We have no word for thank you
- Thread starter Joe tahkahikew
- Start date
I think you'll find that was common in education of the time.
In Scotland we were belted (leather strap lashed across the palms of the hands) for speaking Scots or Gaelic. Children in England were caned (whippy stick beaten across the backs of legs and buttocks) for using 'slang' regional variations of English.
Different times, different world really. Thankfully it's now a much more encompassing world, yet still languages languish and die while the vocabulary of English grows daily.
In it's time, so did Latin, so did French, so did Russian, so does Chinese and Indian (of many varieties, and I mean the sub continent).
Language is only as alive as the people who use it, but the way things are going everyone'll end up speaking Spanglish
Keep yours alive Joe use it often, use it to talk to children too, and for heaven's sake write it down, write it down often, even if your culture has no indigenous written dictionary, it's not beyond mortal wit to write your words as they are spoken. Set up youtube channels, talk on them, explain things on them, put it on news programmes, reports, get the words out there where they can be found, be apart of this world wide conversation and not a shrinking dialect.
There are people trying to keep the Cree language alive elsewhere too.
http://art.mt.gov/folklife/hearthand/writing.asp
atb,
Toddy
In Scotland we were belted (leather strap lashed across the palms of the hands) for speaking Scots or Gaelic. Children in England were caned (whippy stick beaten across the backs of legs and buttocks) for using 'slang' regional variations of English.
Different times, different world really. Thankfully it's now a much more encompassing world, yet still languages languish and die while the vocabulary of English grows daily.
In it's time, so did Latin, so did French, so did Russian, so does Chinese and Indian (of many varieties, and I mean the sub continent).
Language is only as alive as the people who use it, but the way things are going everyone'll end up speaking Spanglish
Keep yours alive Joe
use it often, use it to talk to children too, and for heaven's sake write it down, write it down often, even if your culture has no indigenous written dictionary, it's not beyond mortal wit to write your words as they are spoken. Set up youtube channels, talk on them, explain things on them, put it on news programmes, reports, get the words out there where they can be found, be apart of this world wide conversation and not a shrinking dialect.There are people trying to keep the Cree language alive elsewhere too.
http://art.mt.gov/folklife/hearthand/writing.asp
atb,
Toddy
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While I agree with what Toddy says, and I do try to keep the Doric alive - we are an English speaking Nation. So while I love slipping into Scots with other folks where appropriate I do find myself getting slightly tetchy at how badly English is spoken and written by it's supposedly native speakers.
I don't correct folk on-line as it's considered rude, but when I was an employer if your CV and covering letter were pants you more often than not didn't get a chance to prove me wrong at the interview stage.
I whole heartedly agree that certain cultures have words that cant quite be put into English, Scots has many words that don't quite translate. But often the folk shouting about it don't know English well enough to really make a comparison, there are some beautiful and sometimes obscure words that can have such an ethereal yet finite meaning that they have only one very specific use.
I suppose I was lucky, though my parents forced me to "speak properly"; we were ignored otherwise - we were allowed to used our native way of speaking out of the house with our friends.
I don't correct folk on-line as it's considered rude, but when I was an employer if your CV and covering letter were pants you more often than not didn't get a chance to prove me wrong at the interview stage.
I whole heartedly agree that certain cultures have words that cant quite be put into English, Scots has many words that don't quite translate. But often the folk shouting about it don't know English well enough to really make a comparison, there are some beautiful and sometimes obscure words that can have such an ethereal yet finite meaning that they have only one very specific use.
I suppose I was lucky, though my parents forced me to "speak properly"; we were ignored otherwise - we were allowed to used our native way of speaking out of the house with our friends.
bambodoggy
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Hmmmmmmm, if they didn't have a language , then how did they ask god for something in the first place?
…….'scuse the "no religious discussion", but I'm reliably informed that He hears prayers
M
M
They did, but we got rid of them. Nice neighbours though...
English isn't better than any other language, I think it's so common because of the late empire...
Like seals? Want to know what Norwegians think the English sound like? No, this is a nice forum...
PS) I love seals!
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That's a good point…..fun's fun, but when it cuts close it's no longer funny.
Scots joke about English, the English joke about the Welsh, the French and Scots, the Irish joke about all of us The French joke about the Belgians, the Americans joke about Mexicans…..it's the way of the world unfortunately.
M
Scots joke about English, the English joke about the Welsh, the French and Scots, the Irish joke about all of us
The French joke about the Belgians, the Americans joke about Mexicans…..it's the way of the world unfortunately.M
That's a good point…..fun's fun, but when it cuts close it's no longer funny.
Scots joke about English, the English joke about the Welsh, the French and Scots, the Irish joke about all of us
M
We make fun of our own too! http://youtu.be/hUFL2GT1-2g
Finnish also has no word for please, then again we have:
- 3 words for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris),
- 7 words for different kind of wetlands,
- A few dozen words for forms of frozen water (but no word for "snowing"!),
- etc.
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