A Homeric Moment.

“Thus on the other hand he at least naturally indeed spoke saying.”

Particles, eh? They always used to irritate me when I was learning German. You’d understand something (and German is the only language of which I can understand spoken forms, despite it’s reputation for difficulty), and then they’d say something like “Es ist doch schon gleich nun mal so!” and you’d want to throw up your hands in dismay. I wonder if heavy use of modal particles in German was what allowed the scholars in that country to nail the Ancient Greek language down in the nineteenth century.

Thanks. After reading this German line, I understand particles a bit better. That does not mean that I can translate them into English any better but I’ll have a better idea what they mean. I don’t really have to know how to translate them, but I should know what they mean. Dat is toch maar zo. :slight_smile:

mal in german imperatives I proposed to my german teacher is very much like our like like, as in “Komm mal!” come like to soften the abrupt and perhaps too serious message of the imperative. We also have “lol” originally used to express appreciation of humour in online chat nowadays as I have so painfully found out it has function f ( x )ing everywhere. Compare “you’re really nice lol” to “you’re really nice”; “I don’t know lol!” “I don’t know!” The particle removes gravity but also in my opinion reveals a slight hint of timidity in that it should be required anyhow, because there is nothing funny about telling some one to eat their function and f ( x ) off! (“f ( x ) off lol!” - so nice) Anyway I have written all this bollocks I am not deleting it but would like to acknowledge testis statum!

lol!

Or they can increase the gravity. Kom hier, → Come here.
Kom toch hier, → Come here PE-LEASE.
It has also many other uses.
Maar (mal in German) probably does not have as many different nuances as toch.

Koreans put “한 번(=ein mal, mal)” to lighten the imperative or any statement of “doing something”. Methinks in spite of the great difference of grammar and vocabulary, the internal workings of the mind of most people are very similar.

Indeed I should imagine doch in german might have the same effect in an imperative. Stupid particles so often they just can not be translated.

ROFL

Mingshey! Your avatar seems to have sprouted teeth! Am I seeing that correctly?

Yep. The secret goal of linguistics is to be united with psychology. :slight_smile: