I experienced a strange new discomfort while speaking to someone yesterday - a pet peeve for lack of a better phrase, though I use the term loosely as I have never encountered this minor annoyance before.
I was trying to explain a simple confusion of no importance, when my counterpart in the discussion replied with the following:
If I understand you correctly, ...
I have heard those words in that order before, but yesterday they rang so out of tune my concentration was completely shattered. I held up my hand, interrupting the speaker saying that there was no other way to understand me, if not correctly. The individual hesitated, then following the new line of discussion, attempted to argue that I could have been understood incorrectly.
Is that possible?
The word "understand" inherently implies an accurate gathering and processing of information. Anything else therefore is to be misunderstood, not incorrectly understood. I put forth that an accurate phrase would be, "If I understand you, ..." because to understand me correctly is akin to driving backwards in Trinidad, where individuals insist on reversing back.
You understand me? Correct.
2 comments:
Yeah but then wouldn't that be like a double-negative??...
Because if he said he "misunderstood you incorrectly", then wouldn't that mean he understood you ??
He'd have to say he "correctly misunderstood" you.
Bah... now I'm confused.
Grr. You know me and the finer points of grammar and speech...
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