Wondering

[Jim @ Jawa]

If I said this cat, dog or pet is mine. Wouldn't that mean that I own that animal?
What if I said this woman is my wife? Would that mean that I owner her?
What if she said that I was her husband? Would that mean she owns me?
This particular statement has always bothered me like it was a statement that my spouse was really a slave. What if I said these children are my children wouldn't that indicated my children or slaves?
What's your take on this statement? If I make a statement, that so-and-so is mine. Is my pet, car, children, spouse all belong to me like I own them?

Sometimes the English language confuses me. It seems like the older I get the more I see how I am a captive of my native tongue. I also noticed that there is a lot words in the English language that are spelled the same pronounce the same but often means something totally different. I think that is the reason behind a lot of misunderstandings, especially on the Internet because we are missing a lot of the communication; facial features, gestures, tone and volume of voice. I often noticed on the boob tube how so many people use hand and arm signals in their communicate while using the English language.
Just wondering what your take is on this. Don't mind me. I have a habit to run in my mouth until I get my tit in a ringer.

[PHPaul]

For a non-English speaker, I can see where it might be misunderstood as "ownership" when speaking about "my" spouse.

For a life-long native English speaker the meaning of any word comes largely from context and "my" spouse or children is understood as being "my responsibility" or "my relations" not "my property".

[GeneMO]

The English language is really weird. Different words, spelled the same, mean different things depending on the context of the sentence. I sure dont worry about that. As long as my wife says she is the boss, and I let her be the boss, and always tell her how wonderful she is and how she is never wrong, we dont have a problem with "ownership" issues.

Gene

[GeneMO]

And you are exactly right on modern communications lacking facial expressions, etc and cause lots of screw ups.

Gene

[GeneMO]

If I said this cat, dog or pet is mine. Wouldn't that mean that I own that animal?
What if I said this woman is my wife? Would that mean that I owner her?
What if she said that I was her husband? Would that mean she owns me?
This particular statement has always bothered me like it was a statement that my spouse was really a slave. What if I said these children are my children wouldn't that indicated my children or slaves?
What's your take on this statement? If I make a statement, that so-and-so is mine. Is my pet, car, children, spouse all belong to me like I own them?

Sometimes the English language confuses me. It seems like the older I get the more I see how I am a captive of my native tongue. I also noticed that there is a lot words in the English language that are spelled the same pronounce the same but often means something totally different. I think that is the reason behind a lot of misunderstandings, especially on the Internet because we are missing a lot of the communication; facial features, gestures, tone and volume of voice. I often noticed on the boob tube how so many people use hand and arm signals in their communicate while using the English language.
Just wondering what your take is on this. Don't mind me. I have a habit to run in my mouth until I get my tit in a ringer.

Probably been a long time since anyone really got their tit in a wringer.

Gene