To start a family

[hhtt21]

"My father wants me to get married and start a family"said Don Diego, the concealed man under Zorro.

What are the other idiomatic phrases identical to "To start a family" used above. And if it is wrong, would you please correct the part "the concealed man under Zorro." Zorro is masked hero and his real identity is secret such as what Batman does.


https://www.lingq.com/lesson/chapter-three-the-pulido-hacienda-631384/

 

[Tarheel]

"My father wants me to get married and start a family"said Don Diego, the man known as Zorro.

The phrase "start a family" means "get married and have children" and I didn't know it was considered an idiomatic phrase.

 

[hhtt21]

The phrase "start a family" means "get married and have children" and I didn't know it was considered an idiomatic phrase.

But this isn't what I wanted to say. In the story, nobody knew Don Diego was Zorro. Can we say Don Diego hided the identity of Zorro?

 

[Tarheel]

You could say Don Diego concealed his identity as Zorro. You could also say, of course, that he didn't tell anybody he was Zorro. (Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.)

 

[Tarheel]

In the story, nobody knew Don Diego was Zorro. Can we say Don Diego hided the identity of Zorro?

No, you can't say that.

 

[GoesStation]

Can we say Don Diego hid [STRIKE]hided[/STRIKE] the identity of Zorro?

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[Tdol]

The phrase "start a family" means "get married and have children" and I didn't know it was considered an idiomatic phrase.

Starting a family and having children seem more literal than idiomatic to me.

 

[hhtt21]

Starting a family and having children seem more literal than idiomatic to me.

What's the difference between "literal" and "idiomatic"? If something is "literal", cannot it be "idiomatic"?

 

[jutfrank]

What's the difference between "literal" and "idiomatic"? If something is "literal", cannot it be "idiomatic"?

We're using idiomatic hereto mean not literal. Many teachers use this word in this sense, but it doesn't always have to mean so.

 

[Rover_KE]

I expect you know that you don't need to be married to have children and/or start a family.:roll:

 

[hhtt21]

I expect you know that you don't need to be married to have children and/or start a family.:roll:

But I thought to start a family is a more comprehensive process including marriage.

 

[ambitious-girl]

For people who follow certain belief systems, marriage is necessary before starting a family, normally thought of as adding offspring to the couple's relationship. Those not bound by such belief systems can start a family without marrying.

That is exactly true in my country. It is more than necessary to first marry and then have children. I have never yet seen the opposite here. It is a taboo to have children before getting married. In very rare occasions, girls and boys MUST soon marry.

 

[Tarheel]

That is exactly true in my country. It is more than necessary to first marry and then have children. I have never yet seen the opposite here. It is a taboo to have children before getting married. On very rare occasions, girls and boys MUST soon marry.

That used to be called a shotgun wedding.

 

[hhtt21]

That used to be called a shotgun wedding.

I don't think there ever been such marriages in western countries such as U.S, maybe except for Mississippi, a very conservative state. So where does the concept come from?

 

[Tarheel]

You get the girl pregnant you marry the girl. The shotgun serves as a reminder of what you are supposed to do.

 

[GoesStation]

I don't think there ever been such marriages in western countries such as U.S, maybe except for Mississippi, a very conservative state. So where does the concept come from?

It used to be quite common in the United States.

I read a study of American marriage and birth records from the nineteen-forties or -fifties, an era when premarital sex was severely frowned on. The analysis showed that at least forty percent of the brides had been pregnant during the ceremony.

 

[hhtt21]

You get the girl pregnant you marry the girl. The shotgun serves as a reminder of what you are supposed to do.

It used to be quite common in the United States.

What if the men had refused to marry the girls they got pregnant? I think nothing.

 

[Rover_KE]

What if the men had refused to marry the girls they got pregnant? I think nothing.

In the UK, fathers who were unwilling or unable to marry the mothers of their children had to pay the mothers maintenance for the children until they were 16.

 

[Skrej]

What if the men had refused to marry the girls they got pregnant? I think nothing.

It was the threat of what might happen, more than anything, which was meant to ensure the reluctant groom would follow through.
Plus, if you were faced with the combined wrath of the woman's family and your own, it was enough to ensure the right thing was done. That's not to say that nothing was ever done to 'encourage' a reluctant groom.

Shotgun weddings are something of a cliche, but like all cliches, they're based on something.

Of course they wouldn't actually shoot to kill, because then he couldn't marry the girl if he was dead, but they might very well resort to physically beating him. I've also heard stories of a father loading the shotgun with something non-lethal like rock salt. It might not kill, but still hurts like hell. Again, that probably didn't happen as often as stories would lead us to believe, but I'm sure it did happen some.

This is far less common today, because norms and values change, but in certain rural or remote parts of the US, it's still not unheard of. It's certainly no longer the norm, but I'd say it was no more than a few generations ago.

 

[GoesStation]

What if the men had refused to marry the girls they got pregnant? I think nothing.

I have no doubt that in many parts of the US, they might have been severely beaten or even murdered.