly and the Family Stone. Surely you've heard of them, they are world famous.
Ol'sly, obviously a British spelling of "Owsley", the chap who produced copious amounts of LSD to fuel the chemical side of the cultural revolution of the 60'.
Pinks, has several definitions. Pink slips, car titles. Last pay check due to firing. As they say on "Big Bang Theory" refers to certain "Lady Parts". Also slang referring to a branding by Victoria Secrets.
Thomas, Saint Thomas Aquinas, or Thomas the doubter, follower of Jesus in the Bible. Also a book in the Nag Hammadi library, "Gospel of Thomas". Although not part of the Nag Hammadi Library, one of my favs is "Gospel of Mary Magdalene". I like the part where the disciples are complaining about Jesus spending so much time with Mary. They say, Why are you spending so much time with her, she is a woman, she cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus replies, I will make her a man... The possibilities are endless. I wonder if that is where the rocky Horror Show got that line, and title for that song, "I Can Make You a Man", sung of course by Frank N. Furter, Janet and and Transylvanians. I'm sure you've sang it before as part of the audience. Who did you dress up as? I'm betting "Dr. Scott." (Sorry off Topic of Camphor).
To illustrate the difficulty for the reader when one uses too much provincial/obscure language in a piece of writing (and I removed about half).
"A conversation with my Father while working in the oilfields."
Well throw some casing head on it and hit it with a sucker-rod, the damn things sucking air, but we don't have time to pull it today. It doesn't make much anyway. Just shut the thing down. We still have to change out the old gun barrel and see if circulating that new chemical through help the VS so they'll take the stuff this time. There's a big blow coming tomorrow I just hope the primaries hold this time.
Yeah, I know, I hate having to stick those things when it's windy and wet.
If they blow I'll call you so you can meet me here.
Gee, thanks!
Did you grease the powerhouse and make sure number 19 is hitting down.
Yeah, but we're gonna hav'ta change out that line 'fore too long, it's almost worn through, or at least a few rods.
That's true, but not today, we already need a bigger plate.
Yeah, but if it breaks, it will throw the power out of balance and burn up that 50 HP motor which will cost a shinny penny. I could come back this evening and change out the worst ones.
I thought you had class tomorrow.
I do but they don't start till noon, but I'll get enough, I'll just have to leave early from out here.
Well OK if you want to. I'll tell Briscoe to come over when he is done and give you a hand, getting that power stopped is more than a one man job.
I've done it before.
Yeah I know you have, but if something should go wrong, there would be no one here to call an ambulance.
OK, I'll wait for Briscoe.
Good, I'm off to the North Roller to put some drip in the Witte. I'll probably walk so you won't be able to get a hold of me for awhile, but I should be back before you get to the Body. Hit me on the 2-way and let me know how things are when you get there, I should be back in pocket by then.
Sure, I'll stop by Loyd's and see how Hitler is doing with his bite, and let you know. I can't believe it didn't kill him.
Big dumb dog. Never seen a white German Shepard before. Make sure the light oil reserve on the water pump is full and correctly discharging, those ceramics will break quick if they get too hot, and that is also a pretty penny. Jack has been having trouble keeping it clear, although I suspect the problem is more about Jack than the pump since we never have that problem over here. Make sure he is using the right viscosity. I suspect he is using a heavier because he is too God damn lazy to walk the extra ten feet. I know you don't want to, but I may have to move you to that lease, and pull him over here where I can keep an eye on him. Be sure and change the paper on the chart house first thing when you arrive, so you can check it when you leave.
OK I'll go in the back way, less chance of the scaly guards at the gate.
I've gone over there and a number of times it has not been changed. The output is dropping and it may be because the water-flooding has stopped, but he doesn't know it because he never changes the chart. You still got your snake charmer? Good! I killed one by the gate, and one right by the door of the chart house. Keep an eye out, you know it's shedding season, and they're virtual blind and will strike at anything. Stay safe.
"Hmmm. All is googleable." :hysterical:
How long after picking up the brush, the first masterpiece?
The goal is not to obfuscate that which is clear, but make clear that which isn't.
The goal is not to obfuscate that which is clear, but make clear that which isn't.