English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

> Out on the Mission, of course, fellow pilgrims have to share his spartan routine. At 3.30 a.m. twelve dry and commanding handclaps echo through the huts where the Mission is sleeping - guests of a poor Muslim or Untouchable as often as of a wealthy landlord.

Robusto

1:28 PM

Someone is clapping hands to wake people up at the mission, apparently.

its_me

I could grasp that part. What does the emphasized sentence mean on the whole, literally?

Noah

@its_me What do you mean by literally?

its_me

well, just the complete meaning of the sentence...

Noah

I think @Robusto got it right.

Do you want us to translate the words for you?

its_me

[...] through the huts where the Mission is sleeping - does this simply mean, through the huts where people are sleeping?

Noah

1:39 PM

Yeah.

its_me

Okay, so what does [...] guests of a poor Muslim or Untouchable as often as of a wealthy landlord. imply?

Noah

We dont have the full context, but the structure indicates that this is an explanation to the Mission in the huts.

Guests of a poor Muslim are compared to that of a wealthy landlord.

its_me

That's a tricky sentence. There no context wrt this part in the lesson

Noah

It doesnt seem to be tricky. If that's the context then I would go with what i just said.

its_me

What's confusing is this part - guests of a poor Muslim or Untouchable - how can a poor person afford guests? or does it mean something else?

Robusto

1:49 PM

It means that, no matter their station in life, the Muslims extend hospitality to guests.

its_me

That doesn't sound appropriate when looking at the sentence on the whole: "At 3.30 a.m. twelve dry and commanding handclaps echo through the huts where the Mission is sleeping - guests of a poor Muslim or Untouchable as often as of a wealthy landlord."

Robusto

It's entirely appropriate, unless you believe the last clause to have been chosen at random. If you're not satisfied with that, you'll have to provide more context.

Noah

@Robusto and Untouchable doesn't seem to be used here quite properly?

its_me

@Robusto some context: i.stack.imgur.com/dZ53a.jpg

The 3rd paragraph...

Robusto

@Noah "Untouchable" is an Indian caste. So the Muslims are not the only ones extending hospitality.

Noah

1:59 PM

@Robusto omm, didnt know that.

its_me

@Robusto "Untouchables" = "slaves" (servants, labor class) from Indian POV

That term is not used today, it's a thing of the past, but we still read them in books

Robusto

From the context, this Vinoba is merely commanding his followers (who are sleeping, wherever they happen to wind up as they follow him) to rise and partake in his ascetic regimen. If not commanding, then at least alerting them that he has begun his spartan routine.

its_me

Doesn't it seem like bad sentence framing? in a kinda unclear manner

Robusto

No, not at all.

It sets a scene, illustrating Vinoba's character by making his handclaps the subject of the sentence and the agent of his personality. I think it is decent writing, actually. I'm really not sure why you're having such trouble with it.

its_me

Hmm... Correct me if I am wrong, this is what I think the sentence means: At 3.30 a.m. people, including poor Muslims, Untouchables, or wealthy landlords, who are sleeping in the huts are awaken by 12 claps.

Robusto

2:08 PM

Not just people — Vinoba's followers, who have been given accommodations by other followers (who are from all levels of society). He's not just going around waking people up at random; he's calling on his followers to join him.

its_me

@Robusto No matter how much I try, this part doesn't make sense: "[...] guests of a poor Muslim or Untouchable as often as of a wealthy landlord."

@Robusto Ah, okay

Robusto

Are you reading this for school?

its_me

okay, so the people = Vinoba's followers (Muslims, Untouchables, or landlords) and their guests?

@Robusto yes :P

Robusto

@its_me The people are the hosts (who may be Muslims, Untouchables, whatever) and their guests.

its_me

Okay, makes sense now. Thanks for your time!

Robusto

2:12 PM

NP

tchrist

3:12 PM

@JasperLoy AXAY is not much a rhyme scheme.

RegDwighт

Only 4 tags below 200 and only one of them below 190. I guess we'll be handing out Generalists next week.

tchrist

looks up badge defs

Oh, I could never get that one on SO.

Nor would I want to.

RegDwighт

And that's the humane definition they agreed upon after three years.

There were way inhumaner suggestions.

tchrist

Like more impossibler?

RegDwighт

At least.

tchrist

3:15 PM

Nimrods.

RegDwighт

Like, very least.

tchrist

I feel like all the MSO posts on badge reqs being nutty fall on finger-stuff ears.

RegDwighт

So yeah, I've spent the last two weeks or so pushing 11 tags over the threshold by hunting down old shit.

It's cumbersome.

But we're almost there.

I really want to see how many Generalists we get.

I totally expect anything between three and three thousand.

tchrist

I suppose the SEDE might be able to tell you, or not?

RegDwighт

More cumbersome still.

tchrist

3:17 PM

One can prove a lower limit.

Yes, I never use SEDE. I hate it.

No, one can prove an upper limit, sorry.

RegDwighт

The existing queries are all broken IIRC, I don't want to write yet another one, and most importantly, the dump is awfully outdated.

tchrist

For weak values of prove.

> Provided non-wiki answers of 15 total score in 20 of top 40 tags

So nayeevely, 15 score * 10 reps per tag * 20 tags, no?

RegDwighт

0

Q: words ranked by intelligence

not sure if this is the right place to ask, but of all the stack exchange network seems the most likely. what i need to find is a list of words (at least ten, probably no more than twenty) ranked by the smartness / intelligence of the person. as in (random): moron idiot intelligent brilliant g...

list-request

What makes people think they can use such orthography here?

Seriously, this infuriates me.

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…