Strange Conversations: Part One Hundred and Seventy-Seven
Posted 24 July 2009 in Strange Conversations by Catriona
While discussing orange juice.
ME: I’m pretty sure we only bought it a fortnight ago.
NICK: Week before last, yeah.
ME: Well, that is the traditional definition of “a fortnight ago.”
NICK: I knew you were going to pull me up on that! I knew it!
ME: Then why did you say it?
NICK: Look, I sometimes just say things for the sake of the flow of conversation, rather than for any overt . . . thing.
ME: How is repeating what I say in a slightly different form contributing to the flow of conversation?
NICK: Just trust me on this.
ME: Why?
NICK: Because.
ME: Is this more flow of conversation?
NICK: No. No, the conversation stopped flowing some time ago.
Share your thoughts [2]
1
Matthew Smith wrote at Jul 27, 05:20 am
I think Nick is spot on with the paraphrasing. Imagine if he just said “uh huh” all the time, you wouldn’t know if he was listening. This way at least he had to process your sentence in order to rephrase it which means he was attentively listening and not secretly contemplating Gallifreyan architecture and its applications to typography.
2
Catriona wrote at Jul 27, 05:46 am
I tend to see it as evidence that he isn’t, in fact, listening to a word I say, but I admit your explanation is compelling . . .