Comments on: The magic of English https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/ Multilingualism, Intercultural communication, Consumerism, Globalization, Gender & Identity, Migration & Social Justice, Language & Tourism Thu, 30 May 2019 05:49:32 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 By: Elena Kashina (Samara, Russia) https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-9923 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 10:32:51 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-9923 Thank you very much for this acute observation of yours. What I liked most is not only the inscriptions on the shrine, but also the benign mood the article is filled with, the description of the place and all the difficulties a person has to overcome in order to get there.

]]> By: Asma Fatehali (Karachi, Pakistan) https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-8092 Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:52:09 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-8092 Thanks for sharing this graphic. I was just reflecting is it the magic of English or the shrine because article is revealing that people are going there to pray and resolve their problems. No doubt they have written in English “I love you” which gives the impression that they want to express their love in a script common to world.

]]> By: Arshad Baig (Karachi, Pakistan) https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-8066 Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:04:34 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-8066 Dear Ingrid,

Thanks for sharing this picture. It really compelled me to think. Language is really a magic through which we make several solution for a single task. I have a similar opinion as Razieh has mentioned. No one is aware about the real intention of the graffitist. This graffiti reveals the internal state (psychological, emotional, mental, etc.) to another person. May be he is so devoted and religious man that he is expressing his love for God, and also possible that this is the place where his beloved meet with him without any obstacles of the material world.

Arshad Baig

]]> By: Sumaiya https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-8050 Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:16:29 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-8050 In reply to Khan.

Dear Ingrid

Thanks a lot for sharing this picture. It is quite amazing to see the use of multiple languages saying different things in the Holy shrine. It shows that people from multicultural background visits that shrine and can interpret the graffiti accordingly. The words show that the writer must have expressed his feelings in English and wrote his name in Arabic (as mentioned in one of the comments) as he knew more than one language. And as said by Sir. Khan, the presence of English on a Holy shrine is magic!

]]> By: Farzana Lodhi https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-8022 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:32:01 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-8022 Dear Ingrid,

The graffiti on the shrine confirms that English is a language of soul to soul.The purest of the pure thoughts can be expressed in English text without much struggle and without any limitation of boundaries.Its a language of invisible to visible and vice -versa.

Lodhi

]]> By: Ingrid Piller https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-8013 Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:19:56 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-8013 In reply to Nancy.

Thanks, Nancy! Maybe the f-word is just part of their Spanish? I think that’s certainly true for German and other continental European languages.

]]> By: Nancy https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-8011 Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:12:58 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-8011 Graffiti in English seems to be an important way for non native speakers to express themselves. The school near my house in Argentina is always covered with English words…..I wish they were expressing love more than the other four letter words that appear!

]]> By: razieh https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-2419 Sat, 06 Nov 2010 21:33:59 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-2419 The graffitist wrote the sentences
which were of most priority to him.
He could do this in many other places but resorting to holy shrines means he is faithful to God even in this heart-breaking situation. And he asks for God’s bless to reach to his/her beloved.
The other interpretation from his reason for writing in this place is that it was the only place where his beloved attended without being questioned.
His choice of language indicates at least their authorities won’t understand about the meaning.
Love for the writer may mean celestial and by this graffiti s/he is expressing his feelings toward God or Imamzadah.
And many other interpretations which are just matter of probability not certainty…

]]> By: Jenny Zhang https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-1096 Thu, 06 May 2010 04:16:20 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-1096 For me, the author was “dead” when the text was produced. It is pointless to argue what the “true” intention of the mysterious graffiti is. But it’s interesting indeed to see how a same text in English is subject to multiple interpretations from people with diverse cultural backgrounds. Maybe, we shall come back to those primary questions in discourse analysis: Who is the interpretor? In which context a particular interpretation is given? For what purposes?

]]> By: Khan https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-1081 Sat, 01 May 2010 08:12:03 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-1081 Dear Ingrid

Thanks for an extremely interesting post inviting me to think how magical the spread of English has been and the magic is so effective and pervasive. I wonder if the writer ever realised the meanings expressed by the graffiti will be interpreted so differently by people coming for diverse cultural backround. For one thing is sure that the semiotic presence of English on a holy shrine is magic!

]]> By: Vahid https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-1050 Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:16:22 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-1050 Dear Ingrid,

Thank you for the nice post!
The sentence under the English ‘I love you’ is, in fact, in Arabic not in Farsi/Persian!
It is semantically equivalent to the English “Blessing comes only from God.”
Now that the meaning of this Arabic sentence has become clear, I think the graffiti (I love you) serves a different function from the one you mentioned. “I love you” seems to me to be at the service of ridiculing the holiness of the place unless we suppose the writer of both sentences to be one/the same person.

Aloha,
vahid

]]> By: Ingrid Piller https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-1049 Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:39:35 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-1049 The Persian writing underneath “I love you” seems to be the writer’s name, something like a tag line, as far as I can tell.

]]> By: Stan https://languageonthemove.com/the-magic-of-english/#comment-1048 Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:00:29 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/blog/?p=654#comment-1048 “I kees love” is an admirable message in any context. Is “I love you” written in Farsi under the English?

And is that an energy saver light bulb? I kees it!

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