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Discussion Groups / English Usage / September 2010Lewis: Why?
Hello: What's the exact meaning of "Why?" here? Seems to be "What?" or "How?" --- [Lucy comes back to her friends from Narnia] “It’s all right,” she repeated, “I’ve come back.” “What on earth are you talking about, Lucy?” asked Susan. “Why ? said Lucy in amazement, “haven’t you all been wondering where I was?” “So you’ve been hiding, have you?” said Peter C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - ---- --- Thanks. Marius Hancu > What's the exact meaning of "Why?" here? > Seems to be [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > ---- > --- Like "My," "Why--" is an almost meaningless noise of surprise. Lucy is astonished they have not noticed her absence. Historically, I imagine that both "Why--" and "My--" came from sentences or phrases that were not finished, such as "Why on earth do you ask?" "My word!" Well, gosh, and huh/hmm are even more meaningless expressions of mild surprise, uttered while one gathers one's thoughts.  SignatureBest -- Donna Richoux >> What's the exact meaning of "Why?" here? >> Seems to be [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Like "My," "Why--" is an almost meaningless noise of surprise. Lucy is > astonished they have not noticed her absence. That's a typically AmE use of the word, though, so I'm surprised to see Lewis using it. SignaturePeter Moylan, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. http://www.pmoylan.org For an e-mail address, see my web page. > Hello: > What's the exact meaning of "Why?" here? > Seems to be > "What?" or "How?" No, it means "Why?" as in "why would you say that?" Lucy has been gone for hours and hours, but Susan's question doesn't make sense to Lucy. > --- > [Lucy comes back to her friends from Narnia] > “It’s all right,” she repeated, “I’ve come back.” > “What on earth are you talking about, Lucy?” asked Susan. > “Why ? said Lucy in amazement, “haven’t you all been wondering where I > was?” > “So you’ve been hiding, have you?” said Peter Conversationally this feels to me to be only slightly BrE, though i am not the best person to judge that. "Did you clean your room?" "Why? Didn't you see the patch of carpet I exposed?" It implies a certain level of incredulity to the question asked. Signature4 priests, 12 rabbis, and 24 lawyers walk into a bar. Bartender says, "Is this a joke?" > > What's the exact meaning of "Why?" here? > > Seems to be > > "What?" or "How?" > > No, it means "Why?" as in "why would you say that?" OK, makes sense. > Lucy has been gone for hours and hours, but Susan's question doesn't > make sense to Lucy. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > It implies a certain level of incredulity to the question asked. I see the point. Thank you both. Marius Hancu > In message > <8a448d1d-b777-4d23-a62f-142aab089bd6@h7g2000yqn.googlegroups.com> [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > It implies a certain level of incredulity to the question asked. No, that's not it - it's the exclamation use of Why?, not a real interrogation. E.g: - Why, what a big boy you are! SignatureDavid >> In message >> <8a448d1d-b777-4d23-a62f-142aab089bd6@h7g2000yqn.googlegroups.com> [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > >- Why, what a big boy you are! Respectfully disagree. The "Why?" is merely a shortened exclamation of, "Why are you asking me this?" >>> In message >>> <8a448d1d-b777-4d23-a62f-142aab089bd6@h7g2000yqn.googlegroups.com> [quoted text clipped - 40 lines] > The "Why?" is merely a shortened exclamation of, "Why are you asking me > this?" It seems it would have to be that because of the punctuation. The exclamation (interjection) would be followed by a comma, not a question mark, as the OED citations elsethread show, or a dash, as another poster used. On the other hand, thing are not always what the seem, and the interjection seems to make better sense in context, at least to me. SignatureRoland Hutchinson He calls himself "the Garden State's leading violist da gamba," ... comparable to being ruler of an exceptionally small duchy. --Newark (NJ) Star Ledger ( http://tinyurl.com/RolandIsNJ ) > On the other hand, thing are not always what the seem, and the > interjection seems to make better sense in context, at least to me. The punctuation may not even be what it seems. The missing quotation mark and inconsistent spacing suggest to me that whatever was in the scanned source wasn't recognized by the OCR. The 2004 HarperCollins edition with previews available at Google Books has a comma here (but other editions do have a question mark). ¬R >> In message >> <8a448d1d-b777-4d23-a62f-142aab089bd6@h7g2000yqn.googlegroups.com> [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] >> >> It implies a certain level of incredulity to the question asked. > No, that's not it - it's the exclamation use of Why?, not a real > interrogation. > E.g: > - Why, what a big boy you are! But it was "Why? Haven't you all been wondering where I was?" SignatureAnd east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. >>> In message >>> <8a448d1d-b777-4d23-a62f-142aab089bd6@h7g2000yqn.googlegroups.com> [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > But it was "Why? Haven't you all been wondering where I was?" Not quite - there's no capital H for "haven't". But I take your point and I'd accept either interpretation. SignatureDavid >>> In message >>> <8a448d1d-b777-4d23-a62f-142aab089bd6@h7g2000yqn.googlegroups.com> [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > >But it was "Why? Haven't you all been wondering where I was?" So, C.S. Lewis has used an unusual punctuation for the interjection, or has used an unusual separation and punctuation for the question "Why haven't you all been wondering...". Maybe he wanted to show a relationship between the two patterns. SignatureJohn >Hello: > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] >Thanks. >Marius Hancu This seems to be a use of "why" defined by the OED as: IV. 7. Used interjectionally, before a sentence or clause. a. As an expression of surprise (sometimes only momentary or slight; sometimes involving protest), either in reply to a remark or question, or on perceiving something unexpected. The most recent of about ten quotations: 1837 DICKENS Pickw. xxxix, 'Goodness gracious!' said Mary,.. 'Why, it's that very house.' 1847 DE QUINCEY Secret Soc. Wks. 1890 VII. 217 Were there no such people as the Essenes? Why, no; not as Josephus described them. 1863 KINGSLEY Water-Bab. iii, And, as he spoke, he turned quite pale, and then quite white. 'Why, you're ill!' said Tom. 1893 M. PEMBERTON Iron Pirate i, Mary looked up suddenly..and said,..'Why, I believe I've been asleep!' SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) Marius Hancu asks about: > >"Why ? said Lucy in amazement, "haven't you all been wondering where I > >was?" Peter Duncanson (and Donna Richoux) write: > This seems to be a use of "why" defined by the OED as: > > IV. 7. Used interjectionally, before a sentence or clause. > a. As an expression of surprise (sometimes only momentary or > slight; sometimes involving protest), either in reply to a remark or > question, or on perceiving something unexpected. No. If that it was the meaning, the first "?" wouldn't be there. As Steve and Lewis said in their responses, this is just short for "Why are you asking me that?" SignatureMark Brader, Toronto "Dr. Slipher, I have found your Planet X." msb@vex.net -- Clyde Tombaugh (1906-97), 1930-02-18 >Marius Hancu asks about: >> >"Why ? said Lucy in amazement, "haven't you all been wondering where I [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >No. If that it was the meaning, the first "?" wouldn't be there. I think you might be right, >As Steve and Lewis said in their responses, this is just short for >"Why are you asking me that?" SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >Hello: > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >Why ? said Lucy in amazement, havent you all been wondering where I >was? May be expanded to "Why do you ask that?" SignatureSteve 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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