But the question is still: Do people carry out such whispers more as reported events or as reported speech?
Wow, what a conversation stopper. Mind, that was your intention, so…
Sometimes conversations are summarised; sometimes they’re reported more or less verbatim. In some contexts, a faithful rendering is more important than in others.
But note that even where reports are unfaithful to the original, they may still use the apparatus of reported speech.
To return to the quotation in question: I’m afraid that anyone who imagines that reported speech is “untypical” in the workplace has only an indirect and inaccurate knowledge of workplace English; probably acquired from books written by similar types.
Let us hope that such a person is not let loose on unsuspecting Spanish students, M.
MrP
Would “workplace” include the offices of a publisher, a university staff room, IYO?
I would class both as places of relaxation.
MrP
Which shows you have been near neither.
So, your conclusion is that reported speech is wholly typical of naturally occuring data, is it? But what is your definition of “typical”, in your use of the word?
Quite near.
Things that never happen in offices, according to M: part 1
A: B, can you give C a call and find out when we can expect that XYZ.
…
B: I was just wondering when we could expect the XYZ.
C: You should get it on Thursday afternoon. Friday at the latest.
…
B: I spoke to C. He said we should get it on Thursday afternoon, or Friday at the latest.
A: That’s no good. When I spoke to him last week, he said we’d have it for Wednesday. Call him back and tell him Thursday’s too late.
…
B: I’ve had a word with my manager, and he says Thursday’s too late.
etc.
MrP
Ah, and this is the typical MrP path. I wondered when it might appear.
Do show me where I said that reported speech does not happen in offices, will you?
I welcome your concession.
MrP
If someone has made the statement below and asked you that type of question, I hardly think concession comes into the arguments, do you?
And earlier:
Earlier still:
So your call for concession is mere wish-fulfilment.
Moving on…
What do you make of the statement “it happens here, but it’s not typical”?
Roll back a little further, and we shall be almost in accord.
MrP
By the way, M., do sentences such as these occur “naturally”:
-
Michael Lewis says that reported speech is a category that is wholly untypical of naturally occurring data.
-
Do show me where I said that reported speech does not happen in offices, will you?
MrP
On what?
Typically?
I see. So Michael Lewis didn’t say what you said he said. Interesting.
In that case, what was the original statement?
MrP
Regarding answering questions, you’ve got a bit of catching up to do - as usual.
Typically?
…
Do people carry out such whispers more as reported events or as reported speech?
But what is your definition of “typical”, in your use of the word?
What do you make of the statement “it happens here, but it’s not typical”?
I’ll give you time, if you need it. No rush.
To answer all your questions would be a full-time job. (I should think that asking them all is a full-time job.)
That said, I answer as many as time permits; but of course, the purpose of this forum is to help genuine ESL students, not ESL teachers at a loose end between sessions. So you’ll forgive me if I don’t always oblige.
MrP
Which forum would that be? This one “TEFL, ESL, EFL and divergent views on teaching English”?
I can see that answering this one might put you in a bit of a predicament though: What do you make of the statement “it happens here, but it’s not typical”?
So it is. Congratulations, old thing. You have been duly sectioned.
Consider these two statements:
- Reported speech is wholly untypical of naturally occurring data.
- Reported speech happens here, but it’s not typical.
You began with #1, but have now retreated to the milder #2.
With a very little effort, you could find yourself at:
- Reported speech is quite common in everyday English.
MrP
And I’m meant to feel how, about that?
Really? I see them as much the same. And I began here - in case you missed it:
So, tell me, if you’ll venture to: what does “wholly untypical” mean to you?
And what does “quite common”
mean?