Confusing sentence structure

English translation: Not really

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:Confusing sentence structure
Selected answer:Not really

21:38 Feb 14, 2015
    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2015-02-17 23:54:50 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)


English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Social Sciences - Telecom(munications) / Mass communication, critical approaches to media
English term or phrase: Confusing sentence structure
Thus, media-driven urbanization, which requires the duplication of innumerable, individual units wherever it operates, breaks up networks at the same time as it installs a more over-arching form of assimilation around a ‘few production centres’ of culture.

Hi everyone

As far as I am concerned "media-driven urbanization necessitating countless individual units splits network at the same time" but I could not get which one of them operates? in "wherever it operates". I guess as in as it installs equals to because
mediaacademic
Türkiye
Not really
Explanation:
Take out the subordinate clause "which requires the duplication of innumerable, individual units wherever it operates" and you are left with the main statement:
Thus, media-driven urbanization breaks up networks at the same time as it installs a more over-arching form of assimilation around a ‘few production centres’ of culture.

The two things that occur "at the same time" are the breaking up of networks and the installing of "a more over-arching form of assimilation".

Once that is clarified, you can add back in the extra bit of information about "media-driven urbanization", which is that it "requires the duplication of innumerable, individual units wherever it operates".
Selected response from:

B D Finch
France
Local time: 19:52
Grading comment
Accepting that I was mistaken about saying there is something wrong with sentence, I would like to thank you all for teaching me, lots of thanks especially to B D Fitnch for the insightful answer. Would not you mind I would like to ask you one more thing.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +7Not really
B D Finch
4 +1break it up into sections
JaneD
3 +1The explanation follows...
Henk Sanderson
4Clarified ... ?
Jennifer Levey
3Rearrange it
Yorkshireman


  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
confusing sentence structure
break it up into sections


Explanation:
I understand this as being composed of the following (slightly simplified) components:

"Media-driven urbanization breaks up networks while putting in place a more general form of assimilation..."

AND

"Media-driven urbanization requires the duplication of many separate units wherever it takes place"

Although quite what it actually means I don't know!

JaneD
Sweden
Local time: 19:52
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  acetran
1 day 9 hrs
  -> Thanks!
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14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
confusing sentence structure
The explanation follows...


Explanation:
the urbanisation is the operator here; it does three things:
requires duplication of units;
breaks up networks; and
installs assimilation (whatever that may mean)

Henk Sanderson
Netherlands
Local time: 19:52
Works in field
Native speaker of: Dutch
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jennifer Levey: OK. Basically, the third thing it does is provoke cultural centralization (not necessarily something desirable in the modern world).
44 mins
  -> Thanks, Robin
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
confusing sentence structure
Clarified ... ?


Explanation:
Sorry to say that ...
The original text is clear enough - at least, to those who understand it!

Thus, media-driven urbanization, which requires the duplication of innumerable, individual units wherever it operates, breaks up networks at the same time as it installs a more over-arching form of assimilation around a ‘few production centres’ of culture.

-->
1. Thus:

2. wherever it operates, media-driven urbanization requires the duplication of innumerable, individual units,

3. (while*) at the same time it installs (creates) a more over-arching form of assimilation around a ‘few production centres’ of culture

* 'as' in the original, where it has has 'temporal' significance, not 'cause and effect'



Jennifer Levey
Chile
Local time: 15:52
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +7
confusing sentence structure
Not really


Explanation:
Take out the subordinate clause "which requires the duplication of innumerable, individual units wherever it operates" and you are left with the main statement:
Thus, media-driven urbanization breaks up networks at the same time as it installs a more over-arching form of assimilation around a ‘few production centres’ of culture.

The two things that occur "at the same time" are the breaking up of networks and the installing of "a more over-arching form of assimilation".

Once that is clarified, you can add back in the extra bit of information about "media-driven urbanization", which is that it "requires the duplication of innumerable, individual units wherever it operates".


B D Finch
France
Local time: 19:52
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Accepting that I was mistaken about saying there is something wrong with sentence, I would like to thank you all for teaching me, lots of thanks especially to B D Fitnch for the insightful answer. Would not you mind I would like to ask you one more thing.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jennifer Levey: Absolutely!
13 mins
  -> Thanks Robin

agree  Victoria Britten
26 mins
  -> Thanks Victoria

agree  Jean-Claude Gouin: I like ... Congratulations, Barbara ...
4 hrs
  -> Thanks

agree  Andy Watkinson
4 hrs
  -> Thanks Andy

agree  Yvonne Gallagher: See nothing difficult about this, jus a matter of parsing properly
12 hrs
  -> Thanks Gallagy. Exactly!

agree  Tony M
12 hrs
  -> Thanks Tony

agree  Charlesp
1 day 17 hrs
  -> Thanks Charles
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2 days 19 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
confusing sentence structure
Rearrange it


Explanation:
Thus, media-driven urbanization, wherever it is found, requires the duplication of innumerable individual units and breaks up networks while simultaneously installing a more over-arching form of assimilation around a few cultural production centres.

Yorkshireman
Germany
Local time: 19:52
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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