John Dolva Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 LANGUAGE The way people use words to describe things and events can lead to confiusions where in reality there need be none. So some awareness of this is also necessary. Over time I have noted a number of cases where the way different languages are structured and meanings of words differ, combined with collocuialisms, can create confusions. The most recent being the meaning of the word 'window' noun: a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air noun: a transparent opening in a vehicle that allow vision out of the sides or back; usually is capable of being opened noun: a transparent panel (as of an envelope) inserted in an otherwise opaque material noun: (computer science) a rectangular part of a computer screen that contains a display different from the rest of the screen noun: an opening in the wall of a building (usually to admit light and air) (Example: "He stuck his head in the window") noun: an opening that resembles a window in appearance or function (Example: "He could see them through a window in the trees") noun: the time period that is considered best for starting or finishing something (Example: "The expanded window will give us time to catch the thieves") noun: a pane in a window (Example: "The ball shattered the window") In the Dillard photos topic there is a determination of window. 'the third window from the right' can mean the third window pane, the third set of window panes(groups of four panes per sections) or the third opening in the wall (the third pair of sets of window panes) So a witness describing the location of someone may mean exactly the same as someone else but because of their different use of language and the reading of that statement by someone who uses the words in a different way needs to be kept in mind. This crosses over into different cultures. The frence say 'the tree green', the english 'the green tree', the swedish green 'thetree'. First floor in some cultures means the first floor above the ground floor, in others the ground floor is the first floor. NAMES I have a dvd of a number of relevant individuals naming Santo Trafficante, they ALL say Santos, but apparently its written correctly, Santo. Perhaps in Italian, tagging on an 's' is an equivalnet to turning John into Johnnie? Lee Harvey Oswald would to some cultures be written down as Lee(surname), Harvey Oswald. Or if the person is emphasising Oswald as the surname without explaining that that is what they are doing then someone might take that emphasis as meaning that is my main christian name, ie Oswald H. Lee or O.H. Lee. Chief justice Warrens family name is actually Varven from norway. His dad changed or anglisised it when arriving in america as often happened deliberately or unintentinally to many non english speaking migrants. THE SOUTH The south has a strong french heritage. much of the language and the way it's used is probably influenced in many ways. I know that as a migrant from Sweden with English as a second language, I regularly make mistakes or misunderstandings. For example last saturday need not mean the saturday just passed but can mean the saturday before that. Meanings of words is easier for me than names, as I tend to 'phoneticise' names according to how I hear them with a mix of Swedish and English influence. In australia there is a strong thread of slang that is incomprehensible to those nto in the know. I suspect this habit to carry over from convict slang when 'us' and 'them' were more clearly defined. Some amusing examples might be 'dead horse' for tomato sauce. A snitch, or grass is a dog, a lorry with a trailer is a truck and dog, etc etc etc. This slang thing seems to be strong in the south as well. Also some dominant organisations deliberately used words to identify themselves and to hide. Orion to the average person means a constellation. To a white supremacist it means 'our race is our nation'. In the JFK context this is obscured by absurd theories of aliens and cosmic influences. There are many other examples as well, I'll go into them in another thread. Also things change over time, so in the same culture one thing becomes another as time passess. I overemphasised the similarity of hair in a recent pure speculation thread, with input from Pat I paused and now am noticing that that hairstyle was actually very common then but would stand out today. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Anyway , a flexibility of mind around these issues needs to be maintained when evaluating evidence. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 [quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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