Read about his favourite horse called Harry, I told my guv’nor one day, “If you sell him, I’m a-goin’!”  And how much warmer it is working with horses, walking up and down, and how their companionship relieved the loneliness of working empty acres during cold winters.

This story is one for lovers of Norfolk dialect. Read it at: www.wisearchive.co.uk/projects/agriculture/286/

P.S. WISEArchive was very happy to hear from Neil Lanham of Oral Traditions, that he, too, had the pleasure of recording Sid’s story and he has just issued a DVD called “My Life with Percherons, by Sid Everett. A Norfolk Team-man.” It is a fascinating story. We heartily recommend looking at Neil’s website www.oraltraditions.co.uk . For lovers of traditional stories and songs there is a feast of recordings and publications available.

In ‘Homecoming?’ a young man comes (back?) to a village he almost remembers and which definitely remembers him, though under a different name than the one he carries now: “All this looked so familiar and yet so strange. It was like looking at a written character: the harder you look at it, the more it looks like a character you know, and yet it doesn’t look like the character you know. Damn! Had I been here before?” (pp. 2)

Through the story the people of the village succeed in making the protagonist recall the violent and suppressed happenings of his past life in the village where he lived as an ‘educated youth’ and maybe killed a man. Indeed it is an act of re-membering of bringing something back into the mind, for before they start calling him by his old name ‘Glasses Ma’, he is completely unaware that he has not always been Huang Zhixian.

In the previous quote Han compares memory and written language: Both are second hand representations of happenings, open to mistake and distortion and thus not to be trusted or equaled with the events themselves.

While the power of language and naming/categorizing (Glassed Ma or Huang Zhixian) over history is taken up on the scene of personal trauma (the killing of a man) in this short story, the same relationship, now on a collective scale, is one of the themes of A Dictionary of Maqiao.

In Dictionary the official historical narrative is distorted and the constructedness of its raw linguistic framework exposed by the local dialect and its (mis-)appropriations of official discourse.

Lastly ‘Homecoming?’ also hints at the distorting yet enlightening power of dialect, as this dialogue between the protagonist and the villager Ai Ba shows: “Do you know me (Does he mean ‘recognize’? Or ‘remember’?) [...] I went to chase meat with you once, do you still know? (‘to chase meat’, does it mean ‘hunting’?)” (pp. 6-7)

Is to know to remember (that is to know again)? and is remembering (recalling to a mind that is no longer exactly the same mind) knowledge producing? Certainly the power of language and remembering is so strong that the protagonist has a new (old) identity forced upon himself before he quickly leaves the village again calling for his mother, the only certain historical point of origin, in other words: home.

All quotes from Han, Shaogong (trans. Martha Cheung): Homecoming? and Other Stories. Hong Kong: Renditions Paperbacks, 1992.

-Approximately 1/3 of the myths compiled in the Kojiki (古事記), Japan’s oldest mythological chronicle, are said to take place in the Izumo Region of Shimane Prefecture.

-Many people say either ‘he’ or ‘she’, but Shimanekko (しまねっこ), Shimane’s Tourism Mascot, does not have an official gender.

-Films set in Shimane include ‘Un, Nan?‘, ‘Railways‘, ‘Shiroi Fune‘,  ’Sand Chronicle‘, and the recently released ‘Kon-Shin‘.

-On October 1st 2011, Shimane Prefecture had the second highest percentage of senior citizens in the country at 29.1% of the population being 65 years or older (210,631 people). The national average at the time was 23.3%. Akita Prefecture has the highest percentage at 29.7%.

-Tamatsukuri Hot Springs (玉造温泉), Matsue City, is said to have been opened in the 8th Century and is referred to in the Izumo-no-kuni Fudoki (出雲国風土記), completed in 733CE.

-On that note, of the 48 Fudokis written for regions around Japan, only the Izumo document remains largely complete.

-Iron Town in Princess Mononoke (Studio Ghibli, 1997) is said to be based on Okuizumo Town.

-The Seven Delicacies of Lake Shinji (宍道湖七珍), Matsue City, are the Japanese Sea Perch (スズキ), Icefish/Whitebait (シラウオ）, Carp (コイ), Eel (ウナギ), Greasyback Prawn (モロゲエビ), Cuttle Egret (アマサギ), and Shijimi Basket Clams (シジミ).　The lake is made up of brackish water thanks to its connection to the sea via the Nakaumi Lagoon.

-The sunset over Lake Shinji (宍道湖) has been voted one of the most beautiful in Japan. If you can’t make it up to Matsue to see it for yourself, you can watch the view 24 hours (including the sunset!) on the Shimane Museum of Art’s website.

-The computer programming language Ruby was invented by Yukihiro Matsumoto, from Matsue.

-The Karakoro Area in Matsue, home to the infamous Red Umbrella, derives its name from the sound the wooden geta sandals made on the nearby, originally wooden Oohashi Bridge. ‘Karan koron’ (カランコロン）is Japanese onomatopoeia for this sound.

-According to myth, Mount Sanbe, Oda City, and  Mount Daisen, Tottori Prefecture, are the stakes to which the deity Okuninushi attached the rope that dragged the Shimane Peninsula to the mainland.

-One version of the myth, ‘Hare of Inaba‘ from the Kojiki features a  Japanese hare, a type of hare that lives on the Oki Islands, being helped by Okuninushi, the deity enshrined at Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine. This might go some to in explaining the amount of rabbit statues seen in and around Matsue and Izumo Cities.

-On an unrelated note, the Shin Megami Tensei (Atlus) video game franchise (and its sub-franchises ‘Persona‘ and ‘Devil Summoner‘) feature Okuninushi as a summon-able spirit.

-The eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi (ヤマタノオロチ) is said in some myths to have lived in the Hikawa River in Izumo City. The Pokemon Hydreigon is said to be inspired by Orochi.

-Zenzai, a type of Japanese sweet made with azuki beans, is said to have been invented in Izumo.

-There is a long-standing theory that the Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine （出雲大社） once stood 48 meters tall, twice that of the current structure. However, there was little to support this idea until the discovery of 3m in diameter ‘uzubashira‘ pillars at the Shrine site in the year 2000. The pillars are on display at the Shimane Museum of Anicent Izumo　（島根県率古代出雲歴史博物館）.

-Lafcadio Hearn‘s book of Japanese ghost tales ‘Kwaidan‘ is not an error , but a result of his wife’s pronunciation oｆ the word ‘kaidan’ (怪談, scary story), which comes from the Izumo dialect.

-The Adachi Museum of Art (足立美術館） has now been selected as the best Japanese Garden in Japan for 10 years straight (2003 – 2012)by the American magazine, The Journal of Japanese Gardening.

-The 2006 video game Ōkami (PS2, Capcom), which stars the goddess Amaterasu, also features characters that have connections with the Izumo Region, including Susano, his wife Kushinodahime, and the serpent Orochi.

-’Doutaku‘ or bronze bells, ‘Douken‘ or bronze swords,  and ‘Douhoko‘ or bronze lances from the Yayoi Period, that were dug up at the Kojindani Site was the largest single discovery of such items in one place. They have been designated national treasures and are on display at the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo. Doutaku bronze bells form the basis for the appearance of the Pokemon ‘Bronzong‘.

-The Oki Islands have been home to no less than 2 banished emperors.　Emperor Go-Toba (1180-1239) was exiled there in 1221 and remained on the islands until his death after a rebellion. Emperor Go-Daigo (1288-1339) was exiled to Nishinoshima between 1331 and 1333, when he escaped.

-Oki Classic Sumo (隠岐古典相撲), which features in the above-mentioned film ‘Kon-Shin’ is special because when it is held, it runs all night with up to three-hundred matches held and also each pair of players versus each other twice. The winner of the first match is required by the rules to concede the second match to their opponent to create a draw between the two players. As a result, the Oki Classic Sumo is often referred to as ‘Humanitarian Sumo’.

-The Oki Islands were under the control of Tottori Prefecture between 1872 and 1876.

-This SoftBank Commercial about an eclectic family features the beluga whales from the Aquas Aqarium in Hamada as ‘Grandpa Dolphin’.

-While trains that run between Yasugi City and Izumo City are powered by electricity, the remainder of the train lines in the Prefecture use trains that run on diesel fuel.

-The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine (石見銀山), Oda City is listed on some European maps of Japan from the middle ages and was the first mining site to be registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in Asia.

-Rato-chan, the Silver Mine’s mascot, wears a Ratou lamp on it’s head. Ratou lamps were used by miners at Iwami GInzan and made by filling turban shells (サザエ） with oil.

-The Sekishu clay roof-tiles were first developed in Gotsu City and are now produced in Hamada, Gotsu, Oda, and Masuda Cities. Unlike many Japanese roof tiles, which are black, these tiles are brown and their prevalent use in the region gives it a distinct feel.

If you have anything to share, or notice an error, please leave a comment below or send me an e-mail at shimanedamien@gmail.com.

Sie wondere sech vilicht, dass de Gschaftsbricht 2012 sehr vill mit em driessigschte Geburtstag vo Swatch z’tue het. Alli Aktionarinne und Aktionare, fascht alli Schwiizer wie au veli Monschei andere Lander wossed, dass Swatch 1983 gebore worde isch. Und sie hand racht: D’Marktiifuherig vo de Swatch e de Schwiiz, d’Wedergebort vo de Schwiizer Uhreinduschtrie und de Beginn vo de Erfolgsgschicht vo eusem Undernahme, das alles isch of e Marz 1983 gfalle. Harzliche Gluckwunsch zum Geburtstag, Swatch!

It’s as if, let us say, a firm of Scotch whisky distillers published their annual report in the Lallans dialect, which looks like this:

The Scots Leid Associe wis foondit in 1972 an aye ettles tae pit forrit a feckfu case for the Scots language in formal, informal and ilka day uiss. Scots wis aince the state language o Scotland an is aye a grace til oor national leiterature. It lies at the hert o Scotland’s heirskep as ane o wir three indigenous leids alang wi Gaelic an Scottish Inglis.

Swatch are to be applauded for their initiative. I have shown here, here and here that the Swiss have no hang-ups about their dialects. On the contrary, they are proud of them, and use them all the time. The Swatch report will be understood by all German speakers in a way that a report in Lallans, or any other British regional dialect, would not be understood by most English speakers. But Swatch know that Swiss German is not understood by most non-German speakers, so they have also made it available in English. It would be a gesture in the cause of linguistic diversity if a British company published their annual report in both Standard English and in the dialect of the region in which they principally operated. But they wouldn’t dare.

TWI ON TWITTER: Piers Morgan (pictured here with former Congolese footballer Fabrice Muamba) shocked fans after tweeting in Twi, a Ghanaian dialect

PIERS MORGAN shocked his Ghanaian fans when he responded to a birthday message on Twitter using the country’s Twi Dialect.

When a fan tweeted the outspoken CNN host , who celebrates his 48th year today (March 30), to wish him a Happy Birthday, Morgan wrote back ‘Me daa si,’ which means ‘thank you’ in Twi, one of the most widely spoken languages in Ghana.

His tweet sparked jubilation from his African fan base. Twitter user @Mystic424 wrote: “Wow! Piers speaks Twi?”

@kwa_ame added: “Piers tweeted in Twi #dope”

In January, Morgan, the former editor of The Sun newspaper, pleased Nigerian fans when he tweeted in Yoruba. His post was retweeted 1,700 times.

“Semalam siapkan kerja banyak sangat, sakit pinggan“
“Diorang turung padan“

Yup that’s what happened to me recently. Many times the fakeness is well covered. Even some people find it dubious that I’m from Terengganu. Not trying to brag or anything but I can conceal my accent pretty good so when friends learn that I’m from Teganu they usually give me the no-way look and some have even suggested that my face looks nothing like a semek. Er if you know what I mean.

I look Javanese ish I guess?

LOL

I don’t find it embarrassing though and in fact, it cracks me up everytime I think of how I desperately repeat myself to try to mend my words so that everyone wouldn’t notice my hopeless ‘ng’ bloopers and often, it’s too late. They laughed and so did I.

I don’t know about most people, but I have to say that I’m so proud I come from Terengganu where we speak our own different dialect. I call it a laid back dialect just because I think we tend to simplify every word we speak.

For example:

Tak tau = dok au

Au instead of tau or tahu. How awesome is that? Haha.

Tak tau apa-apa =  dok au kale

Oh god :’D

And my ultimate favorite, NATANG. Everything is natang for me. It’s my favorite adjective & adverb.

sakit natang

bodo natang

hija natang

besor natang

jauh natang

Oh I can’t even.

😂

BTW, what are we orang Teganu called?

Terengganuan? Terengganese? Terengganite? LMFAO

Omar Musa is launching his book Parang in Adelaide on April 5th 2013 at “Versify” at the SA Writers Centre and Social Change is supporting alongside Koolta and Dialect with a spoken word poetry set. If you missed the last show featuring Luka Lessons and K21 be sure to check this… More details here…

http://secure.sawriters.org.au/whats-on/workshops-and-seminars?task=view_event&event_id=103

October 05, 2012 (Mainichi Japan) (London AP)

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/features/news/20121005p2g00m0fe040000c.html

While I found the subject of a dialect dying an intriguing story, I thought it even more interesting that this Associated Press story from London was reported in a Japanese newspaper.

On October 4, 2012, Bobby Hogg, who was 92, passed away in a small fishing town.  While he had no claim to fame, his passing was notable nonetheless.  Hogg was the last living person fluent in the once common dialect of the Scottish seaside town of Cromarty located about 175 miles north of Edinburgh.

“I think that’s a terrible thing,” said Robert Millar, a linguist at the University of Aberdeen in northern Scotland. “The more diversity in terms of nature we have, the healthier we are. It’s the same with language.”

Millar pointed out this loss of dialect is all “part of a relentless trend toward standardization which has driven many regional dialects and local languages into oblivion.”

“Thees” and “thous” were common parts of the Cromarty dialect, as well as vocabulary relating to the sea.   “House” was pronounced “oos” and “apple” would be “haypel.” The “wh” sound was often non-existent.

Among Hogg’s expressions were “Oo thee keepan?” which was Cromarty’s version of “How are you?” and “Hiv thoo a roosky sazpence i thi pooch?” for “Can you lend me some money?”

Linguist Millar said rural dialects tend to be much more diverse than those found in urban settings, with a much greater “emphasis on differences in pronunciation over differences in vocabulary.” 

Author Mark Abley, who writes about the English language, agreed by saying, “I don’t believe there’s a straightforward balancing act in which urban dialects grow as rural ones shrink.  Cities are always melting pots, and isolation for any group is very hard to maintain.”

UNESCO reported the British Isles have seen two other languages recently go extinct – Alderney French, a Norman dialect spoken in the Channel Islands, in 1960, and Manx, the language once spoken on the Isle of Man, in 1974.

Donna Heddle, director of the Center for Nordic Studies at Scotland’s University of the Highlands and Islands, said this about the demise of the Cromarty dialect: “It’s one less little sparkle in the firmament.  One little star might go out and you might never notice it, but it’s not there anymore.”

Thus, identifying as “Chinese” at school and in the greater American community, Cantonese and Chinese were the same to me. I was Chinese, I spoke Chinese, I went to Chinese school and learned Chinese; in all situations, Chinese seemed synonymous for Cantonese. But perhaps I first learned of Mandarin in first grade when some classmates were also Chinese, but didn’t quite speak the same. It was much later that I learned about “Chinese” in a more general sense – the plethora of “dialects” and the differences between simplified and traditional Chinese.

In recent times, as I find myself more perceptive of people’s perspectives on “Chinese,” I have observed some young family friends (10 years old and younger) who are also American-born Chinese and their perceptions of “Chinese.” In a sense, they are more tied to their Chinese roots than me: they continued to primarily speak Cantonese with parents and schoolteachers perhaps even up to age 10 (while Cantonese was never really the main language I used) and learned Mandarin in Chinese school, additionally visiting Hong Kong quite much more frequently than me (about every other year). But moving on from their backgrounds, perhaps this is telling of Chinese people’s natural perspectives of “Chinese” – these children refer to Cantonese just as “Chinese.” If speaking about both Cantonese and Mandarin, for example, they might ask, “Does he speak Chinese or Mandarin?” In this way, with their frequent visits to Hong Kong, I feel that they have developed the concept of Hong Kong specifically (in contrast to Guangdong or the whole of China) being their ethnic “Chinese” home – where Chinese people speak Cantonese, what they perceive as “Chinese.”

Speaking from my experience and how I believe these young children perceive “Chinese,” from a non-political standpoint, it seems rather odd to deem your native tongue a mere second-class “dialect” when you feel it is a complex and complete language in itself — one you can fully express yourself in. Additionally, while being told that you are “Chinese” and speak “Chinese,” you can’t help but see little reason to make a distinction and call the “Chinese” you speak – Cantonese – something other than “Chinese.”

But in another sense, I think that our interpretations of “Chinese” reveals some disconnect between the way we think about and speak of dialects or languages in English and Chinese. In Chinese, we call Cantonese and Mandarin “方言,” which is seen as the Chinese equivalent of “dialect.” But as this academic paper, Language or Dialect—or Topolect? A Comparison of the Attitudes of Hong Kongers and Mainland Chinese towards the Status of Cantonese, suggests, “topolect” seems like a more accurate translation of “方言” and classification of “Cantonese” and “Mandarin”: regional speech. And although reading such a paper may seem like a daunting and laborious task, I would highly recommend it to those interested in thoroughly learning what we should call Chinese “dialects” and why. (Otherwise, I think the abstract (page 3) would suffice.) As a paper published about five years ago (it was published in February 2008), this paper is relatively recent; I found it in part intriguing because of its relevancy to the current(ly being molded) identity of Cantonese in Hong Kong. (In other words, you should read it.)

Language or Dialect—or Topolect? A Comparison of the Attitudes of Hong Kongers and Mainland Chinese towards the Status of Cantonese, is just one of many Sino-Platonic Papers at the University of Pennsylvania which present research centered on East Asian studies. While exploring the site, I have also found a paper more on Chinese in general: What Is a Chinese “Dialect/Topolect”? Reflections on Some Key Sino-English Linguistic Terms. Although I have yet to read this latter paper, perhaps it would be informative and suitable for those more interested in linguistics and Chinese in general (as evident, I tend to focus on information and readings primarily relevant to Cantonese).

(Yay for happy and leisurely academic readings!)

Until I was about six, I had a slight speech impediment that was soon solved with a change of school to make friends (finally) and after-school Speech and Drama classes. (It was my standout performance as Benjamina Gunn in my primary school production of ‘Muppet Treasure Island’ that lead me on the path from mousy to loud and proud.) I still have a few insecurities about what I “should” sound like and I sometimes wonder if my accent could affect me in certain areas of my life.

Earlier today I came across a segment on ‘The Morning Show’ on TV3 where Gráinne Boyle, a teacher and former Rose, spoke about how she was recently turned down for a nanny job from a London-based agency for placements in Russia because she lacks Received Pronunciation (RP) aka Standard English or the Queen’s English. She went on to say, “They told me that my CV was perfect, my experience was perfect, my interview was great and they only thing they could pull me up on was my accent – that it wasn’t BBC English.” Alas, her Donegal brogue wasn’t for them.

I had to laugh a bit because straight afterwards, in true chat show manner, they proceeded to put her voice to the test by having her read out a fake news report á la The 5.30 with Colette Fitzpatrick. This “report” was deliberately scripted with widely debated broadcast (and conversational) diction for words such as ‘schedule’, ‘issue’, ‘sexual’, ‘progress’, ‘controversy’, ‘garage’, ‘vehicle’, ‘tourist’ ‘Budapest’ and ‘Moscow’. No accent revamp needed for Gráinne; though I can’t say the same for the Eliza Doolittle character in ‘My Fair Lady’. Never mind the plain; it looked more like she was in pain.

Voice coach, Poll Moussoulides, contributed to give an overview on the nuances in English pronunciation, where he reckons only two percent of people in the UK actually speak in RP. He was spot on in saying that despite patriotism, there’s a weird obsession with accents in this country. He continued, “But for years we were told if you wanted to get on in life you had to anglicise your accent. Now that’s very strange and for me… I just find that odd that to become successful as an Irish person you kind of have to sound like another country.” Indeed, Gráinne has nothing to worry about. Since news broke of her situation, the job offers have been pouring in.

Ireland is small enough. So, to have such a wide range of accents within such proximity is truly unique; we shouldn’t dismiss as second-rate or weigh it against dialects in other countries. Poll declared it ought to be about the clarity of the voice – pace, pitch and volume – not the accent itself. He stated, “The bottom line really is if someone has a happy, healthy, vibrant voice like Gráinne, people are going to understand the accent.” As for me: If my life depended on it, I couldn’t attempt to speak in another accent anyway. But maybe I could work on singing in my native timbre instead.

Elten – Ife Ekwe N’ Aku f. Dialect & Bosalin

Elten – Ife Ekwe N’ Aku f. Dialect & Bosalin [alt]

I came from a family that pretty much all look like this. I love the small town America vibe my family gives. It’s like they are stuck in a time warp and I love it. I love to travel back in time and hunt,fish,make home cooked meals, and talk in a dialect that only people raised in my atmosphere know about.

I’m aware of one thing in particular that marks me out as not-a-native, though. While sitting in Starbucks earlier a woman asked me if there was an “outlet” under my table. It took me a couple of seconds to get my head around the unfamiliar word, for my brain to flick through all known meanings and alight on the correct variant. A particular branch of a chain of shops? Unlikely. A means of self-expression? Again, unlikely to be found under my table. I must have looked a bit slow, a bit vacant, taking so long to answer a not particularly difficult question.

On the subway (‘underground’, of course) I love listening to the driver announce each stop in the most bored tone imaginable. Of course they’re bored. Oxford Circus, Green Park and Victoria are replaced by 23rd Street, 28th Street, 34th Street.

In a deep New York drawl “Toimes Squear” is the best, to my ear. I keep expecting to hear the spine-chilling cackle of Janice from Friends, to accompany the accent.

Instead of the English gentleman calling “Mind the Gap” in a staid fashion, here we get “STEP in!” hollered while the doors repeatedly open and slam until everyone has squeezed inside.

A couple of other words catch my eye. Restaurants in Chinatown and Little Italy announce their ‘specialties’ on boards outside and all the building works going on in the city mean that the ‘sidewalks’ are closed. I’m already asking for the ‘restroom’ and the ‘elevator’ to get to the billionth floor (the English rose in me shudders in horror).

Apparently the true New Yorker accent is dying out, as with so many dialects it is being ironed out by immigration and emigration, and as more ‘neutral’ accents are being heard on the radio and television. Similarly to Britain, there is also a stigma attached to a deep accent, where those with one are treated as less intelligent; the accent is heard but the words are lost.

I, for one, hope it clings on a while longer. Anyone guilty of using a ‘z’ for an ‘s’ in (British) English will feel my wrath, but only because I think that each country, state, town, or village with its own unique version of a language should be able to keep that uniqueness. It would be a boring world indeed if we all spoke the same variation of the same language.

So, New York, you can keep your specialties, your sidewalks and your elevators.
I will be borrowing my favourite new phrase from time to time, though. STEP in!

Here are some more photos of the workshop we did on Cornish dialect with Lanivet primary school. Over the day we created clay models of local dialect words, making 2 alphabets that will be exhibited on special white blocks with letters on. A brilliant day, wonderful children and some great sculptures! Also a privilege to have local farmer John Bennallick in to see what the children had done and share some more dialect stories.

I recently reached out to a professor at another college that I met during my search for a doc program. She was very kind and invited me back down to the university to chat with her about research and how her line of work aligns with some of my goals. I am hoping this will turn into a great relationship and I will be able to sit in on some of her active research she is conducting. Then again, this is the same university that rejected me after my interview (again I am horrible at public speaking) so I will carry that chip on my shoulder for a while.

As I prepare for my summer semester I am hoping to venture out to some conferences and engage in some independent research within the soci-cultural linguistics field. I have some ideas that I need to get onto paper and some additional reading I would love to do! (my mother would never believe the later part of that sentence; lol) So hopefully everything will work out for the best and I will be able to capture another nine hours over the summer. Oh, and I am taking statistics so I probably won’t be back on here until after summer is over. I have to concentrate on that material.

So, it’s been a couple of weeks, but I’m finally posting my final thingy on dialogue and am hoping to post more frequently! Enjoy.

Playing with dialect is a fantastic way to beef up the believability of dialogue. I’ve written several pieces that are set in a variety of locations and time eras.

The key to working with foreign language, or broken English, is to talk with those who are bilingual but have a few quirks in their English skills.

I was in Budapest for a while and there are plenty of quirks I picked up on—all perfectly fine statements, but with different syntax. A Hungarian I was on the trip with would often say things like, “Show me one more time, your book.” Totally acceptable, but different from, “Show me your book again.” Or he would mix up his figures-of-speech every now and again. One time, when he meant to say “Please, make yourself at home,” he said, “Please, make yourself with home.” Replacing “at” with “with” is such a nice touch.

Regarding time era, I rely on slang and dialect in general. I have a piece about a Civil War reenactment group and used all sorts of lingo: “Hey Grayback! You stuck on the pot with the Virginia quickstep?” Grayback is slang for a Confederate and the Virginia quickstep is a phrase for diarrhea. Another piece I have that takes place in the 1920s, and all I really did was take the “g” off of “ing.” Nothing brand new, but very effective:

“Geez Hobby, would you think for a sec! We’re both a coupla bachelors with a few bucks in hand. I tell ya what, with a small loan, we could really make somethin’ of this!  Just look over there at Town Hall. That place is beggin’ for a marquee. Beggin’ for one, Hobby! The lights, the coming attractions, the street vendors!  Imagine it!”

After reading that short passage, another idea for early ‘20s dialogue and characters is to give them nicknames like “Hobby” or “Buggs” or “Sawdust.”

So, there’s my third and final installment of dialogue writing tips. I hope they’ve been helpful. Stay tuned for more posts on writing and my life as a writer.

I started learning Spanish when I was 14. I was in 9th grade and I didn’t even want to take Spanish. I wanted to take French or German but my mom made me take Spanish because it would be more useful (not sure if I ever thanked you for that… thanks, Mom!) 

I always got As in Spanish and it kind of came easily to me but I didn’t really like it that much, except for Señora Hammen’s class because she made it fun. I was really bad at remembering how to conjugate preterit, and forget those tenses like he/había/hubiera whatever + ado/ido. I had no clue. 

But when I was a senior, in Spanish 4, we got set up with kindergarten/first grade buddies at Escuela Vieau, a bilingual elementary school in Milwaukee. We were pen pals all throughout first semester and right before Christmas, we went to Escuela Vieau to meet the kids and bring them Christmas presents. We learned some songs in Spanish class like “Los peces en el río” and sang with them, and they danced for us. 

The kids dancing for us in the gym

My buddy! I wish I remembered this girl’s name!!! She’s like 13 or 14 now which blows my mind.

That was the day that I realized that I could speak Spanish. Granted, I couldn’t speak it well. But I could speak it. 

Once I decided I was going to Marquette, I took the placement test and got into Spanish 9, which basically is like a quick review of high school Spanish 3 and 4. I had a really good teacher and we got to skype with people in Colombia every Friday. The next semester I had a teacher from Perú and she had us do Service Learning as part of the class. I was super confused by this but it sounded cool, and Escuela Vieau was on the list of places to volunteer! It didn’t work with my schedule though… so I found another bilingual elementary school in Milwaukee, Lincoln Avenue. 

This was singlehandedly the experience that most shaped my career trajectory and passions. I ended up volunteering in the same classroom there for 1.5 years and became super passionate about education and ELLs.

After I studied abroad in Spain in 2010, my Spanish was good. According to ACTFL, Advanced Mid good. It was also basically Spain Spanish, but without the “lisp” – I used it when I said gracias and -ción words, but the rest of the time I forgot about it because I thought it sounded weird. I also felt like a poser, trying to be Spanish when I actually wasn’t. So although the accent didn’t stick, the vocabulary certainly did. Melocotón. Maíz. Móvil. Haaweo (AKA hasta luego). ¿Cómo estáis? Boli. Bici. Ordenador. Patata. Coche. ¡Qué mono! ¡Oye, tío! ¡Venga, hombre! ¡Vale! 

My host family in Spain, Amelia and Cristián.

When I spent time in Guatemala and Ecuador during the summer of 2011, I was surprised at how “neutral” the Spanish was. I NEVER had major problems understanding people. The accent was “normal.” In Guatemala I always, always used usted because we were working in a very traditional indigenous community and everything was very formal. But other than that, getting used to their Spanish was so easy! 

My friend Elyse and I with some of the kids in Guatemala

As I started to prepare for my time in Argentina, I downloaded this app on my phone called Porteño Spanish. I panicked. I didn’t know more than 5 of the words! Ahhhhh! 

Che. Ananá. Palta. Pileta. Bárbaro. Valija. Remera. Pancho. Canilla. Omnibus. Colectivo. ¿Cómo andás? No, andar does not ever mean “to walk.” 

That isn’t even including voseo or the ll and y. The other thing is that in this part of Argentina, the ll and y sound different from each other AND they don’t roll their Rs. 

So let’s break down what’s struck me as interesting so far:

1. Vocabulary. There are simply some words here that I simply don’t remember ever hearing or seeing in my life. Every single day here I hear or read a word that I don’t understand, and although it’s frustrating at times, I also feel like my vocabulary is growing a ton because of this! 

• Ananá – Pineapple (not piña)
• Palta – avocado (not aguacate)
• Pileta – swimming pool or sink (not piscina or lavabo or lavamanos)
• Bárbaro – awesome, excellent, geat
• Valija – suitcase (not maleta)
• Remera – t-shirt (not camiseta)
• Pancho – hot dog
• Canilla – faucet/tap (not grifo)
• Omnibus, Colectivo – the bus (not autobús)
• ¿Cómo andás? – How’s it going/how are you doing? 
  

2. Voseo. Vos replaces tú here. What is fascinating to me is that vos doesn’t exist in any other tense except the present and commands. Subjunctive is conjugated just like tú (Quiero que vengas a mi fiesta). 

In the present, vos is conjugated as such:

• Regular verbs: Vos hablás. Vos bebés. Vos vivís. (Same as tú form, but accent goes on the last syllable). 
• Stem changers: Pensar = vos pensás. Querer = vos querés. Tener = vos tenés. No stem change! 
• Ser: Vos sos. 

Commands are conjugated as such:

• Just get rid of the R and put an accent on the last letter. Pedí, tomá, poné, reciclá, mirá, vení, bailá. So yes, -ir verbs in vos commands are identical to the yo preterite form. All about context, I guess. 

3. LL / Y. The interesting thing to me here is that in Salta, these letters are pronounced a little bit (basely distinguishably) differently but in Buenos Aires they’re pronounced the same, I think (?). The ll, to me, sounds like sh –> me shamo instead of me llamo. But the y sounds more like zh –> mayor sounds like mazhor. 

4. The rr, or lack thereof. It took me literally weeks to realize this. But the rr doesn’t get rolled here, it’s “assibilated.” The word horror is pronounced like hoshor, and perro is pesho. At the beginning of words like rico, I can’t figure out if it’s rolled or not. I’m still working on listening for that. 

So, needless to say, adjusting to the language here has been a bit of a challenge compared to my time spent in other countries. Nevertheless, I am thankful for this experience because I am learning so much and my fascination with the Spanish language is only growing. 

We love our cowboy boots.
Image from WikiCommons by Kimble Young

We wear jeans, cut-off denim shorts, and cowboy boots.

A two or three hour drive to get someplace is considered reasonable.

We eat a lot of steak and drink sweet tea.

One thing I’ve never been able to find, though–at least not in the quantities from TV-land, is the twang. Every once and awhile I’ve heard someone who drawls, who uses  ’howdy’ and ‘y’all.’

(We do say ma’am and sir a lot. Our parents raised us to be polite.)

Small town, big cities, nearly all the people I know don’t sound like that. They don’t sound ‘Texan.’ But they are, many of them in a rabid, fanatic way I can’t help but find amusing. Does any other state have bumper stickers that read “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could?” I was brought here by coincidence, and there’s plenty I love about Texas. But you need to chill, people. Also, unless you won that belt buckle, no one needs a plate-sized piece of metal on their waist.

Maybe my sampling isn’t big enough? Maybe we mostly sound that way in other parts of the state?

Have you found, wherever you live, that people don’t sound like they’re ‘supposed’ to?

Normal person: “It’s cold today.”
Canadians: “It’s cold today eh?”
In a way, this kind of forces the listener to respond or acts as a friendly statement that invites others to join.  Canadians are just well known for being unusually friendly (except maybe in Vancouver and Toronto lols).

For those who are misinformed, we don’t really put “eh” into all our sentences.  I think we might do it 2-3 times per day, that’s about it.  What’s interesting is that in Alberta (or perhaps the West), people use “hey” instead.  I’ve tried to change how I word my sentences, but I always end up saying “eh”.  It has become a habit and now I feel like a typical Canadian…damn, another stereotype.  When you have mastered the Canadian culture, I think “eh” naturally becomes part of your life.  Do you say it on a daily basis?  At what times do you notice yourself incorporating this special sound?

Speaking of friendliness I want to talk about crossing the road in Alberta.  Back in Toronto, I’d be rushing for the green light because I’m worried I’d run out of time during the cross.  In Alberta however, I’m scared of CROSSING THE ROAD regardless of the traffic signal.  Even before stepping onto the road, I see cars stopping for me.  Like seriously, two cars could have passed before I even met them at the same point.  What scares me is when people wait for me…do you want to me walk fast?  I’m going to trip and break my nose because of the ice.  But I also don’t want to take my time because it seems like they have stopped for over 10 minutes.  I just feel that Canadians can be too nice at times…and it scares me.

I’ve just re-located from a city famous for its regional dialect and whilst from the outside looking in, it may be obvious that I was born and bred in the same city, as the accent is pretty apparent, however, at 29, I find myself struggling to understand the vocabulary of those 5 or 10 years younger.

What has happened, not just to the English language but our respect for the origins of what is widely renowned as ‘Earth’s Mother Tongue’?

“Lad, that polo’s raw lad innit!” Seriously??? Is this the type of language that our children will eventually inherit as ‘acceptable’.

The stigma of a regional dialect is hard enough to overcome without having to worry that your children will only grow up into something much less comprehensible.

I know I can not change the way men speak in one go, but I will say this, so please if you are reading, please take this on board the next time you are speaking to any other person.

1) Under no circumstance is swearing acceptable…no…not even to emphasise your point. You will immediately be given less respect from those around you just for dropping the odd swear word in to the most basic of sentences. The exception to the rule (and there is always one exception to every rule!) is within a group of your ‘closest‘ friends. By ‘closest’ I mean those who know every little secret about you, who have seen the best and worst of you, who know so much about you that its too late for any amount of swearing to result in the loss of any respect they have for you.

2) Please pronounciate your words. I work in fashion, and when I am in store, my biggest pet hate is when the answer you get comes across as a faint mumble. Being asked to repeat yourself isn’t a sign of a hearing issue by the listener, but a sign that you have poor communication skills and that you struggle to conversate to an acceptable level.

3) Please and Thank You goes a long way. Our most basic sentences that show gratitude or respect seem to be completely lost in society.

Tomorrow, remember the above 3 tips, and every time you are faced with the arduous task of having a conversation with another human being, put them into practice, you will be amazed at the response you get, and how much more productive you feel your day was.

To all the men out there who already follow these 3 simple rules, well done and keep it up. Share this with your inadequate friends.

Regards

Michael & Mullady