Shylock said:
Twilight, I don't know jack about "Lexical analysis", but let me tell you about "Common Sense analysis".
Go up to ANY person on the street, ask them to write a fake ransom note, and 99% of the time what they write will closely match something that was said somewhere in a kidnapping movie. Why?--because there are only so many things you can say IN or ABOUT a ransom situation. And all those scenerios have been covered over the many years that movies have been depicting the same situations.
Consider this: Ask a person to write down what they would say to their co-pilot if they were the pilot of an airplane about to crash. Then compare what they wrote to all the lines in movies where there is an airplane crash. I'll bet you will be surprised how many of the lines would be very similar in context.
Let's call it "Human nature/response in a limited or controlled situation"...
Let me tell you about "Common Sense analysis" - I have gone up to strangers on the street, well not quite on the street, but you would be surprised to know that in my entire, extensive, and still growing 'fake' ransom note collection there are no references to movies.
They all do the same thing - We/I've got/kidnapped/abducted/taken _________. THE VICTIM IS ALIVE. We/I want money. (some have great detail) others say they will phone. There is a threat to either the victim, or the note recipient. There are no references to 'dog', 'cat's', 'foreign factions', 'beheading', 'proper burial', 'countermeasures and tactics', 'scrutiny', electronic devices', 'businesses', 'countries', and none are signed 'Victory', or 'S.B.T.C' or any version thereof. Most are not signed at all -
why would they be?
The above words do not belong to the register of ransom notes. They belong to the register of movies. Here's the words that belong to the register of ransom notes:
have -- get -- or else. Not very exciting, are they? Takes a special talent to
jazz them up and make them exciting.
Let me tell you something else about linguistic analysis -
Jayelle where are you - A while ago I discussed a word with Jayelle in a private message because it had nothing whatsoever to do with this forum, but is more common in her neck of the woods. The word was 'whilst' and I wanted to know about usuage where she is, and she very nicely answered me. I added that info to my collection. In the process, I told Jayelle, just like I had told others, that the word was never, ever, ever, used here. Well, last week, while cleaning up some old papers, and glancing through them to see exactly what they were, imagine my horror and disbelief when I discovered that right there on the black and white page was my use of 'whilst' ahhhhhhhhggggggggg!!!
So, it is not possible to make determinations about the English language based on
your own personal opinions without doing the actual data research. So, when you say go collect notes, believe me -
I have and will continue to do so.