Aug 25, 2017 20:08
6 yrs ago
13 viewers *
English term
gratuity
English
Other
Other
'The idea of giving thanks is a strange one. There are not many things in life that, when given, need nothing to be given or taken in return, but gratuity is one. So, to the people listed here, I give my heartfelt thanks for all that you’ve done for me.' (Luke Jackson 'Sex, drugs and Asperger Syndrome')
As I understand, gratuity is something given without claim or demand. Here it is used in acknowledgements so what the author is trying to say is that giving thanks is strange. There are only few things that when you give them (so e.g. when you give someone thanks) people don't need to give you anything in return or nothing should be taken from them. One of those things is gratuity????? So I would like to thank my family, friends etc....
The whole thing doesn't make much sense and I don't understand the meaning of the word 'gratuity' here. The more I think about it the less I get it. I'd be grateful for help.
As I understand, gratuity is something given without claim or demand. Here it is used in acknowledgements so what the author is trying to say is that giving thanks is strange. There are only few things that when you give them (so e.g. when you give someone thanks) people don't need to give you anything in return or nothing should be taken from them. One of those things is gratuity????? So I would like to thank my family, friends etc....
The whole thing doesn't make much sense and I don't understand the meaning of the word 'gratuity' here. The more I think about it the less I get it. I'd be grateful for help.
Responses
+4
1 hr
philgoddard
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
United States
Six languages into flawless English
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English, Spanish to English, and 4 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
44
Selected
gratitude
"Gratuity" doesn't make sense, whereas "gratitude" does.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Tina Vonhof (X)
: I agree, its a wrong use of the word and it should be gratitude. With a gratuity (a tip) you have already received something (a service) beforehand.
4 hrs
|
| agree |
Peter Simon
: Only this makes sense
8 hrs
|
| neutral |
Tony M
: Yes, but the writer appears to be wishing to thank people for their help — it is not their gratitude for which they are to be thanked.
9 hrs
|
|
I never suggested that. He's giving his gratitude, and expects nothing in return.
|
|
| agree |
Herbmione Granger
12 hrs
|
| neutral |
Yvonne Gallagher
: no, with Tony. This doesn't make sense here at all.
12 hrs
|
| disagree |
Daryo
: no, it is "gratuity", in the meaning it had before it become a synonym for bakhshish // this book wouldn't have gone very far if all the help the author got was in form of "gratitude". // basic logic / common sense makes no sense???
13 hrs
|
|
Thanks once again for your wise advice and superior command of English.
|
|
| agree |
Charles Davis
: But not necessarily a wrong use of the word, just an unusual and perhaps archaic use.
16 hrs
|
| agree |
acetran
12 days
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+1
13 hrs
Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Ireland
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: US, Canadian, Irish, UK) 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
129
gratuity=all the help from his family and friends given freely/selflessly
I'm with Tony here. It can't be gratitude here. The actual context has to be taken into account.
This is only an unusual form as it's rarely used in that sense. Most people seem to think it only refers to a "tip" and don't know the second meaning of something done/given away with no expectation of reward (or even thanks for that matte!).
It's clear from the context, the acknowledgements in a book, that he is thanking his friends and family for being there for him, for all they have done for him with no expectation of thanks or reward.
As you say, he is thanking them for their selfless acts in the past.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/gratuity
https://books.google.ie/books?id=S9d1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA15&lpg=PA...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 hrs (2017-08-26 10:18:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
link not opening properly so posting again. It's the Acknowledgements page on p 15. Obviously his family and friends have helped him through some hard times
https://books.google.ie/books?id=S9d1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA15&lpg=PA...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 hrs (2017-08-26 10:36:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
if you are translating out of English you're probably best going with "selflessness" as one word or "selfless acts/help/concern" and then explaining further if necessary...
This is only an unusual form as it's rarely used in that sense. Most people seem to think it only refers to a "tip" and don't know the second meaning of something done/given away with no expectation of reward (or even thanks for that matte!).
It's clear from the context, the acknowledgements in a book, that he is thanking his friends and family for being there for him, for all they have done for him with no expectation of thanks or reward.
As you say, he is thanking them for their selfless acts in the past.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/gratuity
https://books.google.ie/books?id=S9d1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA15&lpg=PA...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 hrs (2017-08-26 10:18:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
link not opening properly so posting again. It's the Acknowledgements page on p 15. Obviously his family and friends have helped him through some hard times
https://books.google.ie/books?id=S9d1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA15&lpg=PA...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 hrs (2017-08-26 10:36:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
if you are translating out of English you're probably best going with "selflessness" as one word or "selfless acts/help/concern" and then explaining further if necessary...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Daryo
: Origin
Late 15th century (denoting graciousness or favour): from Old French gratuité or medieval Latin gratuitas ‘gift’, from Latin gratus ‘pleasing, thankful’. // a rarely used second meaning, but still an existing one!
57 mins
|
|
Thank you!
|
|
| neutral |
philgoddard
: You can't "give gratuity", which is what the text says. You can give gratuitously.
3 hrs
|
|
Yes, given is wrong here but "gratuity" is not. To say "when given gratuitously" begs the question “WHAT is given? In this case the context makes it clear what is given: selfless devotion/help
|
Reference comments
15 hrs
Reference:
gratuity
gratuity
NOUN
1formal A tip given to a waiter, taxi driver, etc.
Example sentencesSynonyms
2British A sum of money paid to an employee at the end of a period of employment.
‘an end-of-contract gratuity of 20% of the total pay received’
More example sentences
Origin
Late 15th century (denoting graciousness or favour): from Old French gratuité or medieval Latin gratuitas ‘gift’, from Latin gratus ‘pleasing, thankful’.
Pronunciation
gratuity/ɡrəˈtjuːɪti/
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gratuity
those who have contributed without asking anything in return have given "gratuity" to this author, for which he is expressing his "gratitude"
NOUN
1formal A tip given to a waiter, taxi driver, etc.
Example sentencesSynonyms
2British A sum of money paid to an employee at the end of a period of employment.
‘an end-of-contract gratuity of 20% of the total pay received’
More example sentences
Origin
Late 15th century (denoting graciousness or favour): from Old French gratuité or medieval Latin gratuitas ‘gift’, from Latin gratus ‘pleasing, thankful’.
Pronunciation
gratuity/ɡrəˈtjuːɪti/
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gratuity
those who have contributed without asking anything in return have given "gratuity" to this author, for which he is expressing his "gratitude"
Discussion
yes, most often that's what makes perfect sense,
but occasionally, like here, you seriously risk getting you fingers cut by Occam's razor ...
as any useful tool, it has to be handled with caution (like Google, another one to handle with caution)
if the most obscure / unusual / rare meaning of the term is the best fit (or the only one) for the given ST, then that one must be the right one.
Really?? I can't say I'm perplexed without you taking it as a put down? And where did I suggest reading the entire book? "Context" in this case was really a single word: "Acknowledgements", (consisting of just 1 page) and I even provided a link so you could read it for yourself if so inclined! There is also no need to be so dogmatic: "Only this makes sense". I assume that means you agree with previous comment about it meaning a "tip"?!
Further, " 'given' shouldn't have been used with 'gratuity' ". Nice, but he did. Then, "third sentence should have started with "nevertheless" ". But it didn't. Thank you for all your if's. Convincing. All this about a meaning of the word in question that most dictionaries neglect to mention. Does it actually have a meaning like the one you're promoting?
As we say, if my grandmother had had wheels, she would've been a tram. Peace be with you.!
I'm a big believer in the most obvious solution probably being the correct one.
https://www.amazon.com/Luke-Jackson/e/B001K8DW88/ref=dp_byli...
And apart from that, I still feel that if we read the first part, "The idea of giving thanks is a strange one. There are not many things in life that, when given, need nothing to be given or taken in return", at that point we are expecting him to say "but thanks are one of those things": that is what makes giving thanks strange, that is what connects the first two sentences.
If gratuity meant the help freely given, he would surely have started by saying "The idea of giving help freely is a strange one", or words to that effect.
When someone says "thank you for your gift", the gift is still a gift, no?
I think he is probably harking back to the sense of gratuity as "Something voluntarily given in return for a favor or service, as a recompense or acknowledgment" (Webster 1913).
It seems to me that since the first sentence is about the strangeness of giving thanks and the second is about giving gratuity being unlike giving most other things, gratuity and thanks must refer to the same thing.
unusual use but NOT inappropriate in the context
@Asker, perhaps in some cultures it's difficult to understand that we can be grateful without expecting anything in return, but when we are, we are already returning something. Simple: we've been helped in some way and in "return", we feel grateful (instead of paying with cash for being saved or something). That's gratitude. Gratuity was a mistake as philgoddard said.
'gratuity' has two primary senses in EN:
As a countable noun 'a gratuity', it can mean e.g. a tip, such as might be given to a waiter, taxi-driver, etc.
However, there is also an uncountable noun, which mean 'the act of giving something free of charge' — and I believe if you interpret it with this meaning here, it may halp it to make sense for you.