Syntactic Analysis and Merchandising Bath

[tsukikage]

Guys, I need your opinions:
Watch, Listen, and Buy Anime at "dot-anime"
Is this grammatical to your ears? If it isn't, how would you re-write it? And if it is, would you still say it could be made clearer, and how would you?

P.S. I wrote a letter to Viz, and am putting it away for a day so I can revise it later. I may ask some of you to take a look at it after I revise it.

Comments

[tsukikage85.livejournal.com]

My own opinion is that this is incorrect, and should be written "Watch, Listen to, and Buy Anime", but I'll admit that it doesn't really have any ring to it that way.

[carve037.livejournal.com]

You're interpreting "anime" as the mutual object of the three verbs. If you interpret it as only the object of "buy", it becomes grammatical, albeit it makes less sense, because it's no longer clear what you're watching or listening for.

[tsukikage85.livejournal.com]

This is true. I didn't think of that.
However... There's still the question of what Bandai intended, and I can only assume they intended anime as the mutual object. However much their original intention matters.

[tsukikage85.livejournal.com]

Nastassja
“You're interpreting "anime" as the mutual object of the three verbs. If you interpret it as only the object of "buy", it becomes grammatical, albeit it makes less sense, because it's no longer clear what you're watching or listening for.”
Vinny makes a point.

Patrick
Yes, he does.
Now
A good point
A bad point?
I dunno
But he sure made that point good
Sorry :)
It sounds like the emphasis is on the making
Not the point, since point has no adjective on it

Nastassja
laughs
He puts the raw point in the oven at 325 for 15 minutes.
And sprinkles a bit of grated parmesan on top.

[lugia222.livejournal.com]

Thank you. She seems to have completely ignored what I had said to her.

[tsukikage85.livejournal.com]

I didn't ignore what you said!
That's not the message I got from you at all...

[lugia222.livejournal.com]

I said you were making too many assumptions about the implied meaning. Read my other comment.

[lugia222.livejournal.com]

In the end, I don't really think it works the way you have it phrased, and while it might be awkward the way Bandai phrased it, theirs is the much more common English phrasing.

[tsukikage85.livejournal.com]

Is that a pretty common phrasing? I've never really seen that before...

[lugia222.livejournal.com]

Yeah but I've seen "Watch, Listen, Buy Anime!" I've never seen "Watch, Listen to, Buy Anime!" It just looks and sounds awkward. The objects of the Watch and Listen don't have to be anime, as far as I read it.

[tsukikage85.livejournal.com]

Okay, without the "and" the "to" version is indeed horrid. Actually, without the "and", that sentence somehow seems to parse better with the "non-mutual object" tree. *ponders this*

[akaneko.livejournal.com]

When read quickly, it doesn't grate, though careful parsing makes it a bit more of a headache. I think it flies alright on a colloquial level regardless of the contortions necessary to cook up an acceptable parsing on a more formal level.

[tsukikage85.livejournal.com]

I guess it doesn't grate on a quick fly-by, but it is enough to throw me off a bit.