Building up for my corporation

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Marius Hancu - 14 Jul 2009 11:31 GMT

Hello:

What would be your first take about
"building up for my corporation?"

Is it perfectly natural, or do you think Powell puts in his mouth a
sentence which is a bit too "heavy/constructed" for the native English
speaker, in order to distinguish him as a foreigner fighting with the
language?

---
[M Dubuisson is a Frenchman. Jenkins meets him at a "pension" in
France.]

He said that at present he was in business, but without specifying its
nature.

'I am a very busy man, building up for my corporation, and trying to
materialise along the same lines a few ideas about the financing of
certain needs which actually are most difficult to meet,' he remarked
to me soon after my arrival.

Anthony Powell, A Dance to the Music of Time, p. 88
----

--
Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Cheryl - 14 Jul 2009 11:40 GMT

> Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> Thanks.
> Marius Hancu

My first reaction is that 'for' doesn't belong with 'corporation'. The
next bit is slightly awkward, too - I'd say '...and, along the same
lines, trying to materialise a few ideas...' although even that sounds
like terrible business jargon. "I'm working on some ideas about
improving the financing of my corporation" or "I'm struggling to arrange
financing for some of my business needs". Of course, no businessman is
going to want to admit that he's struggling to keep his business going!

But I think you're right about Powell making M. Dubuisson sound a bit
foreign. His English is mostly correct, but parts of it are a little off.

You can build up savings for your retirement, or a customer base for
your corporation, or build up your corporation (today many people would
say 'grow your business', which I think is an awful bit of jargon). But
I don't think you can build up for your corporation.

Cheryl

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Eric Walker - 14 Jul 2009 12:12 GMT

[...]

> [M Dubuisson is a Frenchman. Jenkins meets him at a "pension" in
> France.]
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> certain needs which actually are most difficult to meet,' he remarked to
> me soon after my arrival.

M Dubuisson would seem to be one of those fellows forever about to pull
off a multi-million-franc business coup any hour now, but just at the
moment could you lend him the price of a cup of coffee? His language is
partly unidiomatic, but also seems designed to obfuscate (possibly from
embarrassment) his lack of either money or any clear ideas on how or
where to obtain it.

For example, "building up" omits mention of what it might be that he is
building up--his capital, his energies, his connections--for his
corporation; a critical listener would likely assume that that is because
he is "building up" none of those things, or any other useful asset.

Signature

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

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Marius Hancu - 14 Jul 2009 21:01 GMT

> > 'I am a very busy man, building up for my corporation, and trying to
> > materialise along the same lines a few ideas about the financing of
> > certain needs which actually are most difficult to meet,' he remarked to
> > me soon after my arrival.

> For example, "building up" omits mention of what it might be that he is
> building up--his capital, his energies, his connections

Exactly.

Thank you all.
Marius Hancu

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R H Draney - 15 Jul 2009 01:48 GMT

Marius Hancu filted:

>> > 'I am a very busy man, building up for my corporation, and trying to
>> > materialise along the same lines a few ideas about the financing of
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
>Exactly.

What the previous responses have omitted is that "corporation" was once used to
refer to a person's girth...perhaps this "very busy man" is busy stuffing
himself fat....r

Signature

A pessimist sees the glass as half empty.
An optometrist asks whether you see the glass
more full like this?...or like this?

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CDB - 14 Jul 2009 14:49 GMT

> Hello:

> What would be your first take about
> "building up for my corporation?"

> Is it perfectly natural, or do you think Powell puts in his mouth a
> sentence which is a bit too "heavy/constructed" for the native
> English speaker, in order to distinguish him as a foreigner
> fighting with the language?

M. D. is certainly speaking a Gallic English. He has also put an
adverbial phrase between a verb and its object, and probably used
"actually" to mean "just now".

> ---
> [M Dubuisson is a Frenchman. Jenkins meets him at a "pension" in
> France.]
>
> He said that at present he was in business, but without specifying
> its nature.

> 'I am a very busy man, building up for my corporation, and trying to
> materialise along the same lines a few ideas about the financing of
> certain needs which actually are most difficult to meet,' he
> remarked to me soon after my arrival.

> Anthony Powell, A Dance to the Music of Time, p. 88
> ----

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / July 2009

Building up for my corporation