Tiresome Technicalities.

[OC Richard]

People with experienced eyes don't have to think about the technicalities. They've seen thousands of men in Highland Dress and kilts and all the accessories and have the look of everything integrated into a construct or gestalt at almost a subconscious level. At a glance they can see if someone is dressed appropriately/properly.

The newcomer doesn't have that yet.

They can acquire it like some do, by spending a lifetime being around gents in traditional Highland Dress. An eye for detail whether conscious or subconscious and long exposure to properly dressed gents are all that's required.

To speed up the process the motivated newbie applies the tools used to research anything including finding as much source material as possible and asking questions and begin trying to make sense of it all.

Fashion is a visual language, and the acquisition processes are similar to spoken language. The child learns whatever language it's exposed to through constant modelling and trial and error.

The adult second language learner could do the same by moving to a place where everyone only speaks the target language and the learner is forced to use it all day every day, Total Emersion.

But in general adult second language learners desire conscious systematic learning about grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Native Speakers aren't even aware of these rules, and from the not knowing often insist that such rules don't exist. However unconscious of it, their own speech follows all of them, every tiny technicality.

To list all the factors that Jock or you or me instantly process when we glance at a gent in Highland Dress would take a lot of ink! But we do it instantaneously and subconsciously.

Exhibit A:



It instantly looks wrong. But how challenging to put every single thing into words!