optical illusion II

[calimac]

A comment on my previous post has prompted me to ask a follow-up - of the same kind but a slightly different order. This time it wasn't me who was confused, but somebody else.

This happened years ago in an apa, and I don't remember who were the people involved, and I certainly don't have the original photo. But this one I found on an image search - which is of political activists in Lebanon celebrating the passage of a domestic violence bill - will do as a substitute. I am making up names for everyone involved.



The context was that a member, whom we'll call Greg, was writing a long tale about some people whom he knew but none of the readers did, and as illustration he provided a photo of some of them together with some other people who weren't in the story. For a caption, he wrote, "The person at the furthest left is Sarah. To her left is Nadine."

And another member, call him Zach, commented, "Huh? What does the word 'furthest' mean to you?"

So my questions for you are:

1) Are you confused by Greg's caption?

2) If you're not confused, do you understand why Zach was confused?

3) Which one is Sarah, and which one Nadine, anyway? Identify them by their hairstyle and clothing.

Comments

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Since you're the only person with any possible access to his thinking, what would he have said?

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

"The person at the furthest left . . . okay, Sarah is the one in black with snaky hair. To her left . . . huh? That's outside the frame? Why would they leave Nadine out of the picture if they're going to talk about her? Maybe they mean that Sarah is the one at the left of the picture, with sunglasses? Well, then, Nadine must be standing outside the frame at that side. Or maybe they mean that Sarah is the one in sunglasses and Nadine is standing at her left hand, in stars? That doesn't seem right, because it's two different meanings of left. Hmm, could Sarah be the one in black, and Nadine be the one with the beige rectangle? No, that doesn't work, that's "right" in both senses of the word. Better query the author to make sure."

Revise "at the extreme left of the photograph . . . to her right" and query "AUTHOR: As meant?"

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Is "at the extreme left of the photograph . . . to her right" the alternate you's proposal for a revision? That doesn't work for me, as it puts Nadine out of the photo again, beyond Sunglasses Woman.

"beige rectangle" raises another interesting perspective issue. As the rectangle (which I'd call white) is purely an accidental temporary artifact of the fit of her sweater and the position of the other woman's arm, I don't see it as one, though indubitably it is. I would describe her as "reddish sweater and white blouse."

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

To me "at the extreme left of the photograph" establishes a reference frame, within which "to her right" means "to her right as you scan across the photograph." But word choices like this are tricky; that's why we have author queries. Perhaps "standing at her left side" would be clearer by making the shift of reference frame explicit?

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

For me, the modifier "her" immediately changes the reference frame to her perspective. I guess that for you it does not. Interesting.