What English phrases really mean
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Hyvät kollegat, mikä hämminki on sloganissa We have little prizes? Eikö meillä pitäisi olla Prisma Prizes? Little Prizes on parempi. Laita joo toi sloganiksi. Ei huono. Prisma Selection, Little Prizes. Hyvää stormausta, jengi. Prisma. Big Selection, Little Prizes. Yksi, kaksi, kolme, neljä, viisi. Ota LähiTapiolan henkivakuutus ja lepäät rauhassa. Henkivakuutuksen myöntää LähiTapiola keskinäinen henkivakuutusyhtiö. LähiTapiola, samalla puolella. Understand news stories in English with our Learning English from the News podcast. In each episode we talk about one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it. Follow the biggest stories in the world and improve your English. Search for Learning English from the News in your podcast app or visit bbclearningenglish.com.
What are common examples of English phrases that mislead meaning?
Hello! This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Pippa. And I'm Beth. In English, what we say and what we mean are sometimes two very different things. We often use exaggeration for emphasis or for humour, something known as hyperbole. For example, people say, I am so hungry I could eat a horse, but of course no one really could –
Here's presenter Michael Rosen and linguist Derek Bousfield discussing one example of hyperbole on BBC Radio 4's Word of Mouth. People do say absolute nightmare. Or as my daughters would say, I've had a mare today. And when they say mare, which is obviously shortened for nightmare, what it basically means is they've had a mild and potentially slightly humorous occurrence at work.
You might call an unpleasant or difficult experience a nightmare. Derek's daughter used the word mare, short for nightmare, to describe her terrible day at work. But she was exaggerating. Her day wasn't really terrible, more like strange or annoying. Can you remember a time when what you said wasn't really what you meant, Beth?
Well, sometimes we say, hi, you alright? Which means, hi, are you alright? Like, are you okay? But actually, we don't really want to hear the answer. It just means hello, doesn't it? Yeah, I have a friend who actually just says, alright? And they just mean hello. They don't mean, are you okay? They don't want to hear about my day. No, if you're having a bad day, they don't want to know. They're just saying hello. In this episode we'll be finding out more about how the meaning of words changes in English. As usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases. And remember, you'll find all the vocabulary from this episode on our website.
How does hyperbole influence communication in English?
But first, I have a question for you, Beth. The word hyperbole comes from two ancient Greek words, hupa and balo. But what is their literal meaning? Is it A, to overthrow, B, to overspeak, or C, to overthink? I have no idea, Pippa. I'm going to say to overspeak. Okay, we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme. It's not just hyperbole that changes the meaning of words. Its opposite, something called understatement, has the same effect too. Understatement involves de-emphasising something. For example, imagine you were served an awful meal in a restaurant, but instead of saying how bad the food was, you just said it was less than perfect.
Here's linguist Derek Bousfield discussing understatement on BBC Radio 4's Word of Mouth. We love understatement as a way of kind of signalling that something much more serious has gone on. It's a kind of performative, sardonic, not taking oneself too seriously identity when you do that. Because taking yourself too seriously is a no-no in British culture. And so linguistically not taking yourself too seriously is really the done thing.
Understatement is valued in British culture, unlike taking yourself too seriously. If you take yourself too seriously, you think you're more important than you really are. In Britain, this is a no-no, a way of behaving that is not socially acceptable. In other words, it's not the done thing, meaning it's not what you're expected to do in a particular social situation.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:18
2
What are common examples of English phrases that mislead meaning?
1:18–3:09
3
How does hyperbole influence communication in English?
3:09–4:50
4
What is the significance of understatement in British culture?
4:50–7:01
5
How can misunderstandings arise from common phrases in English?
7:01–7:41