An experiment with regards to the essay I'm writing.

[SendMeNoodz84]

I like to hit things...

With a stick.

 

[Berethond]

"...serve as a pattern of substitutions for the ii-V-I progression (supertonic-dominant-tonic) and are noted for the tonally unusual root movement down by major thirds, creating an augmented triad."

I lost just about everyone.

Oh hey I missed this one.

[Something omitted from the sentence] can be swapped for the usual minor 2-chord - major 5-chord - 1-chord progression (the numbers refer to the scale degree -- if this were in C major, it'd be a D-minor chord, followed by G-major and C-major). The roots now form an two major thirds (the upper note is four half-steps from the lower note), which ultimately forms an augmented triad (a major chord with a raised fifth).

I feel like that didn't help clarify the original post at all. Oh, well.

No, the roots move down by major thirds. Which you wouldn't play at the same time, so they don't form a triad, they just move down by an interval of a major third.

"...serve as a pattern of substitutions for the ii-V-I progression (supertonic-dominant-tonic) and are noted for the tonally unusual root movement down by major thirds, creating an augmented triad."

I lost just about everyone.

It's true, augmented triads are weird. You wouldn't find them particularly often outside of jazz or Stravinsky-ish stuff. Even then, they'd usually be used either for deliberate discordance or to lead on to another chord.

Aha, but there are no augmented triads. That's just describing the movement of the chord root.

 

[Berethond]

"...serve as a pattern of substitutions for the ii-V-I progression (supertonic-dominant-tonic) and are noted for the tonally unusual root movement down by major thirds, creating an augmented triad."

Hmm... Music o.o... I'm not familiar with that.... Specific... Whateverthahellthatis thing. We have learned a bit about how specific music genres use specific harmonic steps, but I can't say I know what ii-V-I is. Btw is supertonic also called tonic-parallel?

ii-V-1, or better called ii-V7-I, is the most common chord progression of western music. The second (minor) scale degree is played first, then the fifth (dominant seventh) is played, then the tonic. Supertonic is two half-steps above the tonic.

 

[atalanta]

No, the roots move down by major thirds. Which you wouldn't play at the same time, so they don't form a triad, they just move down by an interval of a major third.

That's what I meant, I just worded it very poorly.

 

[deleted_scifidownbeat]

DELETED

 

[teutonicman]

Yeah I think I understand what it is trying to communicate to me. Granted I had to make some assumptions about some of the word's meanings but other than that it just reaffirms my glee for not going in to english. However because I'm in engineering I do think that my course is vastly superior to yours.

 

[DragonsAteMyMarbles]

"...serve as a pattern of substitutions for the ii-V-I progression (supertonic-dominant-tonic) and are noted for the tonally unusual root movement down by major thirds, creating an augmented triad."

I lost just about everyone.

It's true, augmented triads are weird. You wouldn't find them particularly often outside of jazz or Stravinsky-ish stuff. Even then, they'd usually be used either for deliberate discordance or to lead on to another chord.

Aha, but there are no augmented triads. That's just describing the movement of the chord root.

Fair enough, I just assumed it was an easier way of saying "major triad with a sharpened dominant".

 

[xXErasmusXx]

"Modernism is associated with attempts to render human subjectivity in ways more real than realism: to represent consciousness, perception, emotion, meaning and the individual?s relation to society through interior monologue, stream of consciousness, tunnelling, defamiliarisation, rhythm and irresolution."

The author or unnamed others believe that a definitive view of the world (black and white, truth and lies) cannot quite explain everything. Modernism takes a more sociological perspective and examines opinions and personal points of view (gray areas, half truths, "certain point of view")

I didn't cheat and look this up, and I have no clue if I'm correct. Educational background: I'm a college educated software engineer.

Describe countable infinity (One of the first things you'd learn in a Discrete Mathematics or Statistics class. I figure it's a fair question, with the hint there's no reason to get it wrong)

Spoiler: Hint

You can answer this with a number, a letter, and a mathematical symbol

 

[Sud0_x]

"Modernism is associated with attempts to render human subjectivity in ways more real than realism: to represent consciousness, perception, emotion, meaning and the individual?s relation to society through interior monologue, stream of consciousness, tunnelling, defamiliarisation, rhythm and irresolution."

Discussing how modernism and realism are similar, though, also how they differ as a result of the techniques used to present them.

That opening statement "Modernism is associated with..." reads to me like:

-Writers on modernism have found ways of presenting human subject matter in ways more real than realism itself

Or a rough translation: Modernism kicks realism's ass.
Sounds like a text book circle jerk to me.

"Free radical initiated auto-oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids has been implicated in numerous human diseases including atherosclerosis and cancer"

That would probably be an easy one. Things get more technical after that.

"Oxidation occasionally likes to do its own thing with polyunsaturated fatty acids; this has been linked to DEATH".
Although, at this point, what couldn't be linked to death?
Since the birth of the internet I now have the power to quite literally link you to death:
[link]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death[/link]

Here's mine:
"A deficiency of valence-bond theory is its inability to account for carbon's tetravalence. The ground-state configuration of C is 1s22s22px12py1 which suggests that carbon should not be tetravalent, but divalent."

Valence-bond theory doesn't account for carbon's tetravalence, rather, suggests that carbon shouldn't be tetravalent but divalent.

Notice how closely worded it is to what you posted?

So far all I've needed to understand the many ideas put forward in this thread is the ability to read.

HOWEVER I mean absolutely no disrespect to any of you!
The OP asked for

Also, can you post anything, be it a scientific terminology or a mathematical problem etc... that you don't think anyone else will understand?

So you've all performed admirably!
I have nothing to add.

EDIT: I almost forgot this part:

"what I want to know is, does anyone who isn't in the same position as me (a final year English literature student) understand it?

I never finished high school.

 

[Nincompoop]

"...serve as a pattern of substitutions for the ii-V-I progression (supertonic-dominant-tonic) and are noted for the tonally unusual root movement down by major thirds, creating an augmented triad."

Hmm... Music o.o... I'm not familiar with that.... Specific... Whateverthahellthatis thing. We have learned a bit about how specific music genres use specific harmonic steps, but I can't say I know what ii-V-I is. Btw is supertonic also called tonic-parallel?

ii-V-1, or better called ii-V7-I, is the most common chord progression of western music. The second (minor) scale degree is played first, then the fifth (dominant seventh) is played, then the tonic. Supertonic is two half-steps above the tonic.

Isn't it just called the second then?

I'm not familiar with your terms. I guess it's American vs. European.

But anyways, I tried it, and I can't say it feels that familiar. But I just took the chords, I guess I need to try something with a little more substance. But cool anyways, I guess I have learned something today.

 

[Deleric]

"Modernism is associated with attempts to render human subjectivity in ways more real than realism: to represent consciousness, perception, emotion, meaning and the individual?s relation to society through interior monologue, stream of consciousness, tunnelling, defamiliarisation, rhythm and irresolution."

In my attempt to understand this, It states that the culture and ideas of modern civilization are used to represent human characterization through human qualities, in a nutshell.

As for my own little deciphering skill... I guess I'm good with Cryptic Crosswords. I never have any people I can share my Cryps with.