Milli mála - 01.01.2010, Blaðsíða 270

The use of direct interrogative sentences aims to debunk the
opponents and their intelligence. rhetorical questions drastically
reduce the reputation of Tasso: “Who, listening to such a poetical
and figurative speaking, could not fall over laughing?”61; “How is
it possible that this author, who after all can express himself in an
elegant style, has such a tin ear that he cannot recognize these
mawkish expressions?”62 The same rhetorical device exposes the
falseness of Sarsi’s convictions: “But, my dear Mr. Lothario […]
what will you do with your syllogism? What will your conclusion
be? nothing.”63; “alas, am I not aware that time flies? Should I
waste my time on these childish issues?”64; “You then, Mr. Sarsi,
are you accusing me of being a poor experimenter, while in the
same experiment your mistakes are evidently as serious?”65.
The characteristic of the interrogative sentence is theatrical in
itself, but galileo reinforces that theatricalism by using terms or
expressions directly derived from spoken and performative lan-
guage (and whose translation does not convey their incisiveness):
• Idiomatic and slang expressions:
- In Considerazioni al Tasso: “By the way, remember that this
is the second time you fill our ears with these very unspecif-
ic things; before the end of the party there will be more than
two dozen of them.”66; “He began to tap into the box of the
‘big’, in order to season so many soups made of ‘big’ bulls,
SIMILarITIES BETWEEn SCIEnTIFIC LanguagE …
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61 “chi non creperà di ridere sentendo questo parlar così poetico e figurato?” galileo galilei,
Considerazioni al Tasso, from Edizione digitale delle opere complete di Galileo Galilei,
Vol. IX, p. 83, http://pinakes.imss.fi.it:8080/pinakestext/home.jsf (accessed november 5,
2010).
62 “Come è possibile che questo autore, che pur dice delle cose buone, non abbia orecchio da
conoscere queste putterie?” Ibid, p. 88.
63 “Ma, Signor Lottario mio […] che farete voi del vostro sillogismo? che ne concluderete?
niente.” galileo galilei, Il Saggiatore, p. 179.
64 “aimé, e non m’accorgo del fuggir dell’ore? e vo logorando il mio tempo intorno a queste
puerizie?” Ibid, p. 225.
65 “Voi dunque, Signor Sarsi, mi tassate per cattivo sperimentatore, mentre nell’istesso maneg-
gio errate quanto piú gravemente errar si possa?” Ibid, p. 298.
66 “o ricordatevi che questa è la seconda volta che ci avete intonate negli orecchi quelle vostre
cose generalissime; perchè avanti che la festa finisca, s’ha da passar le due dozine.” galileo
galilei, Considerazioni al Tasso, from Edizione digitale delle opere complete di Galileo
Galilei, Vol. IX, p. 67, http://pinakes.imss.fi.it:8080/pinakestext/home.jsf (accessed
november 5, 2010).
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