Home General Chat
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.

Can someone make sense out of this phrase?

Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
I'm guessing it will probably be someone who has studied the English language a lot, if anyone at all.

"The reader this message encounters not failing to understand is cursed."

I understand that the person who reads this message is cursed, the "not failing to understand" part confuses me.
Syntactically, I can only make sense out of it if, in order for the reader to be cursed, the message has to understand them. But this obviously makes no sense semantically, since a message is unable to understand a person. :p

EDIT: Reading it again (for about the 11th time), I see that the phrase might be referring to the reader as well, as in "The reader this message encounters in a state of not failing to understand is cursed". So if I'm right, it would mean that anyone who understands the message is cursed.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    That's how I read it too.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's a nifty way to say "Who reads this is dumb." if I write it in german, hardly anyone is able to understand and therefore is not dumb, because s/he doesn't even know.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I just can't get my head around that sentence at all, even with your edit. Is it really that difficult for people to structure sentences properly :(?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Have to agree, it means nothing to me, just nonsense.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm with Franki and Katralla here.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    English is so easy because of the little use of punctuation, but in this case it makes it more complicated. I always use german punctuation that's why my sentences always looks like minefields of commas :p

    I read it as such

    "The reader - this message encounters - not failing to understand is cursed."

    If you delete the cursive part it says "The reader, not failing to understand is cursed." as in "The reader, who does not fail to understand (this message) is cursed.

    Now usually the reader encounters a message, but in this case it's a bit artsy and the message encounters (i.e. finds) the reader.

    So in easy words, "The reader, that was found by this message, who is able to understand said message, is cursed."
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    StrubbleS wrote: »
    So in easy words, "The reader, that was found by this message, who is able to understand said message, is cursed."

    If only that were what it said, but it doesn't so.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I read it; The reader this message encounters, not failing to understand, is cursed.

    So, the person that reads the message, as long as they understand it, is cursed.
    But errrmmm reading it again, that isn't right :lol: So I don't know.
    Where is it from, Indrid?
    Xx
  • Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
    Franki wrote: »
    I just can't get my head around that sentence at all, even with your edit. Is it really that difficult for people to structure sentences properly :(?
    katralla wrote: »
    Have to agree, it means nothing to me, just nonsense.
    I think it being hard to understand was quite the point :p

    It was the random fortune cookie that appeared when I turned on my computer that once.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think it being hard to understand was quite the point :p

    It was the random fortune cookie that appeared when I turned on my computer that once.

    It was probably just bad translated engrish.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    StrubbleS wrote: »
    It was probably just bad translated engrish.

    Translated from what? Chinese?
  • Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
    Nah, it's definitely not a bad translation. Understanding it was deliberately difficult and the grammar and syntax are actually sound.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't think it's difficult to understand, I think it is nonsense.
Sign In or Register to comment.