Well may you ask

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Marius Hancu - 14 Jul 2009 11:14 GMT

Hello:

M Dubuisson (a Frenchman) speaks a pretty formal English, but it seems
very correct.

There is no comma between "Well" and "may". Also, there's the
inversion "may you."

I've got the feeling expressed by the more usual:

"Well, you may ask about ..."

is quite different, as the original seems to mean something closer to:

"You may ask very well about it"
or:
"You're quite entitled to ask about it."

Could you expound a bit on it?

----
[In France, at a _pension familiale_, Jenkins discusses a conflict
between two of the lodgers, a Dane and a Swede, with M Dubuisson.]

'Then what is there to be done about it?' I asked, to break the
silence.

'A, _mon vieux_,' said Monsieur Dubuisson. 'Well may you ask what is
to be done about it. To me -- troubled as I am with a mind that leaps
to political parallels -- the affair seems to me as the problems of
Europe in miniature.'

Anthony Powell, A Dance to the Music of Time, p. 103
---

--
Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Eric Walker - 14 Jul 2009 12:01 GMT

[...]

> 'A, _mon vieux_,' said Monsieur Dubuisson. 'Well may you ask what is to
> be done about it. . . .

The general sense is "That's a good (meaning problematic) question".

The normal English subject-verb order can be inverted for any of several
reasons. A notable one is to place an emphatic adverb or object at the
important head of the sentence. In this instance, "well", which has been
given that place of prominence, means "well-asked", that is, a difficult
problem has been identified and stated. (The "may" lends a slightly
humorous or ironic flavor.)

A crude rendering, not at all idiomatic but conveying the sense more
obviously, might be "You ask well (i.e. perceptively) &c &c"

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Cordially,
Eric Walker, Owlcroft House
http://owlcroft.com/english/

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Peter Duncanson (BrE) - 14 Jul 2009 12:13 GMT

>Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
>Anthony Powell, A Dance to the Music of Time, p. 103
>---

"Well may you ask" is a standard phrase.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=4289&dict=CALD

you may well ask (ALSO well may you ask) HUMOROUS
it would be very interesting to know:
How could Jonathan afford to buy a new suit? You may well ask.

I disagree that it is necessarily humorous. It is also used in serious
contexts.

The implication of "well may you ask" is that the question is not simply
a request for information, but is an enquiry pointing to a problem[1] in
something.

Q: Where is the vehicle for the manned mission to Mars going to be
constructed?
A: At a new facility to be built in Acmeville.

Q: Where will the money for this project come from?
A: Well may you ask that.

[1] Replace "problem" by near synonyms to taste.

Signature

Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

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Marius Hancu - 14 Jul 2009 21:12 GMT

On Jul 14, 7:13 am, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net>
wrote:

> Q: Where is the vehicle for the manned mission to Mars going to be
> constructed?
> A: At a new facility to be built in Acmeville.
>
> Q: Where will the money for this project come from?
> A: Well may you ask that.

With stress on "well," right? I think I get it.

(In order to show that you are WELL-entitled to ask that question. )

Thank you both.
Marius Hancu

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Steve Hayes - 15 Jul 2009 04:22 GMT

>Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>
>Could you expound a bit on it?

Another way of putting it would be "That's a good question".

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Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / July 2009

Well may you ask