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Mother Tongue
May. 9th, 2004 09:09 pmSpent most of the afternoon writing what's supposed to be an essay, but I'm starting to doubt it'll turn into anything remotely close to same by the deadline! Stayed up too late last night reading The Lions of Al-Rassan, which didn't help. It'll still be a while before I finish and have anything sensible (or otherwise) to say about that, so for today I'll write out some bits which I enjoyed from Mother Tongue.
"... the curious and monumentally unpronounceable Highland Scottish word giomlaireachd, which means 'the habit of dropping in at mealtimes.' That surely conveys a world of information about the hazards of Highland life - not to mention the hazards of Highland orthography."
"We in the English-speaking world take French leave, but Italians and Norwegians talk about departing like an Englishman, and Germans talk of running like a Dutchman. Belgian taxi drivers call a poor tipper 'un Anglais'. To be bored to death in French is 'etre de Birmingham', literally 'to be from Birmingham', (which is actually about right)."
I may have to summon up the courage (and borrow my daughter's dictionary) in order to write a message in French to check the last one on the BC French forum!
Finally figured out how to add images to this, and got the cover of Despereaux, but it was far too big. Also hoped to check with my ISP to see about image storing or whatever it's supposed to be, but I was going to treat myself if and when I was happy with a finished first draft of the essay, and it never happened.
What a strange word 'draft' is: noun meaning an unfinished version (as above), a word meaning a sketch or plan (close), an order to pay a certain amount of money, and compulsory recruitment for military service. And verbs meaning corresponding things. Then, if you're this side of the pond, you've got 'draught' pronounced the same and meaning a breeze in a room (spelled 'draft' also in the US), 'a single act of drinking or inhaling' (I'd never have thought of that without the dictionary), and the drawing in a fishing boat (never heard that one at all). Add to all that 'draught' as an adjective, meaning beer served from a cask instead of a bottle or can, and an animal used for pulling heavy loads, and then the whole draughts (boardgame) and draughtboard deal.
I so want a big O.E.D.! This one (Compact) just says the origin is old Norse, and all the draft stuff just came as a variant spelling. How does anyone ever learn English?
"... the curious and monumentally unpronounceable Highland Scottish word giomlaireachd, which means 'the habit of dropping in at mealtimes.' That surely conveys a world of information about the hazards of Highland life - not to mention the hazards of Highland orthography."
"We in the English-speaking world take French leave, but Italians and Norwegians talk about departing like an Englishman, and Germans talk of running like a Dutchman. Belgian taxi drivers call a poor tipper 'un Anglais'. To be bored to death in French is 'etre de Birmingham', literally 'to be from Birmingham', (which is actually about right)."
I may have to summon up the courage (and borrow my daughter's dictionary) in order to write a message in French to check the last one on the BC French forum!
Finally figured out how to add images to this, and got the cover of Despereaux, but it was far too big. Also hoped to check with my ISP to see about image storing or whatever it's supposed to be, but I was going to treat myself if and when I was happy with a finished first draft of the essay, and it never happened.
What a strange word 'draft' is: noun meaning an unfinished version (as above), a word meaning a sketch or plan (close), an order to pay a certain amount of money, and compulsory recruitment for military service. And verbs meaning corresponding things. Then, if you're this side of the pond, you've got 'draught' pronounced the same and meaning a breeze in a room (spelled 'draft' also in the US), 'a single act of drinking or inhaling' (I'd never have thought of that without the dictionary), and the drawing in a fishing boat (never heard that one at all). Add to all that 'draught' as an adjective, meaning beer served from a cask instead of a bottle or can, and an animal used for pulling heavy loads, and then the whole draughts (boardgame) and draughtboard deal.
I so want a big O.E.D.! This one (Compact) just says the origin is old Norse, and all the draft stuff just came as a variant spelling. How does anyone ever learn English?
