➢ 004 | VIDEO

[looksfine]

[You may be pleased to know, certain residents of Keelai, that Aya had no intentions of offering another long-winded highly detailed technical analysis of...whatever it is she's up to at the moment.  In fact, her latest message is surprisingly simple:]

It has been brought to my attention that my choice of vocabulary and diction is considered...unnecessarily formal by some.

[To put it mildly.]

I have made several attempts to alter my speech patterns, but have realized that I still lack a more concise understanding of what precisely entails formal versus familiar speech.  Therefore, I am seeking any an all information regarding more colloquial expressions or terms that may be used in everyday conversation, which I will do my best to learn and subsequently employ accordingly.

Thank you.



((PRIVATE TO: HAL JORDAN (2011) - 100% AYA ENCRYPTED))

[Her eyes narrow, however, when the following message is delivered.  Anger was not quite an accurate assessment of her emotions at that particular moment...but annoyance wouldn't have been a stretch.]

You did not follow through with your agreement to meet with me last month, and have since done nothing to rectify this error.

I wish to know why.

Comments

[oneofthegoodguys]

Look for repetition. The less often words are used, the more formal they tend to be, like 'colloquial.'

Also, use contractions. Those can make anything sound more informal.

[He thinks on it a moment and decides that's the best advice he can think of.]

But hey, people will always talk different and that's a good thing. Don't change unless you want to.

[looksfine]

[The first seemed almost contradictory; how could she explain precisely what it was she wanted to convey without using exact terminology? Was there a more colloquial term for 'colloquially'?]

Oan does not employ the use of contradictions in its grammatical structure; is there a general rule for what words may be shortened and yet still understood?

...and you need not worry about me. It is not a matter of changing on behalf of others. I consider it another learning experience. One more opportunity to grow and evolve.

[oneofthegoodguys]

I'll write you up a list of common contractions to get you started.

It sounds like you have the right attitude about it.

[And attached is the following list:

• I have = I've
• I am = I'm
• I would = I'd
• I will = I'll
• do not = don't
• would not = wouldn't
• are not = aren't
• were not = weren't
• was not = wasn't
• does not = doesn't
• is not = isn't
• you are = you're
• s/he is = s/he's
• it is = it's

* If two available, such as "you are not", both "you're not" and "you aren't" are possible.]

[looksfine]

[Now, see, this? This right here. Exactly what she had asked for. Concise. To the point. And useful. She could learn from this.]

Interesting.

I will...or, rather, I'll--[Okay, admittedly, that felt more than a bit forced]--be certain to analyze this list thoroughly and memorize it.

And these are more appropriate terms to use in familiar conversation, correct?

[oneofthegoodguys]

Yeah. Where I'm from, at least, most informal language is concise and lazy - contractions, sometimes shortening of words; but academics still talk formally. If you're too lazy, people get the impression you aren't smart and no one wants to come off that way, especially if they're intelligent and accomplished. It's a fine line.

[looksfine]

[It was not completely unfamiliar information, particularly the association with shorter words and terms being associated with casual conversation vs. longer, more detailed explanations considered academically formal.]

[But it still warranted a moment of confusion. Not quite uncertainty, but...hesitation, perhaps?]

I do not wish to convey that at all.

It has...not always been easy to gain acknowledgement of others. I would not want to give them one more reason to dismiss me.

[oneofthegoodguys]

If you don't want them to dismiss you, don't let them. It's that easy. You'll always talk more formally and more informally than someone else or use the wrong slang or have the wrong accent.. and if you're trying to match everyone you talk to, they might feel lied to if they find out.

Just be yourself and let other people worry about if they want to accept that or not.

[looksfine]

In other words, you are implying there is no one set happy medium standard in which to please the great majority of those I interact with.

[oneofthegoodguys]

Yeah. That's what I meant to say. You said it better than I did.

[looksfine]

Thank you.

[oneofthegoodguys]

If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it too much. People will get used to however you decide to speak.

[looksfine]

I am not worried.

At this time, my interest is primarily based on curiosity. If it is enough to warrant commentary from multiple individuals, then it warrants further experimentation. You need not be concerned about me...although it is appreciated.

[oneofthegoodguys]

Curiosity is good. Everyone has it. Collecting information from people to use against them is bad. Studying people to strategically use what they tell you to make yourself more likeable.. well, some might see that as manipulative.

[looksfine]

You think I am attempting to manipulate those around me?

[oneofthegoodguys]

Not maliciously, but yeah.

[A beat.] Manipulation doesn't have to be a bad thing. Anyone trying to convince anyone of anything is manipulating them in some way. Trying to look good for a boss or meeting a nice girl, those are both situations that people try to manipulate to make themselves look better. It's normal, to some extent. But people don't like to feel manipulated.

[looksfine]

Manipulation for the purpose of victory on the battlefield, or otherwise navigating conversations between two professional associates is not a bad thing, no. However, in my studies of personal relationships, I have witnessed nothing to indicate that attempting to manipulate an individual for your own personal gain is anything but bad.

...it is also, I can assure, not my intent at all. My "boss" is content with my performance as it stands, and I have made the acquaintance of multiple females without any form of manipulation coming into play.

[oneofthegoodguys]

In relationships? If everyone was completely honest about everything that's wrong with them from day one, no one would be married. Couples should be honest, but dating definitely involves manipulation. [Something he's not great at, the whole little white lies to get a girl thing.]

My point was that if the language isn't natural to you, using it just to make people like you better is another level of that passive manipulation. I don't think it's a bad thing, but I think you should be aware of it.

[looksfine]

But I have never been anything but fully honest.

[In every relationship she's ever had.]

You are implying that the only purpose to alter one's speech would be to gain their favor. Would it not be possible to have other motives instead? Such as a desire to learn the social as well as cultural significances of one's speech patterns?

[oneofthegoodguys]

[He'll just leave that one alone.]

There are plenty of reasons to ask about it, but not many to use it yourself.

[looksfine]

Not even simple scientific experimentation?

[oneofthegoodguys]

Isn't experimentation all about manipulating variables?

[looksfine]

No.

If you were to subjectively manipulate even one element of an experiment, then the results would be false and unusable. The purpose of experimentation is to remain as objective and unbiased as possible so that the more accurate results may occur.

[oneofthegoodguys]

Objectively studying a control group and a manipulated variable group.

[looksfine]

Manipulated only in terms of the prearranged variables set for that particular group.

Any subsequent personal involvement would still render the results invalid.

[oneofthegoodguys]

I agree, but how is analyzing whether people respond better to your normal speech versus the calculated speech not a prearranged variable?