corrections, mismatches, cultural notes, confessions
I meant to sound soft and grateful. Instead I think I sounded flat, maybe abrupt. The sentence was grammatically fine, which almost made it worse.
I understood the register.
I understood the grammar, not the social temperature.
see also: politeness ≠ warmth [1]I still default to reading pauses through an English-language emotional logic. That is not always the right instrument.
wait longer before filling the silence.
correction mark: not every pause asks to be repairedI knew the word. I did not know how it landed.
appropriate accurate situated
accuracy is not the same as tact [2][1] linguistic correctness can conceal pragmatic failure.
[2] this page should hold moments where intention, grammar, and reception pull apart.