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| From | "J. J. Farrell" <jjf@bcs.org.uk> |
|---|---|
| Newsgroups | comp.lang.c |
| Subject | Re: a doubt about c |
| Date | 2011-06-18 02:24 +0100 |
| Organization | A noiseless patient Spider |
| Message-ID | <itguok$ds7$1@dont-email.me> (permalink) |
| References | (4 earlier) <slrnivc4qh.1sqt.usenet-nospam@guild.seebs.net> <a7e60573-8039-40d8-9d19-206f9c3e689a@d19g2000prh.googlegroups.com> <51riv65nq1lcm6riqhko9mjucva2qk3ki6@4ax.com> <itdf5c$cvg$1@dont-email.me> <pan.2011.06.17.14.38.51.266000@nowhere.com> |
Nobody wrote: > On Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:39:56 +0100, J. J. Farrell wrote: > >> It is not a normal usage outside "Indian" English, to the extent that >> most speakers of other forms of English find it puzzling when they first >> come across it. > > Have you conducted a survey? No, but I remember my first coming across it, and I've observed many speakers of several other English dialects first coming across it. Depending on the context of how they first hit it, responses varied from slight puzzlement over an odd usage to simply not understanding what was being said. > I would be surprised if many people actually didn't understand it. People > might find it unusual, but that doesn't mean that the meaning is unclear. I think that depends entirely on the context in which they first come across it. In my case a brand new colleague came to my cube and said "Hi, I have a doubt for you". I guessed at several different things he could have meant, none of which was correct. I most suspected that he was saying he didn't understand something he'd been told, perhaps where to find something - but why would that be "for me"? I said "I'm sorry, I don't understand" and he replied "I just have a little doubt" - that headed me more in the right direction, but all confusion was removed by another Indian English speaker popping his head over the cube wall and saying "he means he has a question for you". In other contexts it would be much more obvious - "can I ask you a doubt" for example gives enough context, or "I have a doubt - what time do we go to lunch?". I've never known anyone come across this usage for the first time who wasn't a little taken aback and puzzled by it, even if the context gave them enough information to make the meaning clear.
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a doubt about c Ya Shou <zxyzxy12321@gmail.com> - 2011-06-11 06:11 -0700
Re: a doubt about c James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-06-11 09:36 -0400
Re: a doubt about c Angel <angel+news@spamcop.net> - 2011-06-11 14:37 +0000
Re: a doubt about c Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-06-11 11:55 -0700
Re: a doubt about c Angel <angel+news@spamcop.net> - 2011-06-11 20:41 +0000
Re: a doubt about c Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-06-12 08:58 +1200
Re: a doubt about c Shao Miller <sha0.miller@gmail.com> - 2011-06-11 17:09 -0500
Re: a doubt about c Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-06-11 18:25 -0400
Re: a doubt about c Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-06-12 11:43 +1200
Re: a doubt about c Nick Keighley <nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com> - 2011-06-12 05:38 -0700
Re: a doubt about c Roberto Waltman <usenet@rwaltman.com> - 2011-06-12 10:12 -0400
Re: a doubt about c Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-06-12 10:59 -0400
Re: a doubt about c Nobody <nobody@nowhere.com> - 2011-06-15 17:07 +0100
Re: a doubt about c Nick Keighley <nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com> - 2011-06-12 11:33 -0700
Re: a doubt about c James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-06-15 09:53 -0400
Re: a doubt about c Dr Nick <3-nospam@temporary-address.org.uk> - 2011-06-16 18:46 +0100
Re: a doubt about c DSF <notavalid@address.here> - 2011-06-11 18:53 -0500
Re: a doubt about c Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-06-11 16:18 -0700
Re: a doubt about c Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2011-06-11 21:13 -0500
Re: a doubt about c Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-06-12 14:56 +1200
Re: a doubt about c Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-06-11 20:24 -0700
Re: a doubt about c Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-06-12 08:10 -0400
Re: a doubt about c Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-06-12 11:49 +1200
Re: a doubt about c Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-06-11 15:36 -0700
Re: a doubt about c Nobody <nobody@nowhere.com> - 2011-06-12 00:23 +0100
Re: a doubt about c Seebs <usenet-nospam@seebs.net> - 2011-06-13 14:39 +0000
Re: a doubt about c Squeamizh <squeamz@hotmail.com> - 2011-06-15 15:44 -0700
Re: a doubt about c Geoff <geoff@invalid.invalid> - 2011-06-15 19:57 -0700
Re: a doubt about c "J. J. Farrell" <jjf@bcs.org.uk> - 2011-06-16 18:39 +0100
Re: a doubt about c Nobody <nobody@nowhere.com> - 2011-06-17 15:39 +0100
Re: a doubt about c Willem <willem@toad.stack.nl> - 2011-06-17 14:49 +0000
Re: a doubt about c Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2011-06-17 09:14 -0600
Re: a doubt about c Shao Miller <sha0.miller@gmail.com> - 2011-06-17 12:00 -0500
Re: a doubt about c Shao Miller <sha0.miller@gmail.com> - 2011-06-17 11:08 -0500
Re: [OT] Doubt vs. question. (Re: a doubt about c) Shao Miller <sha0.miller@gmail.com> - 2011-06-17 13:00 -0500
Re: [OT] Doubt vs. question. (Re: a doubt about c) Shao Miller <sha0.miller@gmail.com> - 2011-06-22 19:01 -0500
Re: a doubt about c Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2011-06-17 09:14 -0600
Re: a doubt about c Seebs <usenet-nospam@seebs.net> - 2011-06-17 22:16 +0000
Re: a doubt about c "J. J. Farrell" <jjf@bcs.org.uk> - 2011-06-18 02:24 +0100
Re: a doubt about c Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2011-06-11 23:09 -0600
[OT] Doubt vs. question. (Re: a doubt about c) Roberto Waltman <usenet@rwaltman.com> - 2011-06-12 10:05 -0400
Re: [OT] Doubt vs. question. (Re: a doubt about c) Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-06-12 11:22 -0700
Re: [OT] Doubt vs. question. (Re: a doubt about c) Ben Pfaff <blp@cs.stanford.edu> - 2011-06-12 11:44 -0700
Re: [OT] Doubt vs. question. (Re: a doubt about c) Ralph Spitzner <rasp@spitzner.org> - 2011-06-13 11:31 +0200
Re: [OT] Doubt vs. question. (Re: a doubt about c) James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-06-15 10:03 -0400
Re: [OT] Doubt vs. question. (Re: a doubt about c) Dr Nick <3-nospam@temporary-address.org.uk> - 2011-06-17 07:52 +0100
Re: [OT] Doubt vs. question. (Re: a doubt about c) Michael Press <rubrum@pacbell.net> - 2011-06-19 00:41 -0700
Re: [OT] Doubt vs. question. (Re: a doubt about c) James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-06-19 07:04 -0400
Re: [OT] Doubt vs. question. (Re: a doubt about c) Bill Waddington <william.waddington@beezmo.com> - 2011-06-23 11:03 -0700
Re: a doubt about c Shao Miller <sha0.miller@gmail.com> - 2011-06-11 11:23 -0500
Re: a doubt about c pete <pfiland@mindspring.com> - 2011-06-11 13:56 -0400
Re: a doubt about c "dr.oktopus" <blindwilly@freeonline.zzn.com> - 2011-06-11 12:53 -0700
Re: a doubt about c Lew Pitcher <lpitcher@teksavvy.com> - 2011-06-11 16:01 -0400
Re: a doubt about c Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-06-11 13:07 -0700
Re: a doubt about c Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2011-06-11 14:13 -0600
Re: a doubt about c Nobody <nobody@nowhere.com> - 2011-06-11 23:31 +0100
Re: a doubt about c pete <pfiland@mindspring.com> - 2011-06-11 20:07 -0400
Re: a doubt about c Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2011-06-11 23:05 -0600
Re: a doubt about c Shao Miller <sha0.miller@gmail.com> - 2011-06-11 16:42 -0500
Re: a doubt about c "christian.bau" <christian.bau@cbau.wanadoo.co.uk> - 2011-06-11 14:23 -0700
Re: a doubt about c Shao Miller <sha0.miller@gmail.com> - 2011-06-11 17:27 -0500
Re: a doubt about c Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-06-11 15:42 -0700
Re: a doubt about c Seebs <usenet-nospam@seebs.net> - 2011-06-13 14:39 +0000
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