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Saturday, January 8, 2011

Lesson #4 in semantics - The fire alarm

Every year (at least so far) we attend the Faithwalkers Conference as a family. This year during one of the much needed afternoon naps the hotel decided it was a prime opportunity to do a fire drill. Alarms went off. Babies woke up. All except my son who slept through it.

The alarm became the buzz on the town... at least for the kids. One such conversation went like this:
Anibel: Is the fire alarm going to go on during the night?
Me: No Bells. It won't go off. I think they are done.
(Anibel starts to cry)
Chris: Why are you crying?
Anibel: I don't want the alarm to go on. It scares me!
Chris: We just said we don't think the alarm is going to go off. You don't have to worry!
Anibel : But if it doesn't go off then it will be on all night!

It took us a few moments to grasp her point.
Me: Oh Punkin, your confused. When we say the alarm won't go off we mean it won't go on. See when someone one says, "the alarm went off" it really means it went on...

Once again I am amazed at the language ironies I've never even noticed before.

2 comments:

  1. We were in the hotel when the alarm went off too! Ella slept right through it, don't know how she didn't wake up! Mike and I were cracking up at Anibel's comments, hilarious!

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