over-hearing
close reading requires close listening. For this weeks blog I want you to "overhear."
Go to a cafe or bar (or some other public place with a lot of people) and jot down phrases and comments that you hear. Take these phrases, comments etc. and post a few samples to the blog along with a brief commentary on what you noticed about how language functions in a public place.
Also, consider what it might mean to OVER-HEAR.
Go to a cafe or bar (or some other public place with a lot of people) and jot down phrases and comments that you hear. Take these phrases, comments etc. and post a few samples to the blog along with a brief commentary on what you noticed about how language functions in a public place.
Also, consider what it might mean to OVER-HEAR.
posted by marcus silcock at 7:12 AM
39 Comments:
I went to the mall this evening and sat near the Chinese place in the food court and here were some of the bits of conversation and phrases that I heard:
“Yes….I’d like..” “GIRL NO!” “how is it” “get us a table” “ok” “mommy, can I have ice cream” “try some hunan chicken today” “what” “here” “and she said” “I know” “I’ll have” “no thanks”
I noticed that people are really comfortable saying many types of things in public, especially since they don’t think that anyone is listening. It seems as if we as a culture are very loud people and we express ourselves through our tones and pitch in our voice. Some people were very calm and from their voice, it seemed as if they were very tired from a long Monday. An example of this is hearing the Chinese lady say “try some hunan chicken” and she got less and less motivated as the time went by. Some had a happy and excited tone saying things like “oh, that looks good!….probably because they were about to eat!
Our culture depends on language to express many different attitude and feelings and without even looking at a person, I could almost guess what their facial expression might be or what their body language could be like. Just sitting and listening sounds a lot like one of James Joyce’s poems. The different parts of people’s conversations even went together in a kind of funny way too. I didn’t hear any different accents except for the Chinese lady which was interesting to me. I thought I would hear some diversity within the people walking by in the time I was there, but to my surprise the food court of the mall was a very “Americanized” place!
SHERA GADSON
"Decaf?", "How was your day?" "Brillant" and "MMMMM" These were the phases I heard most. Humans have to communicate. Luckily, we have language, tone, facial expressions, and gestures. There is much to be said and a lot of different ways to say it. Taking these phrases out of context they could mean different things. For example, Brillant could mean smart, great, wonderful, etc. All with the same postive tone. However, if you hear someone say it, their tone could be sarcastic, placing a negative tone on it. And knowing this the listener can better understand the meaning of the term "brillant" being used.
"MMMM" is not really a word but a sound with a universal meaning: GOOD. Here we don't need sound to emphesize it's meaning.
The word overhear, plays on itself. When you overhear your not hearing the true meaning, your just getting the conotation that you put on the phrase because you didn't hear the whole story and the intentions of the meaning. So when you overhear, it's like your overlooking. There's no scrutiny involved, no valid definition. You just pass by the object/phrase because you don't know or don't care.
Over spring break I went to a lot of different cafes in France, and they are all the same: people laughing, talking about nothing. No one really pays attention to other conversations. Every now and then you just pick up a little bit wiht no real meaning.
Karin Aydelette, wrote the last comment
At a bar/club last night I heard: "you look nice", "Do you want another drink?", "Do you have another cigarette?", "I can't believe I payed $15 to get in here", "How do I get back to the highway from here?", "Ya'll shouldn't have let her get that drunk", "It's her birthday", "Hey, let me get another drink". Language functions crazy in a public place, especially a loud, noisey place. Everything that everyone is saying seems to be all mixed up and all you hear is "blah,blah,blah". To over-hear means that you may not be necessarily listening, but something catches you attention.
Johnna' Burns
I sat in a lobby on campus and listened as people walked by and listened to the conversations going on around me. Some pieces of conversation i overheard included, "And I get paid for it"..."Don't get poked in the eye"..."I was there!"..."They have a soccer team"..."Really?"..."I've never been"..."I go run now on that machine thing" These were all comments from people talking to each other in groups just passing by or sitting in the lobby where I was. There was also a girl who was on her cell phone. I overheard her conversation. Some examples of what she was saying were, "Are you at home?" and "Don't get no attitude!"
From the people that I overheard there were many different topics of discussion going on. Some people were talking about sports others were being goofy and the girl on her cell phone was getting frustrated. People never think that someone might be listening but they talk loud enough for someone to hear the whole conversation. People communicate in many ways in public. It is interesting to catch bits and pieces of conversations. In different contexts each statement could have a different meaning. Overhearing is dangerous because of that. You may interpret something completly differently than it is meant to be. I think people just freely talk in public because most people are absorbed in their own lives so they don't really care what other people are talking about.
Megan Foster
I went to the cafeteria by myself today so that I could listen to the people around me rather than carry on conversation with my friends. Some of the things I heard were:
-"are you going back?"
-"is it not good?"
-"shit, i gotta go!"
-"no, i've got class."
-"i have GOT to go gym today."
-"i can't believe she's wearing that!"
-"are we ready?"
-"i am so tired of eating the same food every day!"
I found that in some cases, language is simply used as a filler. People don't like for there to be silence; it's awkward and uncomfortable. I noticed that much of the language that I heard was to prevent this awkward silence.
Other people were using language to keep company and a personal conversation in a public place. Friends were turned towards each other to keep the conversation to themselves, and couples leaned in towards each other to keep the language between them more intimate. Language was being used in several different ways.
In my opinion, aside from the obvious explanation, "overhearing" means something someone is not supposed to hear. They are hearing too much, and hearing "over" what they are meant to hear.
-Stefanie Tallent
Tonight I went to Arigato's Japanese Restruant on Holden and noticed many different things about language varience in different situations. "I was like" "He was like" "It was so funny like" "Her expression was" "Man home girl was" "Chicken and rice please" "Thank you" were a few phrases I over heard while sitting at the table watching our food being cooked. Couples who crowded around carried on their own conversations assuming no one was listening. I learned that in a setting of such, people seem to take focus off of themselves and put it more on others and telling stories of their day. It is odd to see how the mood changes as different people interact with each couple. As the waitress would return from each trip the "please and thank yous" decreased and the demands increased.
Normally when I go out in public I never hear these things. It is something in society I have just tuned out, but it was very interesting to hear what people really talk about. In reality it never is really anything important but more of something to pass the time. I think the important language comes nonverbally with the kisses on the checks as the boyfriend/husband/partner pays, the hand holding under the table and the quality time spent with a loved one, that really said it all. After the couples had paid and the meals cleared away, everyone left completely satisfied with their dinner and their date. Tiffany Buie
I was on campus in the atrium and I over heard a couple of conversations. They were actually kind of funny. Some of the phrases I heard were:
“Hey, how are you?”
“Girl I don’t ever see him,”
“Whatever,”
“I shole did,” (sure)
“That B***H stole my clothes,”
One of the conversations that I over heard, you could tell that the two were close, from the information that was disclosed. Also I bet if they knew that I was listening to their conversation, the content, and grammar would be a little different. I bet the diction would be a little less “slang” and a more use of “proper English.” These phrases could have a couple of different meanings. I interpreted the “whatever” as like yeah right. That is a word used frequently in a lot of different ways, and there is no real definition. I found a lot of people use the “Hey, how are you” when passing by. I thought, if the people do not have that close of a relationship to each other, do they really want to know how they were doing? Maybe they do, or maybe not. I think people tend to use that phrase as more of a greeting rather then an actual conversation starter.
~James DeGraffenreid~
I went to my sisters soccer game and sat in the stadium and this was some of the conversations that were going on:
"what's up" "not a whole lot" "i love those shoes" "mom give me some money. i'm hungry" "what team are we playing" "i said sit down" "did you see that"
A girl was sitting next to me talking on a cell phone and this was some of what i heard:
"i don't think so" "you can" "whatever" "i might be home then, i don't know"
You could also tell a lot about a persons relationship with another by their use of nonverbal communication. You could see that people were close friends with the ones that they sat close to and leaned into when they spoke to them. People also use a lot of slang when speaking to friends. However, when speaking to someone's parents or an older adult, they tended to use more proper english.
When I go out in public I usually tune out what other people are saying because its unimportant to me. However, once in a while i will overhear a conversation that grabs my attention.
Kimberly Richtarik
I went to McDonald's and dined in. Some things that I heard was...
-What?
-I went there last weekend.
-Why do you want to know
-How was your day honey
-Oh no she didn't
-you should get rid of him
-told ya
-go wash your nasty hands
-my homeboy used to talk to her,she's aight
-i was so close to hitting the car in front of me
Although this was just casual language between people who had no idea that i was "over-hearing" them, this demonstrates how important language could be. To over-hear, to me is just being nosy. You are actually listening to their conversations, you just may not know what the meaning is exactly since you're just "over-hearing" For example my interpretation of what "i was so close to hitting the car in front of me" would be that maybe this person just can't drive. in actuality, it may have been that someone smashed into the back of their car and she had no choice but to react how she did.
~~Natisha Webb~~
I went to the Macaroni Grill, but I went with my twin sister. Most of the things I overheard had to do with us being twins. I heard "Are they twins or sisters?" "Look mommy! They look alike!" "Ask them if they're twins." There were several things like that. The host was also very friendly with all of the customers. He would say things like, "It will probably be about a 50 minute to an hour wait, but if you want, you can go to the bar and have a drink while you wait." And to one guy in particular, who was there with his girlfriend, he said in a joking manner, "but you can go on to the bar and get crunk if you want," to which the guy responded laughing, "Man, I ain't old enough to get crunk!" When I was going to my table, I heard some other people who were waiting say, "I thought that would be our table. Maybe we're next," to which a little girl responded, "Mommy, I'm hungry!" I also heard another mom tell her little girl, "Daddy's mad at Mommy because Mommy wanted to wait. He's not feeling good." They soon left, and the little girl said, "Are we not gonna eat no more?"
Hearing these things, I realized some ways that language functions in a public place. People try to speak quietly so that no one overhears them, but even when they think no one can hear them, people actually can. It's like, people sometimes intend for language to be private, and then that's when they act like themselves (for instance, the mom saying dad was mad for waiting and people shouting out are they twins); they don't expect anyone else to hear, but people really can hear. Language also functions humorously in public places. If there's tension or stress (like the potential of an hour wait), people will use language to lighten the mood (for instance, go to the bar and get crunk made the guy smile much more than if the host had simple said to him go the bar and have a drink; the guy actually decided to stay because the host had lightened his mood, making the wait not seem so long).
To OVER-HEAR, to me from this experience, means to gain insight into the lives of other people. You sense their moods, and often times, when we overhear things, we find ourselves enlightened too. The little girl asking if they were not going to eat now made me think back to the innocence and naivete of children. And the crunk phrase and people saying things about my sister and me being twins also made the night a little more entertaining. Over-hearing can spur conversation, as it did with my sister and me. It can bring a new twist to the whole exerience!
Jessica Dickerson
I went to the EUC and I was with some of my friends in the class. As we sat there, we listen to some strange conversations as well as interesting ones. Some of the conversations that went on were:
"This food is good" "You see that guy over there, he's too cute"
"I can't believe she actually wore that today" "what's up" " Are you stopping my room today" "I have a pimple on my forehead, do you think someone will notice" "what should eat" "I don't know what I want" "Our biology class was really good, Professor Lamb in a great professor" "I have alot of homework to do" "I am too at fat"
As I was sitting there writing and laughing at some of the conversations going on, I notice that everyone have some the same language going on. There were some people in there, which were the teachers and other older adults that had more of a sophisitcated conversations. Most of the interesting phrases came from my people of my age group. I notice that we all talk the same way with our friends or love ones. There were also people of different cultures and races. Although they had diffrent lanugages, I could tell they were either enjoying themselves or not in a good mood just by the expression of their face or body language.
~~Tori Hoyle~~
I went to the gym on campus and i heard a lot of sounds. Among them were sounds like "ughh" "hmmph" "yaah" "hahaha" and "hiiiiitttt!!". All of these sounds are the usual language of the gym.
This language, although not conventional, conveys many meanings in a very few syllables. Some of the words tell your spotter that your hurting while others tell him/her that you need help. A few show and convey the lifters approval of the lift.
Language in a general/public setting is used to entertain and inform. In a serious gym setting language is used as directions, warnings,and exciters.
Jonathan Bryant
I went to the gym on campus and i heard a different aspet of language. I heard sounds. Sounds like "aahhhh","hmmmphhh", "Hiiitt","Yeahh".
The language used in a gym setting isnt like the language of a regular public setting. In a gym the main purpose of language is to direct,inform,and celebrate. In a public setting language is used to entertain,inform,and comfort.
LAnguage really cant be given a single role or even a specific definition. Language is multi-dimensional and it changes everytime its presented in a different setting.
Jonathan Bryant
I went to a club and sat down and listened to a guy and girl sitting at the bar. Here is the conversation:
M(male)What do you do for a living?
F(female) I work for a big company. I manage a team of people, but I can't get into it because of security clearance issue.
M How old are you?
F 25
M Would you let me buy you a drink?
F Sure I'll have a Grand Marnier. What do you do for a living?
M I'm a computer programmer. I do military based type of things. How do you like this band?
F It's not really the type of music I really listen to. I just came in to support a friend of mine shose in the band.
M Which one's your friend?
F Well, they already went backstage.
M Okay, well I just came here with one of my freiends who wanted to hear the next band. I'm not very big into this kind of music. I'm more of a jazz/rock-n-roll kind of guy.
F I like rock-n-roll too
M What are you doing later on tonight? Do you want to meet up at this place that I know that has a pretty good rock-n-roll atmosphere? We can go together or you can follow me or we can meet whenever you want.
F Why don't we dance and then we'll talk about it.
They both finished their drinks and went off to dance. I thought the language wasn't too deep, which is probably typical for a public place and for two people who didn't know each other (I'm assuming they didn't). It's the type of conversation that I've heard before at a club where people are just meeting each other for the first time. I don't know how the night turned out for them or if they ended up meeting up at the rock-n-roll place, but the body language and his willingness to give her more information made me think that he was more interested in her than she was in him. He leaned toward her when he was talking and she leaned back in the chair. He volunteered more about his job and music preference, where she was brief with her answers and then avoided his question about meeting up by asking him to dance.
OVER-HEAR might possible mean to just hear part of the whole exchange, not to hear in detail but just to hear a bit. I would compare it to a snapshot instead of the whole picture.
Patrick Nelson
Whether we intend to or not, all of us at some point or another engage in Over-Hearing. It is similar to eavesdropping in the way that we're constantly catching bits-and-pieces of other peoples' conversations. Over-Hearing is very common to all people I believe, no matter what age, race, religion, or ethnicity, it is just something that is universal. Just remember the last time that you and your friend were somewhere in public and you felt like you had to watch what you were saying just in case someone else were to hear something personal.
I chose to observe the conversation that takes place at my job. It is already an interesting place because we're constantly calling people to do surveys, and most of them have some pretty interesting things to say to you. I heard so many things from other coworkers who get angry with the callers,including: "No, she didn't just cuss me out, I'm going to call this number back on my cell phone and cuss her out!" "F**k u too(mouthed silently)" "These people are so ignorant. That is why half of America is illiterate as it is because people do not understand what one another is saying sometimes." Or the clients who say: "I'm going to call the law on you. Go to H*ll! You're trying to scam me." "I'm getting a blow job right now call me back later." "You're so annoying, stop soliciting to me!" "These surveys are so long and are not common sense questions."
One thing I've observed overall is the fact that people in general do not like these aggravating calls, even if it is just participating in a survey. What they don't realize is that the interviewers actually do not enjoy it the majority of the time either. Sometimes it can be kind of mundane and repetitive. The only thing that does spice my shift up is an occassional person who wants to make my day by cursing me out or saying something funny.
During my break one day, I decided to over-hear a conversation taking place between an older man and a young female:
Man:Hey sweetie how are you today? Why you don't talk to me much?
Woman: I'm good, I do speak to you and smile.
Man:So how's school going? You still live on campus?
Woman:School is going fine, yeah I do.
Man: I just moved by UNCG too. I have to walk everyday to work. Man be tired as H*ll!
Woman:Ya, I walk to work from school too.
Man: Maybe we can walk to gether sometimes, you know get to know each other and lose weight!
Woman: We'll see!
Man: So you got a boyfriend?
Woman: Yes, we're in a serious relationship and I'm happy.
Man: Is he giving you what you need?
Woman:Yes he makes me happy like I said.
Man: I'll treat a woman real good, do what makes her happy, buy her whatever she wants, anything. That's what a woman needs. Plus, I know a college student needs things from time to time. You never know the Lord may have brought me into your life for a reason.
Woman: Maybe. I'm just real skeptical of people. I feel like people always have alterior motives. Especially with guys, it's pretty much strings attached.
I have to really get to know a person. Just how old are you anyway? You seem old.
Man: I'll tell you on the phone when you give me your number and I'll call.
Woman: (laughs)Smooth operator!
Man:You know maybe I can take you to lunch, we can go somewhere on the low-key so none of your friends are all into your business, like who is he?
Woman: We'll see...
Man: So do you and your man do the freaky freaky?
Woman: Whoa now you're getting personal! Hey I gotta go clock in, see ya!
I thought this was pretty interesting! Especially since the guy was so much older than the girl. It convinces me that there really are some desperate men who will try to say anything to test how naive a female is. But really to go even deeper, people say things to each other all the time, whether they mean it or not. Everyone has a motive with another person, whether it is to get to know a person better because you're interested in their personality, or attracted to their body, whether you need someone to talk to for advice or someone you feel needs to feel encouraged, etc. That's why it's so hard for everyone to be on the same wavelength with one another because we may say something a particular way and may not mean to be offensive, or we may and not even consider how the other person may feel.
As a whole we need to practice understanding one another and making sure the things we say aren't leading to mixed messages.
--Airreia Smith
Whether we intend to or not, all of us at some point or another engage in Over-Hearing. It is similar to eavesdropping in the way that we're constantly catching bits-and-pieces of other peoples' conversations. Over-Hearing is very common to all people I believe, no matter what age, race, religion, or ethnicity, it is just something that is universal. Just remember the last time that you and your friend were somewhere in public and you felt like you had to watch what you were saying just in case someone else were to hear something personal.
I chose to observe the conversation that takes place at my job. It is already an interesting place because we're constantly calling people to do surveys, and most of them have some pretty interesting things to say to you. I heard so many things from other coworkers who get angry with the callers,including: "No, she didn't just cuss me out, I'm going to call this number back on my cell phone and cuss her out!" "F**k u too(mouthed silently)" "These people are so ignorant. That is why half of America is illiterate as it is because people do not understand what one another is saying sometimes." Or the clients who say: "I'm going to call the law on you. Go to H*ll! You're trying to scam me." "I'm getting a blow job right now call me back later." "You're so annoying, stop soliciting to me!" "These surveys are so long and are not common sense questions."
One thing I've observed overall is the fact that people in general do not like these aggravating calls, even if it is just participating in a survey. What they don't realize is that the interviewers actually do not enjoy it the majority of the time either. Sometimes it can be kind of mundane and repetitive. The only thing that does spice my shift up is an occassional person who wants to make my day by cursing me out or saying something funny.
During my break one day, I decided to over-hear a conversation taking place between an older man and a young female:
Man:Hey sweetie how are you today? Why you don't talk to me much?
Woman: I'm good, I do speak to you and smile.
Man:So how's school going? You still live on campus?
Woman:School is going fine, yeah I do.
Man: I just moved by UNCG too. I have to walk everyday to work. Man be tired as H*ll!
Woman:Ya, I walk to work from school too.
Man: Maybe we can walk to gether sometimes, you know get to know each other and lose weight!
Woman: We'll see!
Man: So you got a boyfriend?
Woman: Yes, we're in a serious relationship and I'm happy.
Man: Is he giving you what you need?
Woman:Yes he makes me happy like I said.
Man: I'll treat a woman real good, do what makes her happy, buy her whatever she wants, anything. That's what a woman needs. Plus, I know a college student needs things from time to time. You never know the Lord may have brought me into your life for a reason.
Woman: Maybe. I'm just real skeptical of people. I feel like people always have alterior motives. Especially with guys, it's pretty much strings attached.
I have to really get to know a person. Just how old are you anyway? You seem old.
Man: I'll tell you on the phone when you give me your number and I'll call.
Woman: (laughs)Smooth operator!
Man:You know maybe I can take you to lunch, we can go somewhere on the low-key so none of your friends are all into your business, like who is he?
Woman: We'll see...
Man: So do you and your man do the freaky freaky?
Woman: Whoa now you're getting personal! Hey I gotta go clock in, see ya!
I thought this was pretty interesting! Especially since the guy was so much older than the girl. It convinces me that there really are some desperate men who will try to say anything to test how naive a female is. But really to go even deeper, people say things to each other all the time, whether they mean it or not. Everyone has a motive with another person, whether it is to get to know a person better because you're interested in their personality, or attracted to their body, whether you need someone to talk to for advice or someone you feel needs to feel encouraged, etc. That's why it's so hard for everyone to be on the same wavelength with one another because we may say something a particular way and may not mean to be offensive, or we may and not even consider how the other person may feel.
As a whole we need to practice understanding one another and making sure the things we say aren't leading to mixed messages.
--Airreia Smith
Last night, or rather tonight I was at a bar watching the NCAA tournament. I started jotting some things down on a napkin here is what I came up with.
"Got an ashtray?"
"OHHHHHHHHHHHH"
"This is a good game"
"You want another Corona?"
"Lime?"
"Dumb-ass"
"Watchyou doin here"
"what you drinkin?"
"That's in"
"Oh, YEAH!"
I also noticed many other sounds that I don't know how to put in writing. Some were noises of expressions and reactions of the game that came more from grunts, whoops, and grimmaces." There was this one older fellow that engaged in conversation with me and several of these comments came from him. We mostly talked about sports and briefly touched upon what we are doing with our lives. I thought this to be an interesting assignment 1. Bc I got to drink beer and do school work at the same time. 2. Not often do you tune in to the conversations and noises around you in a public place and it was nice to engage in the conversations that surrounded me. I think you can learn a lot by being an objective listner.
(William Pinkerton)
I was in the EUC and also at the mall and I overheard a few conversations. Some phrases that I overheard are:
"She don't know who the hell I am, so she better not mess with me."
"My brother is coming down from LA, this weekend."
"My cousin is dropping out of school."
"I think that I want to break up with my boyfriend, I just don't feel the same way I did before."
"Boy, you just don't know how I had that class."
"I think that my mom and dad are going to get a divorce."
"My brother's girlfriend is pregnant."
"I want to get a tatoo but I'm scared that it is going to hurt."
"I am thinking about getting my hair cut."
I think that overhearing a conversation may not exactly be what you heard, they could have stated before you began listening that they were playing. I think that some of the statements that I overheard I could probable tell what there expression was without looking at the person. Also, when you are in a public place usually you are screaming to the person you are talking to because the environment that you are in is so loud, and sometimes you may think you heard one thing and in return the person said something different. You should just be careful when you talk in public because there is always some EARS listening.
Tammy McRae
I "over-heard"
"girl bye" "no,not like that" "oh my gosh!" "oh my God" "like no" "What?" "and she was like" "yeah like" "huh?" "okay, thats fine" "what can i get for you today?" "are u serious?"
On my venture of "over-hearing" people seemed to be really comfortable with the people or person that they were with. This was interesting to me because people really don't pay attention to what they say once they are in their comfort zones. They tend to forget that they are in a public place, which isn't neccessarily a bad thing because it is in human nature, I mean I've done it before. But then again with all of the noise that already comes along with a public place, it is really hard to always make out what people are really saying, especially if you are just tuning in to the channel that they are on. Yet, to go along with that, sometimes I find myself regreting walking in on and "over-hearing" some conversations. Thats when you say "TMI" (too much information)!.
Na'Kol Curtis (4147)
I went to a food court at a mall in Durham. My surroundings were mostly kids, teenagers, and young adults. These are some of the things that I over heard:
"What do you want to eat?"
"Hurry up, I don't have all day"
"I hate that bastard."
"Leave him alone."
"I'm ready to go."
"Wait a minute, I'm not done."
I also heard ALOT of profanity out of the mouths of the younger groups. It goes to show that some people do not care who over hears what comes out of their mouth. How they feel is how they feel, and sensoring their language is not necessary. To over hear does not necessarily mean that the outsider is waiting to be informed of what is being said by others, it simply means that certain parts of conversations stand out and is taken in by the person who is not involved in the conversation.
Nicole Parker
I "overheard" people whenever I was riding the park-n-ride bus.
-"I better look at that"
"Yeah me too."
"I don't know how he got these two numbers, but this is how you do it."
"I just hope I can stay awake in class."
"It is so stupid to have five essay questions on a test. I have to remember each time what bs I put on the first one so I don't write the same thing over again."
-"you talk to much sh*t"
"Looking like yous tired"
"No you didn't"
"I was trying to talk"
"That’s right"
-"He said he only broke his glasses cause he didn't want to sleep with him."
-"Are you serious?"
"laughs"
"ok"
"Yeah I'll call you when I get out of class"
"Have fun"
"Bye"
That was just a little bit of the pieces of conversations I overheard while riding the bus. It seemed like the majority of the conversations going on where about school or relationships. With some of the conversations it was like the people wanted others to listen in because they were talking really loud. While many of the people who were on cell phones and such usually didn't talk very loud or for very long. They were always like "I've got to go, I'm on the bus." The different ranges of how loud people were talking seemed to either be really loud or barely audible, but not really any middle ground. Possibly due to the fact that is was on a bus.
I think the word OVER-HEAR means to listen in on something that is not necessarily meant for your ears.
Brianna Smith
"I don't understand why that is 22x."
"That's too much to do."
"Did he cover anything new today?"
"I'd write it, but I wasn't listening."
"I turn mine in."
"I didn't even do question three."
In a public place language along with gestures and facial expressions function as a mean of communication. I noticed that people tend to talk about things that are related to the surrounding they are in. Since I was on school campus in the Bryan Building the coversations that I over-heard mostly dealt with school. The conversations were about upcoming projects, homework, or about lectures that were given in class. To me to over-hear means the listener add more or less meaning to what they hear. The listener can repeat what they over-heard whether orally or written, but the meaning of it could be something different from what the person that originally said it.
Hong Ton
I went to the caf and sat while i was eating. I overheard some comments such as these: "i just want some french fries", "i guess we are eating here","ummm 2:25", and "well i don't know." I noticed that people will talk about anything if they do not think anyone is listening. Since i went to an eating place i heard a lot of people trying to decide what they wanted to eat. I heard some other conversations where people were talking about personal things. i never really realized how much you can hear if you just listen to your surroundings.
Kelsey Bowers
last night i was at my friends birthday/st. patricks day party. needless to say im pretty happy class got canceled today. last night i heard a wide range of conversations. i overheard the standard party things like "hand me a beer" or "ewww, what did u mix in here". but the wierd phenomenia of parties is that between the atmosphere and alcohol, people loosen up and will talk about things they wouldn't ever speak of. i was shocked when i overheard someone i vaguely knew, flat ask some girl "you wanna just go have sex" but the oddest thing to consciously overhear all night was the stream of profanities flying from the porch below as a fight broke out. what a great holesome event to write about over hearing.
john elliott
I Went to WalMart around 10:30 last night and it was really buzzing with tons of different conversations. THere are some of the things that I heard:
- We dont have enough money for that.
- Brian will like those cars
- I came to get baby formula
- Move out my way stupid bitch
- Mama I will be home in 20 min.
- Excuse me ma'am
- You heard me
- I go to A & T
- You must be college student b/c you have romen noodles.
We Americans are very loud and rude.People on their cell phones were hollering. Yhe noise from inside the store was causing them to talk way louder.They didnt seem to care or stop to think just for a second if others were affected by their behaviors. It seemed as if everyone was in this big rush. Pitch and tones plays an important role in communication.I think over hear means to secretly listen to someones else conversation. Your just being plain nosey.
Navia McDonald
Cubicles bring overhearing to a whole new level. These five and a half foot padded walls fool the prisoners within into thinking that they are important enough to have their own offices, but really the purpose these walls serve is to be able to talk behind coworkers' backs without having to look at them. Needless to say, I am quietly sitting in my own fuzzy gray box right now, and could tell you all you could ever want to know about Denise's diabetes, Jane's boyfriend Nick and her nephew Caleb, and Mary's frustration with the replenishment software. I know more about these people's lives than they could ever fathom. This fact lends itself to a general observation about American society: The amount of time we spend at work and away from home has caused us to know our collegues more intimately than our families, to anticipate the thoughts and reactions of our bosses while feeling clueless when it comes to our spouses. Is it any wonder then why divorce rates are so high and families don't stay together?
Following are exerpts from conversations I heard around me this afternoon:
"Thursdays would be good"
"you're looking at me like I have four heads"
"but she changed it?"
"What happened? I was wondering what was going on there"
"I'm a redneck boy"
"and you were all gonna go"
"you gotta be kidding"
"Paulet, go push the clocks ahead. I don't know if I feel like I'm not doing anything, or if it's just slow or what"
"But now that I think of it, you did tell me that, Betty"
"Alright then, hon. You're welcome. Bye"
"What'd you say?"
"Watch what you wish for"
-Tineke Misegades
I went to a small local restaurant for lunch and listened to some of the people that were eating and some of the waitresses also.
"Sometimes she's very painful"
"I just cannot believe that"
"She waved to me"
"What would you like today?"
"He looked at one"
"No Yeah No Yeah"
"We played 36 holes then 36 holes again on Saturday"
"I wouldn't be any fun after that, it would be work"
"Where'd you go?"
Sometimes when you overhear it can be on accident but other times you have to really try to hear what a person is saying. One thing about it is that you really need to listen to a persons tone of voice and see facial expressions to really get the whole idea of what they are talking about to see what their feelings are toward that subject.
Amber Poinsett
I work in the School of Music in the Accounting Department and I heard so many things. The conversations that my supervisor has with the professors and with companies and when I am out in the hall I hear students talking to students, professors talking to professors, and professors talking to student. Particularly in this accounting office I hear a lot about professors traveling to all these places for conferences and concerts, ordering things online, but mostly about MONEY and where is it and when will it get here.
Listening to these professors and how they are supposed to be so scholarly and civil, the surprise me with the things that they say when something does not go there way. They are very quick to get an attitude and they don’t understand that they filled out the wrong form or it just takes time for a check to be processed.
-"If you fill out the form on Monday the check will not be ready on Wednesday"
- "But I don’t understand I need that money on Thursday to pay a performer, or he wont perform."
- "Well I can’t do anything about that, but we can mail it to him."
-"That wont work I need it by Thursday or he wont perform."
- " I apologize but it won’t be ready, so..... What do you want to do?"
I think that they just don’t understand and are very unappreciative. I don’t that that they should talk to anyone like that. If they followed directions then it would not be so hard. Language here is more about two main subjects: Music and Money. That is all that I here about because this is the School of Music and it is just one section of conversation. Just like others stated being in a bar, or gym, you are going to here different things. I this is just one point of it.
~Adrienne Mann~
I work in the School of Music in the Accounting Department and I heard so many things. The conversations that my supervisor has with the professors and with companies and when I am out in the hall I hear students talking to students, professors talking to professors, and professors talking to student. Particularly in this accounting office I hear a lot about professors traveling to all these places for conferences and concerts, ordering things online, but mostly about MONEY and where is it and when will it get here.
Listening to these professors and how they are supposed to be so scholarly and civil, the surprise me with the things that they say when something does not go there way. They are very quick to get an attitude and they don’t understand that they filled out the wrong form or it just takes time for a check to be processed.
-"If you fill out the form on Monday the check will not be ready on Wednesday"
- "But I don’t understand I need that money on Thursday to pay a performer, or he wont perform."
- "Well I can’t do anything about that, but we can mail it to him."
-"That wont work I need it by Thursday or he wont perform."
- " I apologize but it won’t be ready, so..... What do you want to do?"
I think that they just don’t understand and are very unappreciative. I don’t that that they should talk to anyone like that. If they followed directions then it would not be so hard. Language here is more about two main subjects: Music and Money. That is all that I here about because this is the School of Music and it is just one section of conversation. Just like others stated being in a bar, or gym, you are going to here different things. I this is just one point of it.
~Adrienne Mann~
I work in the School of Music in the Accounting Department and I heard so many things. The conversations that my supervisor has with the professors and with companies and when I am out in the hall I hear students talking to students, professors talking to professors, and professors talking to student. Particularly in this accounting office I hear a lot about professors traveling to all these places for conferences and concerts, ordering things online, but mostly about MONEY and where is it and when will it get here.
Listening to these professors and how they are supposed to be so scholarly and civil, the surprise me with the things that they say when something does not go there way. They are very quick to get an attitude and they don’t understand that they filled out the wrong form or it just takes time for a check to be processed.
-"If you fill out the form on Monday the check will not be ready on Wednesday"
- "But I don’t understand I need that money on Thursday to pay a performer, or he wont perform."
- "Well I can’t do anything about that, but we can mail it to him."
-"That wont work I need it by Thursday or he wont perform."
- " I apologize but it won’t be ready, so..... What do you want to do?"
I think that they just don’t understand and are very unappreciative. I don’t that that they should talk to anyone like that. If they followed directions then it would not be so hard. Language here is more about two main subjects: Music and Money. That is all that I here about because this is the School of Music and it is just one section of conversation. Just like others stated being in a bar, or gym, you are going to here different things. I this is just one point of it.
~Adrienne Mann~
I work in the School of Music in the Accounting Department and I heard so many things. The conversations that my supervisor has with the professors and with companies and when I am out in the hall I hear students talking to students, professors talking to professors, and professors talking to student. Particularly in this accounting office I hear a lot about professors traveling to all these places for conferences and concerts, ordering things online, but mostly about MONEY and where is it and when will it get here.
Listening to these professors and how they are supposed to be so scholarly and civil, the surprise me with the things that they say when something does not go there way. They are very quick to get an attitude and they don’t understand that they filled out the wrong form or it just takes time for a check to be processed.
-"If you fill out the form on Monday the check will not be ready on Wednesday"
- "But I don’t understand I need that money on Thursday to pay a performer, or he wont perform."
- "Well I can’t do anything about that, but we can mail it to him."
-"That wont work I need it by Thursday or he wont perform."
- " I apologize but it won’t be ready, so..... What do you want to do?"
I think that they just don’t understand and are very unappreciative. I don’t that that they should talk to anyone like that. If they followed directions then it would not be so hard. Language here is more about two main subjects: Music and Money. That is all that I here about because this is the School of Music and it is just one section of conversation. Just like others stated being in a bar, or gym, you are going to here different things. I this is just one point of it.
~Adrienne Mann~
I was listening to conversations while I was walking to class. One conversation went, "Marcus, how are you?", "Doin' good, doin'g good, you", "Im fine, what are you up to?" I thought this was interesting, because this was between two toatally opposite people and it sounded like a conversation between anyone. I think overhearing means acidently or not so acidently hearing what people say.
Sally Hinson
I went to work at Pizza Hut and i overheard many things. As a server I overhear people talk all the time. Like "Hey John how is everything?" and "No! Did she really runaway?" and alot of othere comments. No one really pays attention to what they are sayingor how loud they are because everyone is just as loud. They dont realize that some one could overhear what they are saying. Like this one group i brought there food to I said in a very nice manner "Here is your supreme. Enjoy." and wealked away and I over heard the couple saying "Man she is has some dick sucking lips. I wish i could find out if it true." I was really taken aback, but i acted normally and didnt know i heard. People say will say about anything when they think no one is listening.
Kim ludewig
When observing I noticed that many people are concious of over hearers' almost paranoid. I found as I walk by they seemed to hush everything or not say ne thing at all. Some ppl are exception but for the most part we as humans like to keep our private lives private. ex:when you are sitting down at a resturaunt and you are having a conversation , and the waitress comes to give u a refil, and u pause your convo. You don't want her to overhear you. Mostly When ppl don't want u to over hear them is when they are saying some thing private. Or at least thats what I associate that word with.
-Brittany Snow
I went to the eatery in the EUC building and sat for a while and listened to people's random conversations "I dont want to!" "But Why?" "Thats not fair!" there was a kid and her mother in there I guess that they were here for the walks around the campus. they were both getting frusterated and angry with each other others though who were there were very excited about the weekend they said that it was finally supposed to stop raining and so they were glad. Over all i think that spying on ppl is kind of fun!
Kimberly Grimes 5588
" She never saw it coming!" " He told him to F*** off after that" " I hate brown with green it reminds me of baby poo." " Previoulsy on taken....." " Exactly the same size in exactly in the same place." " No realy I'm having a good time I'm just tired heee." "Holy crap! That is the biggest pile of nachos I have ever....." "Does my place sound good?"
What was so fun listening to this weekend was how people try to make themselves sound important when what there saying has no real weight. The most important comments were the ones that came out of surprise. The unchecked thought for clearical errors I found is the most important. You can tell a lot about the person when they are taken by surprise. Tone, loudness and diction, directness was very interesting. Even without looking at people you could tell if they had met for the first time or where on there first or even last date just by what they where saying to each other. Some peope laugh out of politeness, some laugh out of complete enjoyment, others just laugh to loud.
Rebekah Bair-Sanders
Walking through the other day I heard everything from gossip to casual converstaion, classwork to guys talking about a girl's ass and girls talking a guy's...who knows. Here are a few examples:
"Damn, yo. You see that? Sh*t was beautful"
"Don't worry; I saw it, clearly."
"I think that it varies from person to person. One person might think that both parties were in the wrong, where I see that they are both right."
"I know, but I don't know what I am going to do about this. I just wish it hadn't happened like this, becuase they won't listen. They're both hard-headed."
"So, we have two quizzes next week and then the next class period we are going to have an exam?"
"Yeah, that's it says in the syllabus."
"That's bullsh*t, man. I can't stand that class sometimes."
As in the first comment in the blog, I agree that when in public, people are comfortable in saying things, but they are only "very" comfortable when they around their friends and when there are many types of conversations around them, so their converation gets lost in everyone else's. Also, they feel that they have the power to say whatver they want as long as no one hears them and they will not get in trouble. For instance, I think that the "class" conversation would not be heard or taking place if both parties were in the mentioned class where the teacher could hear.
I think to "Over hear" is almost the exact same as "reading too much into" something. If one over hears, someone talking about a certain subject they know nothing about, then the subject could be taken very7 differently of what was implied or meant. Also to "over hear" means to, in my opinion, eavesdrop, but not intentionally. For instance, one could be sitting down, enjoying a nice cup of coffee, and be minding their own business when someone behind them says something that grabs their attention before they leave, and it sticks with that person all day. The person does not hear another word; only that one little bit of conversation that they "over heard". That's what I think is meant by the term "over hear"
Chris Swaim
I went to the atrium of the University and sat there and observed and listened to what people said. "WTF I have been working so hard for this class and I STILL DONT GET IT", "Oh no GIRL" " So what are you going to get to eat, there aint much here", "HELL NO", "So do you work today", "AHUMMMM", "Man I'm starving", "Yo can I borrow some DB," "OK", "If only you had a brain", "There are things you just dont say," YES" Please add onions," "My mom is going to KILL me," "OH NO," Yes I do understand that," " Is there anything else I can do for you?" People were being soo incredibly loud in the Atrium but that is the hang out place where students just come in and chill and talk about their problems just as you can read by the things I have just listed. Hearing is something that is different than listening. When one hears one is just hearing what is being said and when one listens one is actually paying attention to what the person is saying. I was listening to people's conversation. Over-hearing what they were saying. Over-hearing can sometimes be bad because one may interpret something totally different than the way that person meant it.
Facial expressions were crucial in this proses people tend to speak with many facial expressions and also with hand movements. It was so funny to see peoples faces and reactions to some of these things. They were so passionat about what was being said and really wanted to get their point across. Culture has something to do with this too.I believe people of color are much more louder and crazier than others and are more outgoing and they always want to be known. I AM LIKE THAT and in the atrium all you could hear was mainly the minortiy of the crowd. I also heard many different accents from people. Some sounded like they were from the south others from the north others with lisp and other with accents from different countries. We have such a diverse group of people on our campus that it is amazing to sit and listen to what people are saying on the daily bases.
WENDY PAGOAGA
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