Language
3. Oral and Expressive Language, e.g., Prosody
7-Word Sentence with 7 Different Meanings
I never said he stole my money. (maybe you or someone else said it)
I never said he stole my money. (I flatly deny saying it)
I never said he stole my money. (maybe I implied it)
I never said he stole my money. (it could have been someone else)
I never said he stole my money. (maybe I actually lent it to him)
I never said he stole my money. (he actually stole someone else’s)
- I never said he stole my money. (he stole many things, but not that)
I never said he stole my money. (maybe you or someone else said it)
I never said he stole my money. (I flatly deny saying it)
I never said he stole my money. (maybe I implied it)
I never said he stole my money. (it could have been someone else)
I never said he stole my money. (maybe I actually lent it to him)
I never said he stole my money. (he actually stole someone else’s)
- I never said he stole my money. (he stole many things, but not that)
Conveying meaning with oral and expressive language in English often depends heavily on pragmatics, including the ability to emphasize the proper word in a sentence to generate the correct meaning. Such ability is not often taught directly but acquired via exposure to the language. These are experiences typical in English speaking homes, but this level of English usage is not common in the homes of multilingual learners. Those who are still learning English don't implicitly learn without explicit context repeated exposure and modeling.