I was singing that old song "Home On The Range" recently (don't ask!), and I was remembering that, when I was a little kid, I completely misunderstood the line "where seldom is heard/ a discouraging word". I though it meant "where 'seldom' is heard/ a discouraging word"--that is, that, on the range, the word "seldom" itself is understood to be a discouraging word (that things are meant to be done, and done often, not "seldom"), rather than that discouraging words are seldom heard. I was much older--high school, I think--when I finally understood what the song was saying.
In retrospect, I think my confusion is understandable; if you consider the inflection/emphasis that the pauses place on the word seldom (sing it to yourself: "where sel'DOM is HEARD/ a dis'COUR'a'gin' WORD/"), I think the confusion, in the mind of a child, is understandable.
What stood out to me as I was considering this--what I found interesting rhetorically, I guess--is how important inflection and rhythm are to understanding.
MR R
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