"Relations will become shallow"?

[Mehrgan]

Hi all,
Would you please tell me if the adjective 'shallow' could be used for the relations among people? I'm not a native, so I can't easily tell if such collocations are wrong! :-( Thanks a lot!

 

[BobK]

Hi all,
Would you please tell me if the adjective 'shallow' could be used for the relations among people? I'm not a native, so I can't easily tell if such collocations are wrong! :-( Thanks a lot!

In context, it would makes sense, though I've never heard it used. More often, in my experience, relations are superficial or perfunctory or cool/cold'.

But there's nothing wrong with using words in new ways. In the song 'I wish I were in love again' Sinatra sang 'When love congeals...' - more arresting than 'When love goes cold'; it also allows for a better rhyme - 'performing seals' [!] ( and, by chance, 'performing' is related to 'perfunctory', by way of the Latin verb fungor - I wonder if the lyricist knew that? ;-))

b

 

[English Freak]

Would you please tell me if the adjective 'shallow' could be used for the relations among people? I'm not a native, so I can't easily say if such collocations are wrong! :-( Thanks a lot!

Yes, that's right. Shallow relations are based on superficial qualities and not deep understanding.

 

[Mehrgan]

Would you please tell me if the adjective 'shallow' could be used for the relations among people? I'm not a native, so I can't easily say if such collocations are wrong! :-( Thanks a lot!

Yes, that's right. Shallow relations are based on superficial qualities and not deep understanding.

Thanks for the correction. But, 'tell' means 'recognise', or 'to be certain', in my sentence.

 

[5jj]

Thanks for the correction. But, 'tell' means 'recognise', or 'to be certain', in my sentence.

And you used it correctly. :up: