English as a second language - for Jerry

[THUMPER]

I just read a quote from Jerry Jones about Dez Bryant's conditioning last year and could hardly make sense of what he was saying, his English is so bad...

"I don't know that (injuries) impacted some of the things that he needs to work on, and we need to work on as a coaching staff to get him the ball and get him into plays," Jones said. "When he would lose concentration in the last part of the game, I don't know if that was because of conditioning. I suspect it could've been. That's not (to) be critical, but I suspect that, rather (than) the injury (having) anything to do with that or not, those are the things that we're working on so he can be more impactful in the latter part of the game, and we can do the kinds of things we need to do to get him the ball."

It's like he grew up speaking another language and has trouble with English sentence structure and grammar.

I didn't wake up this morning thinking I would pick on Jerry today but this garbled ramble just couldn't be ignored.

There is only one quote that could do this justice so here it is (from Blazing Saddles):

Now who can argue with that? I think we're all indebted to Gabby Johnson for clearly stating what needed to be said. I'm particulary glad that these lovely children were here today to hear that speech. Not only was it authentic frontier gibberish, it expressed a courage little seen in this day and age.

I think I'll refer to Jerrah as "Gabby Johnson" from now on.

 

[skinsscalper]

I think I'll refer to Jerrah as "Gabby Johnson" from now on.

:laugh2:

 

[Hostile]

How can you be so cruel to do that to people this early in the morning?

 

[CCBoy]

Question, Thumper....on a hot summer day, which would you grab first? A dry martini or chilled tea?

 

[big dog cowboy]

Sometimes Jerry does come across like he is speaking in tongues.

 

[arglebargle]

You know there are sometimes people who have the gift of gab. They talk, and you hang on every word, while afterwards you can't remember a single thing of substance they said.

Oh, wait, Jerry's not that either....

 

[Flinger]

And, he's a billionaire...

Oh well, so much for the need for a proper education...

 

[SDCowboy]

As Jerry has gotten older, his ability to speak has gotten worse and worse. There's times where I can't understand anything he says. You'd think a billionaire would have a better grasp on language.

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

Sometimes Jerry does come across like he is speaking in tongues.

Did he miss his calling?

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

They talk, and you hang on every word,

Oh, wait, Jerry's not that either....

Ha Ha, so true! :starspin

 

[sago1]

Actually guys there is something else which is much more likely. Some people speak very fast--sometimes they are thinking faster then they can get their tongue around the words. So they try to slow down but it usually ends up almost garbled. It's like they can't stop long enough to end their sentences (like they should) so they just run them together. Some public speakers get help to just slow down their cadence a little which takes care of the problem. Suspect Jerry's ego (he is a billionaire) won't allow him to seek help.

 

[Rynie]

I can't stand the way he says "Cowboys". Sounds so redneck

 

[Signals]

Actually guys there is something else which is much more likely. Some people speak very fast--sometimes they are thinking faster then they can get their tongue around the words. So they try to slow down but it usually ends up almost garbled. It's like they can't stop long enough to end their sentences (like they should) so they just run them together. Some public speakers get help to just slow down their cadence a little which takes care of the problem. Suspect Jerry's ego (he is a billionaire) won't allow him to seek help.

Pure bull crap.

Thanks for sharing. :laugh2:

 

[ScipioCowboy]

I don't know that (injuries) impacted some of the things that he needs to work on, and we need to work on as a coaching staff to get him the ball and get him into plays," Jones said. "When he would lose concentration in the last part of the game, I don't know if that was because of conditioning. I suspect it could've been. That's not (to) be critical, but I suspect that, rather (than) the injury (having) anything to do with that or not, those are the things that we're working on so he can be more impactful in the latter part of the game, and we can do the kinds of things we need to do to get him the ball.

In truth, this is typical conversational English. If you ever transcribe verbatim a recorded conversation, you would see that it sounds very much like this.

You hear and interpret words much differently than you read and interpret words. Spoken sentences usually have a much looser syntax than written sentences.

 

[dun4]

Jerry's thought process(s) are just far ahead of his speech. This is evident when his actual words seem to join together two or three thoughts. Try to break up his so-called sentences into separate topics and you'll see what I mean ...

 

[Reality]

In truth, this is typical conversational English. If you ever transcribe verbatim a recorded conversation, you would see that it sounds very much like this.

You hear and interpret words much differently than you read and interpret words. Spoken sentences usually have a much looser than syntax than written sentences.

Nice to see someone gets it. Judging someone's verbal ability based on the transcription of someone else is not very accurate. I regularly use run-on sentences and mid-sentence repeating and adjustments just like most people when talking in general conversations. In presentations, written papers, etc. you usually avoid those things.

#reality

 

[theogt]

The quote seems fine to me. It' not like he's writing prose -- someone just transcribed his on-the-fly comments.

 

[Kristen82]

It'd be fun to listen in on a conversation between Jones, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and Dez. You'd probably need a CIA codebreaker to understand what they're saying.

 

[THUMPER]

It'd be fun to listen in on a conversation between Jones, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and Dez. You'd probably need a CIA codebreaker to understand what they're saying.

It would probably sound like Pentecost. :laugh2:

 

[THUMPER]

In truth, this is typical conversational English. If you ever transcribe verbatim a recorded conversation, you would see that it sounds very much like this.

You hear and interpret words much differently than you read and interpret words. Spoken sentences usually have a much looser syntax than written sentences.

Maybe when you've been drinking.

Jerry sounds like this most of the time in interviews. He rambles, doesn't finish sentences, changes subject in mid-thought, smacks his lips and throws in an "um" about every 4th word. This isn't simply a case of how it was transcribed, it's how he sounds live.

It's also what makes most people in the country (outside of some Cowboys fans) look at him as an uneducated hick, a "Jed Clampett" who just happened to strike oil while shooting at some varmint for dinner.