Skip to main content

What you hear vs. what you say

Have you ever misheard somebody?

For the longest time my old seminary teacher thought that the primary song said “shalminnow” instead of “by this shall men know ye are my disciples...” He was convinced that The song was referring to the Jesus fish some people plaster to their bumpers.
My brother Austin used to sing “I almost want to be with my own family” instead of “always...”
And I had a long debate with my old roommate about Michael Buble’s hit song “Met you yet.” She was convinced he said “I guess it’s half time-in, and the other half luck.” Like time-out time-in in a football game.

Do any of those mistaken lyrics make any logical sense to anyone but the mistaken?

Of course not.

But that’s what makes them hilarious!! I’m particularly guilty of mis-hearing and mis-reading people.
Just because  I  speak English with other English speakers doesn’t always mean that we communicate effectively.

From this I’ve gathered a few things about talking with people:
1) ask clarifying questions.
2) think of synonyms
3) account for sarcasm, inside jokes, and cultural differences
4) be good humored & forgiving of misunderstandings
5) it’s only awkward if you allow yourself to feel awkward
6) laugh  when you mess up
7)  remember that misunderstandings sometimes make for the best stories!

Comments

  1. Thanks for teaching me the right lyrics. Ha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy to, lol :) and who knows, maybe you and Michael Buble know something the rest of us don't ;)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Wright Kind of Family

Today's blog post is a question, a question for YOU, the reader.  No, I don't mean somebody else in the blogosphere.  You there, reading this, right now. What makes for a happy childhood?  How can I raise the "Wright" kind of family? During my brief visit to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., what amazed me more than all the aircraft and space gear and aerodynamic science combined was the following quote by Katharine Wright, younger sister of Orville and Wilbur Wright: Additionally, Wilbur stated: WHAT A STATEMENT. What a tribute to their parents and to the family culture fostered in their home. My interest and desire to know more about their homelife is piqued, so I'm 99.9% sure I'm going to buy this book on Amazon tomorrow so that I can learn more:  What I want to know is how to grow a family where the kids rush home because home is the place to be! I want to know how to host an environment that suppo...

The Problem with Chick Flicks.

I really, really, really enjoy a select few movies that I willingly watch over and over again. Pride and Prejudice is one of them. You see, Elizabeth's defense of her family, her sense of self respect, her ability to admit that she was wrong and to appreciate Darcy despite all his quirks, and quizzical brow-ness... it's marvelous. My husband doesn't share the sentiment, could you tell? ... and that's okay. There's rare a chick flick I enjoy near as much as I enjoy Pride and Prejudice or A Walk To Remember , and I wanted to explain why. You see, there's more than just a few problems with (many, not all) chick flicks:  (and if you have a chick flick that escapes many of these pitfalls then please oh please leave it's title in the comment section!) The heroine (or suitor) is less than honorable. I have a hard time rooting for a girl to get a gentleman when she's spending her time being scandalously loose with other men ( #thenotebook) . An...

5 Children's Books You Really Oughta Read

I love reading almost as much as I love writing. And I love writing almost as much as I love reading. Depends on the day. One never truly trumps the other. Gotta have both. These are 5 children's books I've read within the past 2 years that gave me that turn-page feeling, that friends-with-the-characters feeling, that weepy-when-it's-over-feeling. I dare you to read one and I triple-dog-dare you to leave a comment below telling me a story that's given YOU them sort of feelings. #5-- Flotsam  by David Wiesner. If you're not much of a reader (or for your loved ones who can't read at all!) check this one out. It's a whimsical wordless picture book that entertains your curiosities of what truly lies at the bottom of the sea while simultaneously indulges hopes of finding something truly awesome washed up on the shores of a summer destination spot. #4-- Echo  by Pam Muñoz Ryan. With three main characters, three plot lines from WWII era, music liter...