2009/12/23

引用符は何の意味?

The sign in the photo says:
× "Authentic" Lure Fishing Tackle & "Vintage" Outdoor Clothes
  • 好餌 (こうじ) (n) bait; decoy; lure;
  • 毛鈎 (けばり) (n) (fishing) fly; lure;
  • 釣り具 (つりぐ) (n) fishing gear; tackle;
  • (definitions from Edict)
Let's get the basic grammar mistakes out of the way first:
× "Authentic" Lures and Fishing Tackle & "Vintage" Outdoor Clothes
Fishing lures are countable, so you need an "s". If you don't put an "and" between "lure" and "fishing tackle", it seems like "lure" becomes an adverb describing "fishing", which makes no sense.
  • 意味をなす (いみをなす) (exp,v5s) to make sense; to be meaningful; (definition from Edict)
What I really want to talk about, though, is the quotation marks.
  • 引用符 (いんようふ) (n) quotation marks; quote marks; (definition from Edict)
Of course we usually use quotation marks to denote speech.
  • 示す (しめす) (v5s,vt) to denote; to show; to point out; to indicate; to exemplify; (P);
I used quotation marks in the explanation above to show that I'm talking about the words themselves. The maker of this sign doesn't intend to do that.

Maybe the only other use of quotation marks is to signify that we don't really believe what appears between them. It sounds like the shop owner doesn't really think the lures are authentic. He also doesn't think his clothes are really vintage. It sounds like he's running down his own products.
  • 糞みそに言う (くそみそにいう) (exp) to verbally attack (violently); to run down; to criticize severely; to criticise severely;
Maybe you've seen people do this gesture in an American TV drama:

It means that they don't really believe the word that they are emphasizing with this gesture.

You know, I really don't understand the American government. They say they want "peace", but in fact they are expanding the war in Afghanistan. They say there are "just" wars, as if killing could be just. It's hard to believe even a word they say.
正義 (せいぎ) (n) justice; right; righteousness; correct meaning; (P);
情義 (じょうぎ) (n) justice and humanity;
(definitions from Edict)

0 件のコメント:

コメントを投稿

フォロワー