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Care avoids err | Cockney

Jack Doughty — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:00:00 +0000

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Topic: Care avoids err
Poster: Jack Doughty
Post title: Cockney

In the Cockney dialect, "care avoids err" would mean "Care keeps you out of the lady's way".

Care avoids err | Liverpool area(s)?

Rachel Fell — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:32:00 +0000

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Topic: Care avoids err
Poster: Rachel Fell
Post title: Liverpool area(s)?

[quote]Madeleine MacRae Klintebo wrote:

[quote]

Yes - it rhymes.

[/quote]
Not in any I know of.
.

[Edited at 2010-11-17 23:06 GMT] [/quote]

[Edited at 2010-11-18 22:33 GMT]

Care avoids err | it rhymes where i come from

Steve Booth (X) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:54:00 +0000

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Topic: Care avoids err
Poster: Steve Booth (X)
Post title: it rhymes where i come from

[quote]Samuel Murray wrote:

As for pronunciation of "err", I find it interesting that although I say "ur" when I say the expression "to err is human", my initial pronunciation of "err" in your phrase was "er" (or "air", as Madeleine wrote it), because it lends itself to the rhyme so nicely.

[/quote]
Interestingly i didn't have to think about it as it just rhymes. however now having read what you have put you say your pronunciation was 'er' or 'air' as it rhymes with 'care'

well I didn't think of it like that my pronunciation of 'care' is more like cur so it rhymes with err pronounced 'ur'

a bit like how furry and fairy sound the same.

what a wonderful language we have (especially with the varied accents) it would be even more difficult if we all still spoke in our local dialect rather than all speaking English just with regional accents

Care avoids err | Ditto....

William [Bill] Gray — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:27:00 +0000

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Topic: Care avoids err
Poster: William [Bill] Gray
Post title: Ditto....

[quote]Samuel Murray wrote:

As for pronunciation of "err", I find it interesting that although I say "ur" when I say the expression "to err is human", my initial pronunciation of "err" in your phrase was "er" (or "air", as Madeleine wrote it), because it lends itself to the rhyme so nicely.

[/quote]

I did just the same.... and must admit that I was initially a bit taken aback at the first response from Madeleine! How easilly we can forget certain things when we live away from the mother-land/tongue :)

Care avoids err | I think it is universal

Samuel Murray — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:38:00 +0000

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Topic: Care avoids err
Poster: Samuel Murray
Post title: I think it is universal

[quote]George Trail wrote:
When it was first translated, do you think the original expression rhymed in Chinese (because "err" is hardly as commonly used a word in English as "mistake" or "fault", is it?)? And who could deny that sayings are much easier to remember when they rhyme. What is the original expression in Chinese, anyway, if anyone out there knows? [/quote]

I think the sentiment that being careful helps to avoid problems is universal, and not specifically Chinese.

I also think that when sayings are translated in a text, the translator is free (or even required) to come up with something that is catchy in the target language too. It is therefore quite possible, IMO, that the original Chinese expression did not rhyme but that the translator decided to be creative enough to make it rhyme in English.

As you point out, the fact that this expression rhymes in English can make some people think that the expression wasn't translated from Chinese at all, so some translators may choose to take this into accocunt and deliberate choose a translation that does not rhyme, to avoid readers from jumping to conclusions.

As for pronunciation of "err", I find it interesting that although I say "ur" when I say the expression "to err is human", my initial pronunciation of "err" in your phrase was "er" (or "air", as Madeleine wrote it), because it lends itself to the rhyme so nicely.

Care avoids err | On dialectical pronunciation

Samuel Murray — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:27:00 +0000

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Topic: Care avoids err
Poster: Samuel Murray
Post title: On dialectical pronunciation

[quote]TonyTK wrote:
Kipper tie?.....Ta, says Noddy, milk and two sugars, please. [/quote]

This reminds me of a cartoon in lesson we had at school about English pronunciation, where the one guy says "I'm a clerk" and the other guy says "You mean you sit on a shelf and go 'tick-tock'?"

Care avoids err | Kipper Tie

TonyTK — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 11:22:00 +0000

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Topic: Care avoids err
Poster: TonyTK
Post title: Kipper Tie

[/quote]
Not in any [dialect] I know of.
[/quote]

Maybe it roimes in Brummie.

(Sorry, oldest joke in history coming up:)

Did you know Noddy Holder is touring again with Slade?
He went into a shop to get all the 70s gear for the tour.
The guy says............How about a top hat and a gliterry waistcoat?........Great, says Noddy.
What about a pair of platform boots?................Yeah, fab', says Noddy.
Kipper tie?.....Ta, says Noddy, milk and two sugars, please.

Care avoids err | In which English variant/dialect?

Madeleine MacRae Klintebo — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 21:23:00 +0000

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Topic: Care avoids err
Poster: Madeleine MacRae Klintebo
Post title: In which English variant/dialect?

[quote]George Trail wrote:

Yes - it rhymes.

[/quote]
Not in any I know of.

Edited to acknowledge that I've ur'd as a bit of googling informed me that there are those who will consider me to have air'd.

[Edited at 2010-11-17 23:06 GMT]

Care avoids err | Lol

Latortrans — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:44:00 +0000

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Topic: Care avoids err
Poster: Latortrans
Post title: Lol

Apparently "err" it's a !Kung word and stays for "what"... funny!

Care avoids err

George Trail (X) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:05:00 +0000

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Topic: Care avoids err
Poster: George Trail (X)

"Care avoids err" is a Chinese proverb - although if this is the first time you've heard it you could be forgiven for thinking that it is an English one. The reason? Oh, go on, have a guess. Yes - it rhymes.

When it was first translated, do you think the original expression rhymed in Chinese (because "err" is hardly as commonly used a word in English as "mistake" or "fault", is it?)? And who could deny that sayings are much easier to remember when they rhyme. What is the original expression in Chinese, anyway, if anyone out there knows?