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Direct & reported speech
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| NorWin | Date: Wednesday, 03 Apr 2013, 2:40 PM | Message # 1 |
 Stowaway
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| Hello again! Sorry for being MIA for a few weeks, I haven't forgotten you but got really busy with Uni work, among other things.
I tried to write a (very) short story the other day and this led me to wonder about direct speech, reported speech and the tenses affixes to use in each case.
Let's say that I'm telling a story going along the lines of "The man was walking in the forest. He saw his grandmother and said 'I am going to the city.'" The moment of enunciation is past, both in terms of universal and personal timelines. However, this is direct speech, these are the exact words that he uttered, and of course it was present then. So, which affixes should I use?
I had a few other questions but they're not really related to the topic so I'm unsure where to post them.. And of course I can't remember what they were, I really should have written them down somewhere.
Thank you for your patience!
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| StrangerComeKnocking | Date: Thursday, 04 Apr 2013, 4:18 PM | Message # 2 |
 Rihays, Master of Many Names
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| "The man was walking in the forest."
This is the broad picture; this is where you fix your references.
"He saw his grandmother..."
This is happening while he was walking in the forest, but I'm pretty sure it would still be pastUni-pastPers.
"...and said,"
Same because it is in the same stream as "saw"
"'I am going to the city.'"
This is another stream, and thus is presUni-presPers, I believe... o_O
---Walking---
------Saw---Said---
---------Going---
Make sense? I didn't think so. o_o *sneaks away* Rhiannon!
Quote (NorWin) I had a few other questions but they're not really related to the topic so I'm unsure where to post them
You are always welcome to make another thread, so it's all pretyt much the same topic and can be searched easier. There's also the Intermediate board.
Quote (NorWin) And of course I can't remember what they were, I really should have written them down somewhere.
Given that this seems to happen quite a bit, might I recommend carrying a pad of paper and pencil with you to write them down spontaneously?
"Everybody knows that everybody dies." -River Song
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| NorWin | Date: Thursday, 04 Apr 2013, 4:47 PM | Message # 3 |
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Stowaway
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| Actually, it does make sense to me, that's what I was thinking too. Thank you!
I usually do that, writing questions/doubts down on a piece of paper or in a text file, but sometimes questions appear when I'm, say, in the shower, and by the time I come back to my desk, my mind has moved on. -_-
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| LicoricePlease | Date: Sunday, 07 Apr 2013, 7:42 PM | Message # 4 |
 Guest
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| "The man was walking in the forest. He saw his grandmother and said 'I am going to the city.'"
My interpretation is that the tenses would be Uni-Past, Pers-Present.
There hasn't been a discussion about how to tell stories, but there would likely be multiple conventions, just as there are in English. For example, 2nd person story telling is almost exclusively present tense, while I've never seen 3rd person in anything but past tense. At the same time, I've seen 1st person in both present and past tenses.
In Gallifreyan, our main questions are whether we tell the story using Uni-afx or Pers-afx. Using Pers-afx, I think, would be a lot like using 1st person, as in, it would make the story more personal and connect us to the character, while Uni-afx would be distancing and focus more on plot and description than emotion. Once you choose a verb afx style to use, you could pick your tenses. We never see stories told Future tense in English, but in Gallifreyan, the main narration veryw ell could be future tense. This would not be limiting any more than telling a story Past tense is limiting.
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| NorWin | Date: Tuesday, 23 Apr 2013, 2:16 PM | Message # 5 |
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Stowaway
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| Hmm, I like the idea of having several possible combinations depending on the point of view/emphasis/...
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| Actualimeer | Date: Sunday, 11 Aug 2013, 2:36 PM | Message # 6 |
 Human
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| This thread has been quiet for a while, but I would like to know how Stowaway's work is going.
Also I would like to know everyone's thoughts on formal versus informal rules.
Based on the ceremonial dress and circular alphabet, I'm beginning to imagine the Time Lords and very artistic. Really I think I'm figuring they can all draw perfect circles freehand and must be on par with Leonardo DaVinci.
Sorry. Back on topic
Being proper scientists, would they use a very formal and object set of rules or are they more artistic and subjective? In the case of the former I think they would use the universal time line when ever possible. In the case of the later, they would use what ever time line most emphasized the point.
Of course this could be a matter of personal preference and may even depend on who the audience is.
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| StrangerComeKnocking | Date: Sunday, 11 Aug 2013, 4:34 PM | Message # 7 |
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Rihays, Master of Many Names
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| Quote (Actualimeer) Really I think I'm figuring they can all draw perfect circles freehand and must be on par with Leonardo DaVinci.
How's that? Just because of the circular writing? Believe me, my handwriting doesn't look all snazzy like this perfectly created font face.  I imagine they might have some handwriting issues.
Quote (Actualimeer) Being proper scientists, would they use a very formal and object set of rules or are they more artistic and subjective? In the case of the former I think they would use the universal time line when ever possible. In the case of the later, they would use what ever time line most emphasized the point.
I've always thought of Gallifreyans in general (never mind Time Lords x.x) to be sort of uppity and looking down from a very high horse. My thoughts would be that when addressing each other (and this may vary based on audience, societal rank, etc.) they would use Uni for formal situations and personal for informal, but if/when addressing non-Gallifreyans and/or people especially despised (societal "scum", renegade Time Lords, etc.) that they would be all over the place just as a way of showing off their own intellect and reasserting themselves as masters of the universe.
"Everybody knows that everybody dies." -River Song
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| Actualimeer | Date: Monday, 12 Aug 2013, 1:21 PM | Message # 8 |
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Human
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| Hmmm
A couple of thoughts.
First, (and off topic) do students at the academy get pretty little calligraphy set with stencils and protractors? Like those pen and pencil sets that students use to get.
Second, if they are this uppity telling stories in the most arduous and complex way possible might be high art. I conjecture that the greatest orators may have to regenerate during an epic do to exhaustion. Maybe.
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| StrangerComeKnocking | Date: Tuesday, 13 Aug 2013, 1:50 PM | Message # 9 |
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Rihays, Master of Many Names
Group: Administrators
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| Quote (Actualimeer) Second, if they are this uppity telling stories in the most arduous and complex way possible might be high art. I conjecture that the greatest orators may have to regenerate during an epic do to exhaustion. Maybe.
That would be freaking hilarious.
"Everybody knows that everybody dies." -River Song
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