The Alan Sondheim Mail Archive

Narrative and Marriage to Language


My first narrative video in a long time:
http://odysseyart.ning.com/video/video/show?id=685033:Video:2078 (easy)
large version http://www.asondheim.org/spaceandthecity.mp4 (60 meg)

My text of marriage to language:

I don't understand what you're saying.
Perhaps I'm not hearing you correctly. Or perhaps I'm hearing you
correctly but don't understand the words you're using. Perhaps I'm not
sure you're speaking in language, you're using words. Perhaps I understand
what you're saying, but don't understand why or wherefore you're saying it.
Perhaps I'm not hearing you clearly.

I don't understand what you're trying to say.
Perhaps you're not speaking clearly. Perhaps I think you are making an
effort to say something, making an effort at speech, making an effort at
language. Perhaps I'm projecting on to you, that you are attempting to say
something. Perhaps I'm indicating that I don't understand your effort, or
that your effort is to no avail.

I don't understand the meaning carried by the words.
Perhaps I understand the words, but don't understand their overall
meaning. Perhaps I ascribe to a theory that words carry meaning, that is,
they do not mean, but they bear meaning, that is, that meaning is borne.
Perhaps the meaning carried by the words is obscure to me, perhaps it
requires knowledge I do not possess, and perhaps never have possessed.

I don't understand the words' meaning.
Perhaps I understand you are speaking words, but I don't understand their
meaning or the meaning they carry. Perhaps I am confused and understand
the words, but meaning is lost to me. Perhaps I am exhausted and meaning
has disappeared, perhaps I am inordinately depressed, and meaning has
decathected. Perhaps words, for me, are no longer invested with meaning,
or no longer carry meaning.

I don't understand the words.
Perhaps I don't understand anything you're saying. Perhaps I'm not sure
you're speaking words, perhaps you are speaking gibberish or nonsense
syllables or random phonemes. Perhaps I understand the words, but not in
the way you are using them. Perhaps I don't understand the language,
perhaps a new or different language, to which the words belong, from which
they originate, within which they make sense or carry meaning.

I don't understand your words.
Perhaps I understand the words but I don't understand your words. Perhaps
I don't understand what you mean with these words, what meaning you want
these words to carry. Perhaps your use of these words is unclear or their
meaning in combination is unclear, but the words, one by one, are clear.
Perhaps I don't understand the drift of your words, the sense of them.

I don't understand you.
Perhaps I understand your words and I understand their meaning and the
meaning you want the words to carry, but I don't understand why you're
saying these words, what is your motive, what you may be trying to tell
me. Perhaps I don't understand your words or anything about you, you are
not a thing to me, but you are not communicating any more than a thing, an
inert object, would communicate. Perhaps I understand nothing except that
I must reply to you, that it appears as if the words have meaning for you,
and both their meaning and you are lost to me. Perhaps I have never
understood you, and these words have clarified that for me, that I have
been living a life thinking I have known you, perhaps have known you well,
and in fact I have not known you at all, perhaps it has been a mistake
thinking I have known you.

I can't make sense of what you're saying.
Perhaps the words make no sense to me. Perhaps I do not recognize them as
words. perhaps I do not recognize your speech as motivated towards a goal
or object or orientation I might well understand. Perhaps I recognize your
phonemes and your syllable, but you are speaking nonsense or appear to be
speaking nonsense. Perhaps I think it is you who are senseless, perhaps I
think it is myself who suffers a fundamental lack, who cannot comprehend
what you are saying, no matter how many times you say it, and with what
force. Perhaps I do not know to whom you are speaking, who is the
recipient of your speech, perhaps it is not me at all. Perhaps you can't
make sense of this, of what I am saying to you. Perhaps I am speechless,
perhaps my words have dropped their meaning, lost their meaning, and are
carrying, here, in this very place, nothing but cries and whispers.