Lawry, Read the book 'Beautiful Swimmers'. The author [William Warner] spends a lot of time describing Smith and Tangier life.
Bill On Mon, 25 Aug 2003 21:13:58 -0400 "Lawrence DeBivort" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Greetings all, > > Chrisfield is the ferry port to Smith and Tangier Islands. I have > good > friends on Tangier, and the accent there (as on Smith) is not > particularly > peculiar. At one time it was said that it was Shakespearean, but I > think > that was a great exaggeration. In any event, whatever unique accent > there > was must be rapidly fading. The children go to school on the > 'mainland' -- > the Eastern shore -- traveling back and forth by ferry each day, > and > families are leaving the islands -- especially Smith, which is not > faring as > well as Tangier -- while newcomers are finding there way there for, > sad as > it may seem to some of the traditionalists, vacation homes. The > islanders > still focus on fishing however, and it will be a long time before > that > disappears. Soft-shell crabs have become a prized produce, being > exported > all over the world. > > I usually go to Tangier by sailboat, tie up at one of the docks, and > in the > morning one of my friends comes by in his skiff as the first light > breaks > gray in the eastern sky, I step off my stern, and off we go to his > crab-pots... > > Cheers, > Lawry > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of William > B Ward > > Sent: Mon, August 25, 2003 5:26 PM > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Chinese as the world language? was: Re: > > [Future work] Languages (fwd) > > > > > > Arthur, > > > > I love gwang dainy aeshyan. > > > > Bill > > > > On Mon, 25 Aug 2003 15:50:46 -0400 [EMAIL PROTECTED] > writes: > > > We spent about 6 or 7 summer holidays in Fenwick Island, De. I > > > noticed the > > > change in language as I approached Chesapeake Bay. I believe it > was > > > in > > > Chrisfield (where the ferry boat leaves) that I began to have > > > problems > > > understanding what people were saying. > > > > > > arthur > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: William B Ward [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2003 7:05 PM > > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Chinese as the world language? was: > Re: > > > [Futurework] Languages (fwd) > > > > > > > > > Ray, > > > > > > What communities were you in on the Eastern Shore? I spent a > lot of > > > time > > > there in the late 70's, mostly Snow Hill and Ocean City. > > > > > > Bill > > > > > > > > > On Sat, 23 Aug 2003 10:20:05 -0400 "Ray Evans Harrell" > > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > writes: > > > > Several years ago I was singing the Villon Ballades of Claude > > > > Debussy. It > > > > was in archaic French a language no longer spoken in France. > > > The > > > > first > > > > time I went to Montreal I found that I could understand some > of > > > what > > > > they > > > > were saying because it was like the Francois Villon poetry. > I > > > was > > > > delighted much as I was when I heard the Shakespeare phonetics > on > > > > > > > the > > > > Eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. > > > > > > > > REH > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > From: "Ed Weick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > To: "Keith Hudson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "pete" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2003 9:38 AM > > > > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Chinese as the world language? was: > Re: > > > > [Futurework] Languages (fwd) > > > > > > > > > > > > > Keith: > > > > > > > > > > > I'm sure you must be right. However, Quebecian French will > die > > > > > > > in the > > > > end > > > > > > if Quebec wants to stay in the mainstream of the > developed > > > > world. When > > > > is > > > > > > another matter. It's interesting that the French Academy > have > > > > given up > > > > > > their long-time attempts to exclude American and English > word > > > > > > > imports. > > > > > > Almost all middle class Frenchmen, Germans, Italians, > Dutch > > > and > > > > > > what-have-you can speak fairly fluent English because > that's > > > > the > > > > language > > > > > > of modern commerce and science. Almost no middle class > > > > Englishmen could > > > > > put > > > > > > more than a sentence or two together in another language. > Once > > > > > > > upon a > > > > time > > > > > > I used to be able to read Simenon and Pushkin in their > own > > > > languages > > > > > fairly > > > > > > comfortably -- and enjoyably, too -- but I could never > speak > > > > > > > the > > > > > languages. > > > > > > > > > > One has to appreciate that there is a difference between > street > > > > > > > French and > > > > > the French spoken by the educated. My understanding is that > the > > > > > > > latter > > > > > speak French, as in France, with perhaps some minor > differences. > > > > > > > My > > > > neice's > > > > > daughter, who attends the French language University of > > > Montreal, > > > > is off > > > > to > > > > > the Sorbonne next year. She's already done some of her > studies > > > in > > > > France > > > > > and has encountered no problems. > > > > > > > > > > It's interesting how languages evolve. When I was in > Jamaica a > > > > > > > few years > > > > > ago, I had to go way back into the hill country to talk to > some > > > > > > > elderly > > > > > people who had lived there all their lives. Though they > spoke > > > > English, I > > > > > could barely understand them. Another generation or so of > > > > isolation, and > > > > I > > > > > might not be able to. > > > > > > > > > > Ed Weick > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > At 10:39 22/08/2003 -0400, Ed Weick wrote: > > > > > > >(KH) > > > > > > >But surely, Prof Daniel Abrams' thesis is *not* valid. He > is > > > > > > > trying to > > > > > > >maintain that minority languages can be protected. I > > > > originally wrote > > > > > > >that this is not possible. PW, EW and I have each been > saying > > > > > > > that once > > > > a > > > > > > >new way of life becomes communicable, tradable and > > > > geographically > > > > > > >possible, then minority languages disappear. Prof Abrams > > > would > > > > do > > > > better > > > > > > >to spend his time and research money in recording as > many > > > > minority > > > > > > >languages as possible for future study and analysis, > than > > > > trying to > > > > save > > > > > > >them in the here and now while our present type of > economic > > > > system is > > > > > > >still sweeping the world. > > > > > > > > > > > > (EW) > > > > > > >Much would seem to depend on the size, status and power > of > > > the > > > > linguistic > > > > > > >group. There is no doubt in my mind that Quebec will > > > maintain > > > > French > > > > and > > > > > > >do its governing and business in French in the > foreseeable > > > > future. The > > > > > people > > > > > > >it will deal with in Ottawa will have to be able to use > > > > French. > > > > > > > > > > > > I'm sure you must be right. However, Quebecian French will > die > > > > > > > in the > > > > end > > > > > > if Quebec wants to stay in the mainstream of the > developed > > > > world. When > > > > is > > > > > > another matter. It's interesting that the French Academy > have > > > > > > > given up > > > > > > their long-time attempts to exclude American and English > word > > > > > > > imports. > > > > > > Almost all middle class Frenchmen, Germans, Italians, > Dutch > > > and > > > > > > what-have-you can speak fairly fluent English because > that's > > > > the > > > > language > > > > > > of modern commerce and science. Almost no middle class > > > > Englishmen could > > > > > put > > > > > > more than a sentence or two together in another language. > Once > > > > > > > upon a > > > > time > > > > > > I used to be able to read Simenon and Pushkin in their > own > > > > languages > > > > > fairly > > > > > > comfortably -- and enjoyably, too -- but I could never > speak > > > > > > > the > > > > > languages. > > > > > > > > > > > > Although I think that English is a strong candidate as a > world > > > > > > > language, > > > > I > > > > > > wouldn't bet on it. Chinese is a much stronger candidate > in > > > the > > > > longer > > > > > > term. It is basically easier to learn than most others. It > has > > > > > > > lost all > > > > > the > > > > > > appendages that other languages still have -- > conjugations, > > > > declensions, > > > > > > irregular verbs, subjunctives, ablatives, and so on -- > > > > nightmares that > > > > > > plagues learners of most other languages. Chinese has > also > > > lost > > > > > > inflections, cases, persons, genders, degrees, tenses, > voices, > > > > > > > moods, > > > > > > affixes, infinitives, participles, gerunds and articles. > It > > > lost > > > > all > > > > these > > > > > > in the course of several thousand years of a largely > unified > > > > culture and > > > > > > literature. There are no words of more than one syllable > and > > > > > > > every word > > > > > > has only one form. It proceeds by means of subject and > > > predicate > > > > -- > > > > that's > > > > > > all -- and explicates by means of metaphors. Thousands of > > > them. > > > > Tens of > > > > > > thousands of them. More poetry has been written in > Chinese > > > than > > > > in any > > > > > > other language. > > > > > > > > > > > > Chinese is just about the most finely chiselled language > in > > > the > > > > world -- > > > > > > the most fully developed. And when China gets to the > > > forefront > > > > in > > > > > science, > > > > > > technology and commerce I think it will probably whop the > > > > confused and > > > > > > convoluted language that we call English (much as I love > it). > > > > > > > > > > > > Keith Hudson > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Keith Hudson, 6 Upper Camden Place, Bath, England, > > > > > > <www.evolutionary-economics.org> > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > Futurework mailing list > > > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Futurework mailing list > > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Futurework mailing list > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > > > The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! > > > Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! > > > Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Futurework mailing list > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > > The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! > > Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! > > Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! > > _______________________________________________ > > Futurework mailing list > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! 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