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getting everyone on board
commas with whereas and if
Jan 20, 2022 18:50
2 yrs ago
30 viewers *
English term

softly aloud

Non-PRO English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters meditation guide
Dear colleagues,
I’m not completely sure about the meaning of “softly aloud” in the passage below, taken from a meditation guide.
At first, I thought it could mean “in a low voice”, but in another part of the text, in a similar context, with the same phrases to repeat, the author uses the expression “aloud”: “Repeat the following phrases aloud or say them silently in your mind as you continue to breathe deeply”
So, perhaps, “softly aloud”, means: aloud in a gentle voice or something like that?
Thank you so much for your attention!

********************************

As you take this time to feel forgiveness toward another and offer forgiveness to yourself, you can repeat the following phrases quietly in your mind or even say them ** softly aloud ***:
- May all living beings be happy..
- May all living beings be as healthy as they can be..
Responses
4 +6 barely audible, in a quiet voice
4 +1 gently out loud
4 "aloud" is redundant
Change log

Jan 21, 2022 00:24: writeaway changed "Field" from "Art/Literary" to "Other"

Jan 21, 2022 10:36: Rachel Fell changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (3): Tony M, Barbara Carrara, Rachel Fell

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Discussion

haribert (asker) Jan 25, 2022:
Dear Yvonne, thank you for your contribution. It’s certainly true that sometimes I tend to overthink, but in this case my doubt derived from the fact that I also have purchased the audio edition of the book and in the passages I mentioned, there doesn't seem to be a difference in the volume of the voice between "softly aloud" and "aloud".... Just to be sure I wasn’t “overhearing” (!!), in the meantime I also asked my boyfriend and some friends to listen to both passages – the one where the author says “say them softly aloud” and the other where, referring to the same sentences after a few pages, he simply says “aloud”. My friends don’t know either the text or the author, so maybe their judgement is more unbiased than mine: actually they also found no difference in the volume of the voice in the two passages of the audio edition; only one of them said that, when the author suggested saying the phrases “aloud", his voice seemed a little more "assertive" than when he said “softly aloud”... That’s why I think that the difference may be perhaps more in the tone than in the volume itself.. Anyway, to cut it short, I think I’ve found a word ambiguous enough to leave both possibilities open.
Yvonne Gallagher Jan 22, 2022:
@ Asker I already answered your question amd said I'm 100% sure. The author chose voiceless/internally, softly and aloud, 3 (not 2) different ways of "saying" these phrases. He didn't choose "gently" so agree with Tony you are overthinking this. (And it has already been voted non-pro by 3 natives so why complicate things?)
haribert (asker) Jan 21, 2022:
Hi, Tony, thanks for your advice! You're probably right... I actually tend to over-think (sigh)... In this case, however, it's not only a matter of style: the author is describing a meditation practice, these are the instructions for a series of exercises: that's why it seemed strange to me that in one case you say the sentences in a low voice, and then in a virtually identical exercise, you say them in a normal tone of voice..
Anyway, perhaps I've found a word in Italian which conveys both meanings, more or less: a low voice and a gentle tone...
A sincere thanks for your patience!
Have a nice weekend!
Tony M Jan 21, 2022:
@ Asker I think you are over-thinking this. Writers sometimes use different words for variety, or emphasize different aspects of their points in different places.
If there was any intended sense of 'gently', describing the manner>/i> of speaking rather than the volume, why would they not have used that more natural adverb?
haribert (asker) Jan 21, 2022:
Dear colleages, thank you very much for your help I understand that "softly" as in "speak softly" usually means "in a low voice", as Yvonne said.
What I don't understand is why the author says "softly aloud" in this part and "aloud" in another passage with the same sentences that have to be repeated... Why saying the sentences one time in a low voice and then the other in a normal speaking voice? It's really the same kind of exercise...
So wouldn't it be possible that "softly" in this case has a less "standard" meaning, maybe more in the sense of "gently" as Alex said, also considering that these are statements of "kind" intention...
I'll think over that a little longer...

Responses

+6
4 mins
Selected

barely audible, in a quiet voice

just before this he says

quietly in your mind or even say them ** softly aloud ***:

so don't voice them at all or just say thenm so you can just about hear them yourself

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Note added at 4 mins (2022-01-20 18:54:27 GMT)
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100% CL here

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Note added at 1 hr (2022-01-20 20:34:45 GMT)
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yes, but that could just be a normal speaking voice.
In this particular case "in your mind and softly aloud" are linked.

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Note added at 1 hr (2022-01-20 20:38:33 GMT)
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in other words, aloud, is more audible.

BTW we also say sotto voce for "softly aloud"

Yes, it's borrowed from Italian! LOL

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sotto voce

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Note added at 1 hr (2022-01-20 20:39:17 GMT)
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aloud=normal speaking voice.

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Note added at 5 days (2022-01-25 22:29:04 GMT) Post-grading
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Hi Haribert, About the audio: The speaker(s) didn't follow the written English instructions if they utter the sentences at the same volume. There should be a distinction between the two.



https://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/language-tip-of-the-... "speak softly/quietly:
He spoke so softly it was difficult to hear what he said. ♦ Moira spoke quietly to the young woman...." "softly" and "aloud" are antonyms as you can clearly see here: https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/softly

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Note added at 5 days (2022-01-25 22:29:53 GMT) Post-grading
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anyway, there should be an audible difference
Note from asker:
Thank you so much, Yvonne, for your help! My doubt derives from the fact that, for the very same sentences, some pages later the author simply says "repeat the same sentences aloud"...
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M
34 mins
Many thanks:-)
agree philgoddard : It's the opposite of "in your mind".
3 hrs
Many thanks:-)
agree Carl Bickett (X)
3 hrs
Many thanks:-)
agree AllegroTrans
17 hrs
Many thanks:-)
agree Tina Vonhof (X)
20 hrs
Many thanks:-)
neutral Kiet Bach : I am not sure if "softly" is the same as "barely audible". In fact, "softly" could be very audible, it just means not loud, harsh or irritating. // https://www.thefreedictionary.com/softly // We're not ignoring context, we just shouldn't over-translate
21 hrs
No, you are wrong, as usual. You think 1 entry, among many others, in 1 dictionary, makes you an English expert? Let's just ignore context shall we?
agree Anastasia Kalantzi
2 days 2 hrs
Many thanks:-)
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Dear Yvonne, thank you very much for your help! As I said in the Discussion, having purchased also the audio edition of the book, I still have some little doubt, because in the audio versione the sentences aren't said in a low voice, but more or less with the same volume as when the author suggests saying them aloud... A sincere thanks also to all other colleagues for their contribution!"
2 hrs

"aloud" is redundant

The "say" in "say them softly aloud" already means "utter aloud".
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/say

The author just wants to emphasize that it is not "quietly in your mind" (used in the same sentence), but aloud.
Note from asker:
Thank you, Kiet, for your contribution!
Peer comment(s):
neutral philgoddard : It is redundant, though I think Yvonne has already answered the question satisfactorily.
50 mins
It simply means "say them softly".
neutral Tony M : As Phil says, it's not really redundant, it is needed to make the opposition between 'in your mind' and 'out loud' as Alex suggests below. It's not "emphasis" ... it's just to be explicit about the opposition.
10 hrs
I said "aloud" was used "to emphasize". Read my explanation. // I meant emphasizing the difference. You called it "the opposition".
neutral Yvonne Gallagher : no, "aloud" is needed to make the distinction here of unvoiced and aloud "say"//your "explanation" does not back your contention at all. Worthless in fact
12 hrs
I said "aloud" was used "to emphasize". Read my explanation. // The dictionary backs me up, but you are entitled to your opinions.
neutral AllegroTrans : I agree with Phil, Tony and Yvonne; you have not really understood this correctly
15 hrs
I said "aloud" was used "to emphasize". Read my explanation.
Something went wrong...
+1
7 hrs

gently out loud

I am a meditation teacher as well as a translator (I have experience interpreting for Thai Buddhist teachers and am familiar with the "loving kindness" meditation in this passage). I would translate this as "gently out loud" for the following reasons:
1) "Aloud" is not redundant, as "say" could still mean "say them in your mind" if no distinction is given from the internal repetition previously mentioned in the passage.
2) I prefer "out loud" to "aloud" in this context because the point here is to express your goodwill to all beings, therefore you say it "out". "Out" also makes the distinction from internal repetition clearer - however, you could use "gently aloud" if you prefer.
3) I choose the word "gently" rather than "quietly" or "barely audibly" for the simple reason that the point is not to be heard at all (so the volume doesn't matter). The point is to gently express your intention of goodwill ("gently" so as not to disturb your meditative state). Even though there is no one to hear you, expressing your mental intention aloud can help you to establish it with strength and clarity.
4) May all beings be well, peaceful, and happy ;)
Reference:

https://positivepsychology.com/loving-kindness-meditation/

Note from asker:
Thank you, Alex, for your contribution!
Peer comment(s):
neutral Yvonne Gallagher : Haribert is translating FROM English so cannot really change what the author has written. Yes, "softly" implies "gently" here but "out loud" implies loudness and seems contradictory
7 hrs
agree writeaway : Convincing explanation.
7 hrs
neutral AllegroTrans : "Aloud" is the opposite of silently/in your mind. As Yvonne says, the asker cannot change what he has in the text; so why not simply agree with her answer which needs no additions?
10 hrs
Something went wrong...
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