English Composition II

Rough Draft Week 3

Multiple phrases translated in English mean completely different words in the Spanish context. One such word is “Hurry Up and Take Your Time.” The literal and the implied meanings of the word differ in the community depending on the tone and context of speech whereas if you were to translate it into Spanish the context would be different. Besides, if the word is used in the normal English language, the meaning is transformed and could mean so much more . Since childhood, my grandfather has used the phrase so many times, that only people that have stayed in the community long enough can understand the diverse contexts of the phrase. Whereas the phrase implies a simple meaning in English, it bears different context meaning, the way my grandpa uses it, and the correct interpretation depends on the pronunciation and context. The key contexts of use include sending someone and expecting them back soon, sending someone and asking them to go in a rush, and instructing someone to rush to the destination but take their time to execute the intended task. Understanding each of the key contexts helps you get a better idea of how the phrase could be used. 

The first context of use involves sending someone and expecting them to arrive back soon. Its use is relevant when a person is sent to accomplish some tasks within a set deadline quickly. The task must hold urgency and require the messenger to institute quick measures to relay the message quickly. The pronunciation differentiates the context of the word, making it apparent for the listener to interpret the desired context. For instance, my grandfather would speak the word faster as a parting shot while sending someone to a given destination and my grandpa was famously known for saying it this way, like there would be times where I would tell my grandpa that I’m going to friends house and he would say “hurry up and take your time I need something from the store”. Most of the time I would never say no to my grandfather because he never meant no harm and especially in the tone he says things. It makes it hard for me to say no. 

 

The second context of use is when the messenger needs to rush into the destination without anticipated return. This context was by far the least used, like I honestly think that no one In my community ever said it this way but I thought it would interesting to show how it could be used in that context too, but the primary use in this context is to encourage the messenger to relay the desired information quickly, and his return is not as important as in the first case. The task at hand must require sending a quick message to the intended destination and sorting out a dilemma within a prescribed timeframe. The pronunciation of the word involves a quick mention of the first three words, “Hurry Up and” followed by a slight pause then the phrase “Take Your Time.” The current context ensured that the messenger delivered the message and took safety afterward.  

The third context of use involves sending a person to a destination and requiring them to take their time to execute the given tasks. When saying “Hurry up and take your time” the pronunciation of the word is constant throughout and spoken in a moderate tone. My grandfather used this context the most, there could be moments where I’m with a girl on my way to go out and he would say “hurry up and take your time” and the way he says it almost feels like he’s saying have fun but for people who wouldn’t understand the context of the words they would be more confused than anything. Like when my grandpa told me that, the girl I was with laughed in confusion and then proceeded to ask me “how does that make sense”. Knowing what the context means I replied with “you right it doesn’t make sense but it makes sense at the same time” and that right there would confuse the hell out of them. I would say this just to see the look of confusion on their face and get a little laugh out of it. That goes to show you that people outside the community interpret that phrase differently.

2 Comments

  1. Allan Yunayev

    The first thing that I will point out is that your draft has to be at least 1000 words and from looking at it I don’t see that. I would like to see the saying “Hurry up and take your time” in Spanish because even though you are trying to give context I still feel confused because I see it in the English context so when your grandfather says the saying I don’t understand it. It also seems as if you made one of your body paragraphs into your conclusion. The last paragraph is done well but try to add a conclusion instead of using the body paragraph.

  2. Salomee

    I agree and I also think that wrapping it into a conclusion can add more meaning and depth to your essay. Nonetheless, this was really enjoyable and engaging!

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