Question?

SSmith1226

My son's father is your father's only child. What relative of yours am I?

Jolter

@ssmith1226 "What have I got in my pocket?"

SSmith1226

@ssmith1226 "What have I got in my pocket?"

"Not fair! not fair!" he hissed. "It isn't fair, my precious, is it, to ask us what it's got in it's nassty little pocketsess?”

Trumpetb

you are my wife

SSmith1226

@trumpetb said in Question?:

you are my wife

That was my conclusion as well. Wife of the father (mother of the son). I have not received the “official solution” from the person that sent it to me.

J. Jericho

OK.

My son = father or mother
My son's father = father
your = unknown person
father's only child = father (from above)
your father's only child = unknown person = father
father = father
relative of father = father = self

Conclusion:
Who am I? Myself.

Trumpetb

My reasoning is
the questioner has a son
the father of that son is my fathers only child
my father has only one child
therefore I must be the father of the child
the child is the questioners son
the sex of the questioner is not known
I am a parent of the child and I am male
the questioner is the other parent and cannot be male
the questioner is therefore female and the childs mother
for me to be the father of the child in law then I must be married to the other parent
The questioner must therefore be my wife

SSmith1226

@trumpetb said in Question?:

My reasoning is
the questioner has a son
the father of that son is my fathers only child
my father has only one child
therefore I must be the father of the child
the child is the questioners son
the sex of the questioner is not known
I am a parent of the child and I am male
the questioner is the other parent and cannot be male
the questioner is therefore female and the childs mother
for me to be the father of the child in law then I must be married to the other parent
The questioner must therefore be my wife

Agree 100%!

The way that this is stated, I don’t think that the father is addressing and questioning himself. “My son's father ‘is your father's’ only child. What relative of yours am I?”
If he is addressing himself, then he would have said, “My son’s father is my father’s only child”. Instead he is addressed by another individual, thus making that relative, presumably his wife, the mother, or the other parent of the child.

J. Jericho

It would help if "your" and "yours" were more clearly defined. Is "your" individual or collective?

Trumpetb

Agreed J.Jericho

Logic questions of this kind typically rely upon being imprecise in the question, leaving it open to interpretation and you have focused upon the central issue, that of the meaning of fathers and the meaning of yours.

Yours and Your's would have two different meanings depending upon your interpretation of the use of the possessive apostrophe in father's and the lack of the apostrophe in yours.

Yours can mean all that we associate with the collective you, Your's however has a more and slightly different meaning of that which belongs to you.

Carrots five dollars, means carrots collectively are the equivalent of five dollars whatever that means, however carrot's five dollars means the five dollars belonging to carrots.

The use or lack of use of the possessive apostrophe can therefore change fundamentally the meaning and sense of a statement.

The common misuse of the possessive apostrophe raises the question here, how is yours intended to be interpreted, and I think you are right to focus upon that given the uncertainty in its general use, as opening the door to more than one meaning to the question.

To me the use of the possessive apostrophe in father's and not in yours, suggests my sons father belongs to your father (your, meaning me, as the subject of the statement) but then goes on to say, What relative of yours.

Abandoning the possessive apostrophe having just used it in father's is saying that the author as the relative (the author) does not belong to you (me).

It therefore reads wrong, and I think intentionally so, so as to set up the very uncertainty of meaning of yours, that you focus upon.

In effect the author is asking what relation am I to you, when I am not related to you at all which of course is in itself illogical, and that very illogicality in the question turns what might be an easily understood statement or question into a teaser.

GeorgeB

The more I read the more confused I get. But hey, my brain is 86 years old.

J. Jericho

@trumpetb Also agreed. In this case the possessive is not used, so the degree of absurdity of the question is lessened, but by no means eliminated.

J. Jericho

@ssmith1226 However, it is not clear whether the use of "your" is collective, so the question could be rhetorical.

J. Jericho

@georgeb said in Question?:

But hey, my brain is 86 years old.

... which means that it's more refined than those of lesser experience.

Trumpetb

@GeorgeB

I used to have to read and understand legal documents and legal documents have to be so precise in meaning that they quickly become confusing in their clarity.

English can be very convoluted in meaning and I too suffer when trying to comprehend the meaning behind some of the more complex writing.

We all have our own unique abilities that make us who we are and I would gladly trade some of my pointless abilities to have a deeper understanding of music to the level of yourself and of the other members in here.

Respect to you George

J. Jericho

Of course!!

tsa.gov

The answer is clear!!

BigDub

@ssmith1226 said in Question?:

My son's father is your father's only child. What relative of yours am I?

Is that you, Pa?

SSmith1226

@bigdub

Directly from my source of this riddle, who heard it on the radio, and heard the “official” answer a few days later, the “official” answer is “wife”, mother of the child.
As for BigDub, who asked “Is that you,Pa?”, the answer is no! Based on Jolter’s question, “What have I got in my pocket?”, I am the son of of Bungo Baggins and Belladonna Took, Bilbo Baggins of Bag End. Since I have no children you would be my nephew Frodo. I hope that this straightens out your confusion.

For those that answered, “ a pickle “, or “pistol”, you are barking up the wrong tree.

BigDub

@ssmith1226

Oh. I see.

GeorgeB

@trumpetb said in Question?:

@GeorgeB

I used to have to read and understand legal documents and legal documents have to be so precise in meaning that they quickly become confusing in their clarity.

English can be very convoluted in meaning and I too suffer when trying to comprehend the meaning behind some of the more complex writing.

We all have our own unique abilities that make us who we are and I would gladly trade some of my pointless abilities to have a deeper understanding of music to the level of yourself and of the other members in here.

Respect to you George

That is very kind of you, sir. Thank you so much.
George