Abstract & nuanced discussion

Lesson opening

This is the first part of the lesson. The rest, the exercises and the reviews are in the app.

Abstract discussion: u kom smislu, uslovno rečeno, i da i ne

You can state and back up a claim (“Argumentation & persuasion”) and read and write abstract prose (“Science & abstract concepts”). One floor is left, the one that separates a native from a fluent foreigner: abstract talk, where people argue not about facts but about words and the limits of a claim. Someone says “freedom”, and the first move is not to object but to ask which freedom. An answer to an abstract question is almost never “yes” or “no”; it is “yes and no, depending on how you look at it”. And there are four people at the table, not two, and the talk falls apart unless someone holds the thread.

Agreeing on words: u kom smislu

An abstract argument nearly always starts with a mix-up: two people say “truth” or “freedom”, mean different things, and notice it fifteen minutes in. Serbs do not argue on here; they ask back. The set of questions is short, and it is also the politest way to buy time.

You also need names for the parts of a discussion, or you cannot say that you differ on the criterion, not the substance.

The third move is to pull apart two ideas the other person has glued together.

Hedging: measuring out the strength of a claim

A native speaker rarely makes a bare statement: claims come wrapped in hedges, words not about the subject but about how far to trust what is said. Skip this layer and you sound more categorical than you meant. The move itself is called ograditi se, literally “to fence yourself off”, that is, to put in a caveat: Da se odmah ogradim: nisam stručnjak za to. “Let me put in a caveat at once: I’m no expert on this.”

Where English says “speaking”, Serbian usually says rečeno “said”: grubo rečeno “roughly speaking”, uslovno rečeno “so to speak” (literally “conditionally said”), blago rečeno “to put it mildly”: To je, blago rečeno, neozbiljno. “That is, to put it mildly, not serious.” Strogo govoreći in the table is the exception. “In a sense” or “in a way” is u izvesnom smislu or u neku ruku: U izvesnom smislu si u pravu. “In a sense, you’re right.” Don’t confuse it with the question U kom smislu? “In what sense?”

One pair no abstract discussion can do without: u načelu (also načelno and u principu) “in principle, in theory” against u praksi “in practice”. After this “in theory” hedge everyone waits for ali “but”. A soft “well, basically yes” sounds different: uglavnom da, manje-više, u suštini da.

There is also the reverse operation: drop the hedges and say it straight: Da kažem otvoreno:… “Let me be frank:…”, Da ne okolišam:… “Not to beat about the bush:…”. Such an opener promises frankness; before every sentence it sounds pushy, so save it for your key point. When directness fits (with people close to you) and when it is softened (with strangers) is the subject of “Politeness & tact”.

Cheat sheet

The cheat sheet — everything essential from the lesson on one page. In the app it opens at any time.

Abstract discussion

Six moves: pin down the word → hedge → mark the scope → take a stance → keep distance → hold the thread.

Pin down the word, pull ideas apart

• Ask: U kom smislu? Šta tačno podrazumevaš pod tim? Kako to misliš? Da razjasnimo pojmove.
• Grant on terms: Ako pod uspehom podrazumevaš novac, onda se slažem. Also: Zavisi šta zoveš slobodom.
• Separate: praviti razliku između + Gen.; X nije isto što i Y; ne treba mešati; ne treba poistovećivati; to su dve različite stvari.
• Words: pojam, smisao, nijansa, aspekt, dimenzija, ugao gledanja, gledište, pristup, kriterijum, kontekst, domet, obim.

Hedging (ograditi se)

Scope

Between yes and no

• A bare Ne. is blunt. Partly: I da i ne. Delimično. Donekle. Ima nečega u tome. Slažem se, s tim što… Slažem se, samo bih dodao…
• Frame, form: Zavisi od ugla gledanja. Nisam siguran da bih to tako formulisao. Ne bih to tako oštro rekao.
• Key construction: Ne kažem da je X, nego da je Y. Nije da se ne slažem — samo…
• Step back: Lično mislim da… Govorim samo u svoje ime. Da probamo iz suprotnog ugla…

Distance and irony

• navodno allegedly (passing on) · tobože supposedly (disbelief) · takozvani, tzv. so-called (neutral before a term, mocking before a word you reject) · kako kažu, po njegovim rečima neutral.
• Irony: Svaka čast. Nego šta! Naravno, kako da ne. Baš ti hvala. Clear it: Bez ironije, Ozbiljno ti kažem.

Discussion among four