Hubby watches the same show and I saw this piece - I speak English - several different ways- a little bit of “Street Spanish” ( once was much better but have not used it since I moved east back then) I know alphabetical sign language, but English - I grew up in the south with ya’ll, all ya’ll, the Lazy way to me to speak English was my southern accent. I used ta could, innit (isn’t it) and all words ending in ing - drop the g! Then I was in the northern part of the country - that meant every sentence was a question, with the voice going up at the end of a sentence. I did not pick up a lot of the “Yankee” speak as there were phrases I just could hear properly etc. California is what mostly stole a lot of my Southern speak. Everyone from there spoke really fast - after spending most of my life speaking slowly and every word had extra syllables it meant I mostly spoke southern with a faster speed ….. yikes! Then Arizona, but with a partner/hubby from Hawaii. Ending a lot of sentences with “yeah” & plenty being the word for a LOT - I had plenty changes on that front.
All of that being said I have always loved language. Figuring out the meaning of words from a prefix or a suffix, knowing the derivation of words- being offended when Your was used instead of You’re, there, their, there and all of those words that meant so many different things irritated the living daylights out of me, YEAH? The pidgin from a Hawaiian hubby pretty much let me relax. Although today someone wrote your in a message instead of you’re and my brain wanted to correct her.
There was a time spelling was a biggy. Now because of my misshapen hands I have a lot of spelling mistakes, punctuation has gone to hell and because of the combo of a lot of states. I do well to get my point across without people thinking I’m uneducated. But I Reckon I do awright in most of the American state, at least onct in a while.
Bravo for the places you taught & how fun some of those places must have been!!
I was not at all happy with the “lazy” definition either - not one damned BIT!!
Wow Pamela! I read every word and you expressed, all your experiences with language from different regions and dialects, master class, you are clearly an experienced linguist. Thank you for reading and commenting. I'll be following your Substack closely!
You are always so kind! I have just started writing on the subject of living with RA. I have gotten as far as the Firward which is still in need of fixing. That you for always being so kind with your replies. ☺️
Excellent! Hubby grew up on Oahu - Manoa Valley - 3 1/2 Generations. I love it there. He is local but Japanese local ☺️ we plan to retire there in a couple years. Nothing felt right until i found my local surfer 😂 and Manoa Valley. It is beautiful & Perfect! (He no can surf now he say too old)
Yes the last time we were there he paddled while I sat on the front of the board - I’m spoiled 😂. I’m the same North Shore is where I would live if I could. Never wear shoes again only slippah! We have been watching big wave surfers this week - the Cloud Break I believe- every surfer said best waves ever - best even ever perfect waves all weekend! I love Nathan Florence what an adorable sweet kid!!
Howzit Pamela? I lived in Kaaawa, Kaneohe, and Kailua the three years we were guests of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children...ex was Marine bomb disposal. Loved living in the country not on base! Used to chill at Texas Paniolo Cafe just up da road. Such a cool culture and learned masses about being a minority and all haole should get some empathy! Beautiful people and culture, what a great mix. I like to wring stupid necks of mainland idiot tourists who are so f'ing clueless though. Glad to meet you, e komo mai!
Nice to meet a bit of Substack Ohana! From da Islands.
It always pissed me off when we would head to da beach & the tourists were so disgusting & the stereotypical haoles!! My MIL is 96 & lived there her entire life. She was there when Pearl Harbor happened & long before statehood. She still has a thick Japanese accent and I adore her! It took for her to warm up to me but once she did we have been close since.
I just replied to Lorraine about whether corporate greed would try to buy up Lahaina. Then I just started an article in the Guardian that is talking about land grabs that are being pushed now.
I’ve been to Kaneohe - on the way to North Shore- the very first time I was there Matt was my personal tour guided- I loved it (but wasn’t an assh*ole!)
We went to Dole Plantation but went from there to The Polynesian Cultural Center - which I thought would be boring - but we HAD A BLAST 💥- the canoe rides around the place was so peaceful and the music and different clothing and dances from all the areas represented- gorgeous!! We did all of the stuff - Henna tattoos plus we wove palm fronds into hats & I won a prize throwing the spear further than the other groups - I swear we felt like teenagers at the county fair!
Matt’s family has a picnic in Ala Moana Beach Park-it is a standing reservation with the same section every year. It is all of the people from Japan who lived in the same village before coming to Hawaii.
There are several families that have been coming for 100+ years. Several generations of kids got all the school supply they needed from winning the games (and for participating)
The picnic is every year the first Sunday in August - Breakfast through dinner so it is an all day affair. Plenty Ohana we no see fo long time. Even I have seen a generation of kids grow up from one year to the next.
Definitely Ono food - surfing changed to paddle boarding and I love it. I have missed the last 2 because of my illness- hoping I can make it this year.
I love North Shore - in Honolulu we always went to Kaimana Beach but my favorite beach is at NS - Sunset Beach I found my place The house that sits right by the beach by is my dream house!! 😂 we met Jack Johnson one summer - and ended up in front of Dog the Bounty Hunter’s driveway when we were riding bikes and had a flat - what a bizarre dude he is!! 😂
Now that you know my Hawaiian history I will be quiet 😂 (I’m never quiet I talk a lot obvi!!!!
So nice to meet you! 3 of grandkids live in Manoa & MIL - one BIL & SIL And a nephew who is now a dentist.
I would love to meet you guys - both you, Kate and Hubbies! I felt at home in Hawaii. My very tiny hometown in Kentucky had more in common than I ever knew with Hawaii. My grandparents had a hard life but would not like the “modern” city - which is simply more comfortable now. Every place I had a memory is gone. My school burned, the church I once attended was struck by lightning- plus story after story of other things that changed. When I was young my whole family was much older so I can appreciate newer ways of life. Yet miss things. It is still a very small town but different. Used to be like Footloosd 😂
Ha! I love that story about Way cup. I am currently studying French (in my spare time 🤣) and struggle so much with the pronunciation. My motivator and practice person is two years old so there's that...
And I had to study phonics in elementary school and I hated it. I was sophisticated reader by 4th grade and yet I was being told to do all these phonics drills. Sometimes they just didn't make sense to me b/c I already knew how to read yet I was having to decode. 🤷🏻♀️. I survived.
That's so cool Gracie! I also recommend my friend's app, Zoundslike, for pronunciation exercises. Thank you for reading and commenting. Your feedback is so helpful!
Thanks for this. I actually need to delve into this linguistic stuff as at time I feel language slipping away from me due to the meds I take to manage my RA... mind twister exercise so to speak, lol.
That's a great point, sis. I use a lot of language, math, memory, and other puzzle games to try to keep sharp. You're way ahead of most, as far as I can tell. 💕
Lorraine Evanoff: In 1954-1956, as I was in my first years of school, we lived in Long Beach, California, where they taught reading by some visual method instead of phonics.
I was confused.
We moved to Orange County California in '56.
Circa '56-57, I was in the third grade; they taught phonics; and for the first time, my parents heard that little Armando was making rapid progress in reading.
Indeed, I would raise my hand desperately and all the time, so the teachers called on someone else, while little Armando wanted to tell the answer.
My Walloon-Belgian mom loved literature and passed that to me, and it was from my Mom -- who lived long, but posthumously reached her 100th Birthday (1921 seems MODERN to me: look at the Flappers and tell me their spirit was not as modern as TODAY?!), Mom taught me of generations in our Walloon (French-speaking) family who had not only loved to study but had advanced high in the industry (usually railroads) through self-learning.
Keep writing about philology, as this is a favorite topic of mine. As I am advanced in German language skills (C-1: reading, writing; C-2: hearing, speaking, on the Common European Framework Reference for Languages (CEFRL)), I love the etymology of words as one finds in the Duden or the almost 30-volume Grimm (yes, THOSE Grimm Brothers that brought you "Little Red Ridinghood" (Rotkäppchen) -- they were great philologists). There is such a fascinating unity among West-Germanic languages (English, Dutch, German, Frisian).
Lorraine Evanoff: For you and others that do or may read from the great German literature, it is important to have a dictionary from the time of the writing.
The multivolume Grimm is maintained by the Universität-Trier at:
There is a university-level digital dictionary, das digitale Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, that resembles the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in its fullness:
The nice thing, too, about the Grimm, is at the top of the page there are links to other German dictionaries for Mittelhochdeutsch; all the German used by Goethe; and regional dialects.
For current literature, the best are the aforecited digitale Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (dwds.de); Duden (Duden.de); and the Wahrig (available as an app).
Duden prints a "Bildwörterbuch" (picture dictionary) that is so comprehensive. It will take you into a house and detail in picture and word what each small item is called, down to the toothpick, and will take you to the most industrialized wharf or factory and describe in picture (with the words) each gantry, each levy, each lathe, down to the nuts and bolts. Of course, this is noun-driven.
And through the Wortherkunftwörterbuch (Duden) and in the etymological sections of either Grimm or dwds.de, one learns in great detail the gothic or other origins and evolution of the word.
Always an interesting example:
In the beginning, the Saxons had thatched roofs. We took "thatch" to mean the straw that COVERED the roof; German took "thatch" (Dach) to MEAN the roof.
A direct, but still twisted relation between German and English. When one looks at word ORIGINS, the two languages are very closely related.
If one relied only on translated meanings: Well, how would "roof" be related to "Dach"? Roof:
Merriam-Webster:
ROOF:
"Middle English, from Old English hrōf; akin to Old Norse hrōf roof of a boathouse and perhaps to Old Church Slavonic stropŭ roof"
THATCH:
"Middle English thecchen, from Old English theccan to cover; akin to Old High German decchen to cover, Latin tegere, Greek stegein to cover, stegos roof, Sanskrit sthagati he covers"
DWDS:
das DACH:
Wortherkunft: "Dach n. ‘oberer Abschluß eines Gebäudes’. Ahd. thah ‘Dach, Haus, Bedeckung’ (9. Jh.), mhd. dach ‘Dach, Bedeckung, das Oberste, Schützende’, mnd. dak, mnl. dac, nl. dak, aengl. þæc ‘Dach’, anord. þak, schwed. tak ‘Dach, Decke’ bezeichnet ursprünglich ‘das Bedeckende’ und gehört zu dem unter decken (s. d.) behandelten germ. Verb. Mit diesem läßt es sich an die auch durch außergerm. Verwandte wie griech. stégein (στέγειν) ‘decken, schützen’, stégos, tégos (στέγος, τέγος) n., stégē, tégē (στέγη, τέγη) f. ‘Dach, Haus’, lat. tegere ‘decken, bedecken’, tēgulum ‘Decke, Dach’, tēgula ‘Dachziegel, Ziegeldach’ (s. Ziegel), tēctum ‘Dach, Haus’, toga ‘Bedeckung, Obergewand’, lit. stíegti ‘ein Strohdach aufsetzen’ bezeugte Wurzel ie. *(s)teg- ‘decken’ anschließen. Im Dt. übliche Wendungen wie etw. unter Dach (und Fach) bringen ‘etw. abschließen, vollenden’ (18. Jh.), jmdm. aufs Dach steigen ‘jmdn. tadeln, bestrafen’ (18. Jh., älter jmdm. übers Dach kommen, 17. Jh.), eins aufs Dach kriegen ‘geschlagen, getadelt werden’ (Anfang 19. Jh.) u. ä. beruhen auf metaphorischem Gebrauch von Dach als ‘Schutz, Zuflucht’ (mhd.) und ‘Schädeldecke, Kopf’ (16. Jh.). – Dachstuhl m. ‘tragende Konstruktion des Daches’; die frühnhd. Zusammensetzung (um 1500) verdeutlicht das im Spätmhd. in gleicher Bedeutung vorkommende einfache stuol (s. Stuhl)."
The reason I like etymology, or "Wortherkunft" (literally the "word" "comes here"-- i.e., the word origin) is because it says so much about human evolution.
English retains the ORIGINAL meaning of the word "gift".
The German retains the ORIGINAL meaning of the word "gift" in the compound word, "Mitgift" -- which means a dowery.
But the German word "Gift" by itself -- evolved to mean POISON!
Tell me THAT doesn't raise a historical puzzle.
I find etymology between German and English to be most helpful in my German cultural studies -- drop me in the streets anywhere in Germany, and I can make friends quickly -- because there is such a depth of connection between peoples.
Next time I'll tag you too as one of my fave linguists. I don't think I realized you were also such an expert in etymology, or "Wortherkunft"
I am absolutely fascinated by the Latin, Germanic, and other language roots and how they're all so strong within English.
One of my favorite parts of history is the battle 1,994 years ago, in AD 9 in the Teutoburg Forest that stopped the expansion of the Roman Empire into Germania, and sent the advancing Romans reeling back toward the Rhine, from where they would never venture north again. And keeping German language in tact I think?
Lorraine Evanoff: "Quintilius Varus, Give me back my Legions!" was the cry of Augustus in Suetonius.
Teutoburg was a shock to Rome. But the Germanic migrations throughout Europe came in great waves, and in many tribes. Unfortunately, Teutoburg became a basis for nationalistic myth. Ahem!
What struck me as tragic was that Arminius seemed to have been well integrated into the Roman military, and Varus and Arminius may have been close.
I am careful about my sources in etymology.
I love how Caligula staged a "conquest" at the British Channel.
In "I Claudius", Derek Jacobi portrays Claudius, and John Hurt was masterful as Caligula. Some HILARIOUS parts!
Yes, I recently read a script on the Teutoburg battle and it was really well researched, Arminius was indeed fully embedded in the Roman military, having been kidnapped/captured as a child his father told him to fully integrate. He spent his whole life so he was fully trusted to give the strategy to trick the troops on the route. It's really bloody and brutal. Dude was pissed and hated Rome.
Anyway, I don't know anything else about all the other nationalistic myth.
I also don't know much about the Caligula story.
I blame having a degree in French for knowing very little English or German history or literature, beyond reading. Cromwell by Victor Hugo, ha ha!
Lorraine Evanoff: Watch "I Claudius". That's where John Hurt was m-a-s-t-e-r-f-u-l and hilarious as Caligula, in his self-worship.
As you see future Emperor Claudius (Derek Jacobi) be an absolute sycophant to Caligula's absurd poetry and dance as the Sun God, my wife, Nancy, and I had to pause the scene and let out belly laughs, it was SO masterful!
I would say a degree in French is WONDERFUL culture and a wonderful literature.
What I am referring to in German history is the national mythology around Arminius (my name is a francophone version of the ancient name).
Already, Germania by Tacitus was part of the national mythology of Germany. Tacitus, in honor of his father-in-law, Agricola, wrote -- for ancient standards -- a rather commendable anthropology around Germanic peoples.
There was also the mediaeval Nibelung myth with the horde of wealth buried in the Rhine.
The Romantic Era -- in Scotland we know it through Ivanhoe and the myths surrounding Richard Coeur de Lion as narrated through the work of Sir Walter Scott -- in Germany there was a revived interest in the Nibelung and in Parcifal.
The Romantic Era passion for the Middle Ages actually promoted sound scholarship, as in the case of the mediaeval research at Universität Tübingen of Ludwig Uhland, whose lectures on mediaeval literature are interesting, at least to me.
But, of course, with Richard Wagner, as great as he was in musical genius -- his own wife was the daughter of Franz Liszt, but he had exhibited some anti-Semitism, which, when the Third Reich took over, was put on steroids, with magnifying the nationalism and anti-Semitism of Wagner to a parody of itself.
Because of the performances of Wagner's music by Leonard Bernstein and Daniel Barenboim, I would not exaggerate the influence of anti-Semitism on the master's music.
But the Third Reich surely did.
And German Mediaeval mythology -- which was part of the inspiration for JRR Tolkien and his Ring and Tolkien's translation of similar English work, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" (a short work worth reading) -- was distorted into a great "Aryan" Foundation of the "neue Bewegung" (New Movement -- i.e., Nazism).
During the Third Reich, there was the question, whether the Passionspiele (Passion Play -- every ten years since the late Middle Ages) should continue in Oberammergau. The Party determined that the ten-year cycle would, indeed, be important for the propagation of the "Aryan" ideology of the "neue Bewegung" among the Volk (THE People).
The Mediaeval literature is great and beautiful. But it was EXPLOITED by the "neue Bewegung" for massive brainwashing into an "Aryan" (which etymologically is the same root word as the name of the country, Iran) ideology.
So, the beautiful writing of Tacitus -- Germania -- and the mythology surrounding Arminius, too, were exploited as part of the Third Reich's massive brainwashing.
The "neue Bewegung" even had elements that maintained that Jesus was not Jewish and reformed a theory of "Übermensch" (superior persons), using a word coined by Nietzsche (whose meaning was tortuously twisted and warped by the "neue Bewegung").
To be clear: Arminius, Germania (Tacitus), the Nibelung, the Parcifal and the Mediaeval are a beautiful part of the fabric of worldwide literature, whether from England, the Continent, Africa, or Asia, or later America. The use of this literature by Nazism does not lessen its ineffable value in our own spiritual lives in literature or philosophy.
Victor Hugo: That is WONDERFUL reading. My Goodness, there is nothing that Dostoevsky did in his five great novels that had not been preceded (and borrowed by Dostoevsky from) Victor Hugo!
I think reading Victor Hugo in French is a wonderful thing. My Mom did NOT teach me her native French. Later, rather than speak what could have been a mother-tongue with an ACCENT and American flaws, I migrated to the German language, for my love of the Romantic Era -- especially Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert.
I love "Way cup"! I used to teach English, and learning these elisions between words can be so hard for learners.
Going back to expressions like "wishy washy" etc in English; as you say, "human pronunciation is all about efficiency and euphony." In Japanese, they like onomatopoeia and repeating sounds. So the expression for "excited from anticipation, pleasure, or happiness" is わくわく, "waku waku" which I think imitates the heart thumping - but expresses the meaning in an efficient and euphonious way.
Of course you are correct, Lorraine, not surprisingly! Clearly the ding-dong reporter's hoity toity attitude resulted in an unfortunate cognitive mish mash, resulting in a zig-zag hodgepodge of willy-nilly hocus pocus in place of bona fide brass tacks. These are reduplicatives. Here is an excerpt from an excellent article:
Reduplicative Words
By Richard Nordquist
Updated on August 09, 2019
"A reduplicative is a word or lexeme (such as mama) that contains two identical or very similar parts. Words such as these are also called tautonyms. The morphological and phonological process of forming a compound word by repeating all or part of it is known as reduplication. The repeated element is called a reduplicant.
David Crystal wrote in the second edition of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language:
'Items with identical spoken constituents, such as goody-goody and din-din, are rare. What is normal is for a single vowel or consonant to change between the first constituent and the second, such as see-saw and walkie-talkie.
'Reduplicatives are used in a variety of ways. Some simply imitate sounds: ding-dong, bow-wow. Some suggest alternative movements: flip-flop, ping-pong. Some are disparaging: dilly-dally, wishy-washy. And some intensify meaning: teeny-weeny, tip-top. Reduplication is not a major means of creating lexemes in English, but it is perhaps the most unusual one.'"
I could not agree with you more, Lorraine! It's such a typical media wank I mean wonk sideshow gimmick to dip half a toe into some subject just to titillate with "buzz." What a disservice to the audience and to the "holy curiosity of inquiry," as Albert Einstein said. This stuff is really interesting to anyone with curiosity about language, and it pains me to think of someone hearing that nonsense and thinking "Oh, well, lazy huh? That's boring." THANK YOU for raising this issue!
And if I remember, you like to swear, too, correct? I do as well, artfully, and I think that's fantastic. It's a great part of language, and women need to do more of it!
When we're not busy sitting in our kitchens auditioning for dipshit of the year, fondling our gold crosses and bending over for the disgusting rapist spawn of lower-than-satan.
I started learning Spanish at 69. I don’t know why I didn’t try years ago, especially since I lived in Orange County, CA. But thanks to Phonics, I quickly mastered the different vowel sounds along with ñ and the double ll. I discovered that the notoriously difficult rolled double rr sound was like a “nonsense” sound I’d been making since I was little. So I go around saying dog (perro), rice (arroz) and other trilled r’s just for fun.
I started reading English at 5 with my mother’s guidance. In 1960, I started first grade at a small 8-grade country school. Miss Johnson was adamant that all her students would learn to read phonetically. A whole new world opened up. I got to skip the awful Dick and Jane books. By third grade, I was able to help the teacher with small reading groups. By fifth grade, I was reading many of the American classics because I could sound out unfamiliar words and learn them by context. Although phonics failed me, when I had to read Tom Sawyer out loud. I had never heard the dreadful N-word so when I pronounced it like Nigeria everyone laughed.
Anyway, every child needs to master phonics and you’ll never be overwhelmed by any book again. And you’ll be able to master the Latin-based Romance languages easily.
My parents are immigrants. I learned Italian before English - my Dad - the major linguist, whom speaks many languages, insisted on it. Yes, which I am glad, but I do recall after being in school in Italy and then California- you can imagine there was a bit of mix-up in the brain function...could be why I'm considered a bit....wacky? HA!
That Italian BF sounds like it was a hearty match....and by the way...WHERE'S THAT WIG you promised?????? UH?
That's such a blessing! I worked so hard to get my French fluent having started very late, not until college.
My bf in Paris is Roman, but grew up with Chilean mom, Italian dad, did university in London and Paris, so basically born speaking 4 languages. I was around Italian a lot for 7 years so it was kind of by osmosis I can get by okay in Italy. But I'd really like to hunker down and learn it more fluently.
Oh no! I found the photo with the Afro wig, but I chickened out posting it, ha ha!
I'll post it now as a note to you. Hope it doesn't get me in trouble. 😆
Yep, we have had a place for 10 years spending about 4-5 non-winter months in Northern Idaho, Aryan Nation Hayden Lake. No exaggeration. We're not far from Sandpoint mentioned in the piece, which is further north, almost Canada.
Thanks for this link!
Great stuff.
Apparently although deep red, some think it's mostly because of low voter turn out. Not sure why that would be. But if more people voted it could turn more purple. Not holding my breath though.
Brilliant Lorraine! ‘Way cup’ should be printed on blue t-shirts. Love it:)
Now back to my French Duolingo. I can’t go to Cordon Bleu Vegan without speaking ‘some.’
That's awesome, Valere! Love the tee shirt idea, ha ha!
Hubby watches the same show and I saw this piece - I speak English - several different ways- a little bit of “Street Spanish” ( once was much better but have not used it since I moved east back then) I know alphabetical sign language, but English - I grew up in the south with ya’ll, all ya’ll, the Lazy way to me to speak English was my southern accent. I used ta could, innit (isn’t it) and all words ending in ing - drop the g! Then I was in the northern part of the country - that meant every sentence was a question, with the voice going up at the end of a sentence. I did not pick up a lot of the “Yankee” speak as there were phrases I just could hear properly etc. California is what mostly stole a lot of my Southern speak. Everyone from there spoke really fast - after spending most of my life speaking slowly and every word had extra syllables it meant I mostly spoke southern with a faster speed ….. yikes! Then Arizona, but with a partner/hubby from Hawaii. Ending a lot of sentences with “yeah” & plenty being the word for a LOT - I had plenty changes on that front.
All of that being said I have always loved language. Figuring out the meaning of words from a prefix or a suffix, knowing the derivation of words- being offended when Your was used instead of You’re, there, their, there and all of those words that meant so many different things irritated the living daylights out of me, YEAH? The pidgin from a Hawaiian hubby pretty much let me relax. Although today someone wrote your in a message instead of you’re and my brain wanted to correct her.
There was a time spelling was a biggy. Now because of my misshapen hands I have a lot of spelling mistakes, punctuation has gone to hell and because of the combo of a lot of states. I do well to get my point across without people thinking I’m uneducated. But I Reckon I do awright in most of the American state, at least onct in a while.
Bravo for the places you taught & how fun some of those places must have been!!
I was not at all happy with the “lazy” definition either - not one damned BIT!!
Wow Pamela! I read every word and you expressed, all your experiences with language from different regions and dialects, master class, you are clearly an experienced linguist. Thank you for reading and commenting. I'll be following your Substack closely!
You are always so kind! I have just started writing on the subject of living with RA. I have gotten as far as the Firward which is still in need of fixing. That you for always being so kind with your replies. ☺️
I'm just appreciative, so maybe that equals kind? Keep me posted on your writing. That's an important subject, Pamela.
That is part of kindness. I def will add to my stack as soon as the body approves. Plus our new Pup has kept me busy! 😂 thank you so much 😊
💕
Da kine!
Mahalo, Kate!
😂 so another Pidgin speaker!! Alooooha! I no can call you brudda but maybe sistah or Auntie?!?! Mahalo for da kind reply!
Aloha Pamela! Kate is definitely the real Hawaiian.
Excellent! Hubby grew up on Oahu - Manoa Valley - 3 1/2 Generations. I love it there. He is local but Japanese local ☺️ we plan to retire there in a couple years. Nothing felt right until i found my local surfer 😂 and Manoa Valley. It is beautiful & Perfect! (He no can surf now he say too old)
I love Oahu too especially north shore beaches. Stunning and peaceful. Indeed perfect!
Can he do stand up paddle board? I find it's much easier to catch a wave!
Yes the last time we were there he paddled while I sat on the front of the board - I’m spoiled 😂. I’m the same North Shore is where I would live if I could. Never wear shoes again only slippah! We have been watching big wave surfers this week - the Cloud Break I believe- every surfer said best waves ever - best even ever perfect waves all weekend! I love Nathan Florence what an adorable sweet kid!!
Howzit Pamela? I lived in Kaaawa, Kaneohe, and Kailua the three years we were guests of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children...ex was Marine bomb disposal. Loved living in the country not on base! Used to chill at Texas Paniolo Cafe just up da road. Such a cool culture and learned masses about being a minority and all haole should get some empathy! Beautiful people and culture, what a great mix. I like to wring stupid necks of mainland idiot tourists who are so f'ing clueless though. Glad to meet you, e komo mai!
Aloha Kate!
Nice to meet a bit of Substack Ohana! From da Islands.
It always pissed me off when we would head to da beach & the tourists were so disgusting & the stereotypical haoles!! My MIL is 96 & lived there her entire life. She was there when Pearl Harbor happened & long before statehood. She still has a thick Japanese accent and I adore her! It took for her to warm up to me but once she did we have been close since.
I just replied to Lorraine about whether corporate greed would try to buy up Lahaina. Then I just started an article in the Guardian that is talking about land grabs that are being pushed now.
I’ve been to Kaneohe - on the way to North Shore- the very first time I was there Matt was my personal tour guided- I loved it (but wasn’t an assh*ole!)
We went to Dole Plantation but went from there to The Polynesian Cultural Center - which I thought would be boring - but we HAD A BLAST 💥- the canoe rides around the place was so peaceful and the music and different clothing and dances from all the areas represented- gorgeous!! We did all of the stuff - Henna tattoos plus we wove palm fronds into hats & I won a prize throwing the spear further than the other groups - I swear we felt like teenagers at the county fair!
Matt’s family has a picnic in Ala Moana Beach Park-it is a standing reservation with the same section every year. It is all of the people from Japan who lived in the same village before coming to Hawaii.
There are several families that have been coming for 100+ years. Several generations of kids got all the school supply they needed from winning the games (and for participating)
The picnic is every year the first Sunday in August - Breakfast through dinner so it is an all day affair. Plenty Ohana we no see fo long time. Even I have seen a generation of kids grow up from one year to the next.
Definitely Ono food - surfing changed to paddle boarding and I love it. I have missed the last 2 because of my illness- hoping I can make it this year.
I love North Shore - in Honolulu we always went to Kaimana Beach but my favorite beach is at NS - Sunset Beach I found my place The house that sits right by the beach by is my dream house!! 😂 we met Jack Johnson one summer - and ended up in front of Dog the Bounty Hunter’s driveway when we were riding bikes and had a flat - what a bizarre dude he is!! 😂
Now that you know my Hawaiian history I will be quiet 😂 (I’m never quiet I talk a lot obvi!!!!
So nice to meet you! 3 of grandkids live in Manoa & MIL - one BIL & SIL And a nephew who is now a dentist.
Pamela you and my hubby would have a lot of stories to share!
I would love to meet you guys - both you, Kate and Hubbies! I felt at home in Hawaii. My very tiny hometown in Kentucky had more in common than I ever knew with Hawaii. My grandparents had a hard life but would not like the “modern” city - which is simply more comfortable now. Every place I had a memory is gone. My school burned, the church I once attended was struck by lightning- plus story after story of other things that changed. When I was young my whole family was much older so I can appreciate newer ways of life. Yet miss things. It is still a very small town but different. Used to be like Footloosd 😂
Ha! I love that story about Way cup. I am currently studying French (in my spare time 🤣) and struggle so much with the pronunciation. My motivator and practice person is two years old so there's that...
And I had to study phonics in elementary school and I hated it. I was sophisticated reader by 4th grade and yet I was being told to do all these phonics drills. Sometimes they just didn't make sense to me b/c I already knew how to read yet I was having to decode. 🤷🏻♀️. I survived.
That's so cool Gracie! I also recommend my friend's app, Zoundslike, for pronunciation exercises. Thank you for reading and commenting. Your feedback is so helpful!
My pleasure.
Thank you! I value any education I missed in high school! 💞♀️
Same, Sarah, I'm so grateful for my public high school education.
I just did not pay attention! If only I could go back ..
Ha ha! I finally got my shit together by sophomore year and made up for a lot of slacking :)
Thanks for this. I actually need to delve into this linguistic stuff as at time I feel language slipping away from me due to the meds I take to manage my RA... mind twister exercise so to speak, lol.
That's a great point, sis. I use a lot of language, math, memory, and other puzzle games to try to keep sharp. You're way ahead of most, as far as I can tell. 💕
I’ve discovered that in the process of learning Spanish I’ve slowed my forgetfulness in English.
That's very interesting. It could be similar brain games. I find my day job accounting work helps keep me sharp.
Lorraine Evanoff: In 1954-1956, as I was in my first years of school, we lived in Long Beach, California, where they taught reading by some visual method instead of phonics.
I was confused.
We moved to Orange County California in '56.
Circa '56-57, I was in the third grade; they taught phonics; and for the first time, my parents heard that little Armando was making rapid progress in reading.
Indeed, I would raise my hand desperately and all the time, so the teachers called on someone else, while little Armando wanted to tell the answer.
My Walloon-Belgian mom loved literature and passed that to me, and it was from my Mom -- who lived long, but posthumously reached her 100th Birthday (1921 seems MODERN to me: look at the Flappers and tell me their spirit was not as modern as TODAY?!), Mom taught me of generations in our Walloon (French-speaking) family who had not only loved to study but had advanced high in the industry (usually railroads) through self-learning.
Keep writing about philology, as this is a favorite topic of mine. As I am advanced in German language skills (C-1: reading, writing; C-2: hearing, speaking, on the Common European Framework Reference for Languages (CEFRL)), I love the etymology of words as one finds in the Duden or the almost 30-volume Grimm (yes, THOSE Grimm Brothers that brought you "Little Red Ridinghood" (Rotkäppchen) -- they were great philologists). There is such a fascinating unity among West-Germanic languages (English, Dutch, German, Frisian).
Thank you so much!
Armand! You are an inspiration.
Neologisms, etymology, all aspects of living language are my passion.
They add up for me like math.
Thank you for the recommendation of the 30-volume Grimms library.
Origins are my passion.
Lorraine Evanoff: For you and others that do or may read from the great German literature, it is important to have a dictionary from the time of the writing.
The multivolume Grimm is maintained by the Universität-Trier at:
http://dwb.uni-trier.de/de/
There is a university-level digital dictionary, das digitale Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, that resembles the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in its fullness:
http://dwds.de/
The nice thing, too, about the Grimm, is at the top of the page there are links to other German dictionaries for Mittelhochdeutsch; all the German used by Goethe; and regional dialects.
For current literature, the best are the aforecited digitale Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (dwds.de); Duden (Duden.de); and the Wahrig (available as an app).
Duden prints a "Bildwörterbuch" (picture dictionary) that is so comprehensive. It will take you into a house and detail in picture and word what each small item is called, down to the toothpick, and will take you to the most industrialized wharf or factory and describe in picture (with the words) each gantry, each levy, each lathe, down to the nuts and bolts. Of course, this is noun-driven.
And through the Wortherkunftwörterbuch (Duden) and in the etymological sections of either Grimm or dwds.de, one learns in great detail the gothic or other origins and evolution of the word.
Always an interesting example:
In the beginning, the Saxons had thatched roofs. We took "thatch" to mean the straw that COVERED the roof; German took "thatch" (Dach) to MEAN the roof.
A direct, but still twisted relation between German and English. When one looks at word ORIGINS, the two languages are very closely related.
If one relied only on translated meanings: Well, how would "roof" be related to "Dach"? Roof:
Merriam-Webster:
ROOF:
"Middle English, from Old English hrōf; akin to Old Norse hrōf roof of a boathouse and perhaps to Old Church Slavonic stropŭ roof"
THATCH:
"Middle English thecchen, from Old English theccan to cover; akin to Old High German decchen to cover, Latin tegere, Greek stegein to cover, stegos roof, Sanskrit sthagati he covers"
DWDS:
das DACH:
Wortherkunft: "Dach n. ‘oberer Abschluß eines Gebäudes’. Ahd. thah ‘Dach, Haus, Bedeckung’ (9. Jh.), mhd. dach ‘Dach, Bedeckung, das Oberste, Schützende’, mnd. dak, mnl. dac, nl. dak, aengl. þæc ‘Dach’, anord. þak, schwed. tak ‘Dach, Decke’ bezeichnet ursprünglich ‘das Bedeckende’ und gehört zu dem unter decken (s. d.) behandelten germ. Verb. Mit diesem läßt es sich an die auch durch außergerm. Verwandte wie griech. stégein (στέγειν) ‘decken, schützen’, stégos, tégos (στέγος, τέγος) n., stégē, tégē (στέγη, τέγη) f. ‘Dach, Haus’, lat. tegere ‘decken, bedecken’, tēgulum ‘Decke, Dach’, tēgula ‘Dachziegel, Ziegeldach’ (s. Ziegel), tēctum ‘Dach, Haus’, toga ‘Bedeckung, Obergewand’, lit. stíegti ‘ein Strohdach aufsetzen’ bezeugte Wurzel ie. *(s)teg- ‘decken’ anschließen. Im Dt. übliche Wendungen wie etw. unter Dach (und Fach) bringen ‘etw. abschließen, vollenden’ (18. Jh.), jmdm. aufs Dach steigen ‘jmdn. tadeln, bestrafen’ (18. Jh., älter jmdm. übers Dach kommen, 17. Jh.), eins aufs Dach kriegen ‘geschlagen, getadelt werden’ (Anfang 19. Jh.) u. ä. beruhen auf metaphorischem Gebrauch von Dach als ‘Schutz, Zuflucht’ (mhd.) und ‘Schädeldecke, Kopf’ (16. Jh.). – Dachstuhl m. ‘tragende Konstruktion des Daches’; die frühnhd. Zusammensetzung (um 1500) verdeutlicht das im Spätmhd. in gleicher Bedeutung vorkommende einfache stuol (s. Stuhl)."
More here:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/thatch
And here:
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=roof
The reason I like etymology, or "Wortherkunft" (literally the "word" "comes here"-- i.e., the word origin) is because it says so much about human evolution.
English retains the ORIGINAL meaning of the word "gift".
The German retains the ORIGINAL meaning of the word "gift" in the compound word, "Mitgift" -- which means a dowery.
But the German word "Gift" by itself -- evolved to mean POISON!
Tell me THAT doesn't raise a historical puzzle.
I find etymology between German and English to be most helpful in my German cultural studies -- drop me in the streets anywhere in Germany, and I can make friends quickly -- because there is such a depth of connection between peoples.
Oh this is amazing thank you for all this Armand!
Next time I'll tag you too as one of my fave linguists. I don't think I realized you were also such an expert in etymology, or "Wortherkunft"
I am absolutely fascinated by the Latin, Germanic, and other language roots and how they're all so strong within English.
One of my favorite parts of history is the battle 1,994 years ago, in AD 9 in the Teutoburg Forest that stopped the expansion of the Roman Empire into Germania, and sent the advancing Romans reeling back toward the Rhine, from where they would never venture north again. And keeping German language in tact I think?
Lorraine Evanoff: "Quintilius Varus, Give me back my Legions!" was the cry of Augustus in Suetonius.
Teutoburg was a shock to Rome. But the Germanic migrations throughout Europe came in great waves, and in many tribes. Unfortunately, Teutoburg became a basis for nationalistic myth. Ahem!
What struck me as tragic was that Arminius seemed to have been well integrated into the Roman military, and Varus and Arminius may have been close.
I am careful about my sources in etymology.
I love how Caligula staged a "conquest" at the British Channel.
In "I Claudius", Derek Jacobi portrays Claudius, and John Hurt was masterful as Caligula. Some HILARIOUS parts!
Oh wow full circle to John Hurt!
Yes, I recently read a script on the Teutoburg battle and it was really well researched, Arminius was indeed fully embedded in the Roman military, having been kidnapped/captured as a child his father told him to fully integrate. He spent his whole life so he was fully trusted to give the strategy to trick the troops on the route. It's really bloody and brutal. Dude was pissed and hated Rome.
Anyway, I don't know anything else about all the other nationalistic myth.
I also don't know much about the Caligula story.
I blame having a degree in French for knowing very little English or German history or literature, beyond reading. Cromwell by Victor Hugo, ha ha!
Maybe I'll have to finally watch Caligula.
Lorraine Evanoff: Watch "I Claudius". That's where John Hurt was m-a-s-t-e-r-f-u-l and hilarious as Caligula, in his self-worship.
As you see future Emperor Claudius (Derek Jacobi) be an absolute sycophant to Caligula's absurd poetry and dance as the Sun God, my wife, Nancy, and I had to pause the scene and let out belly laughs, it was SO masterful!
I would say a degree in French is WONDERFUL culture and a wonderful literature.
What I am referring to in German history is the national mythology around Arminius (my name is a francophone version of the ancient name).
Already, Germania by Tacitus was part of the national mythology of Germany. Tacitus, in honor of his father-in-law, Agricola, wrote -- for ancient standards -- a rather commendable anthropology around Germanic peoples.
There was also the mediaeval Nibelung myth with the horde of wealth buried in the Rhine.
The Romantic Era -- in Scotland we know it through Ivanhoe and the myths surrounding Richard Coeur de Lion as narrated through the work of Sir Walter Scott -- in Germany there was a revived interest in the Nibelung and in Parcifal.
The Romantic Era passion for the Middle Ages actually promoted sound scholarship, as in the case of the mediaeval research at Universität Tübingen of Ludwig Uhland, whose lectures on mediaeval literature are interesting, at least to me.
But, of course, with Richard Wagner, as great as he was in musical genius -- his own wife was the daughter of Franz Liszt, but he had exhibited some anti-Semitism, which, when the Third Reich took over, was put on steroids, with magnifying the nationalism and anti-Semitism of Wagner to a parody of itself.
Because of the performances of Wagner's music by Leonard Bernstein and Daniel Barenboim, I would not exaggerate the influence of anti-Semitism on the master's music.
But the Third Reich surely did.
And German Mediaeval mythology -- which was part of the inspiration for JRR Tolkien and his Ring and Tolkien's translation of similar English work, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" (a short work worth reading) -- was distorted into a great "Aryan" Foundation of the "neue Bewegung" (New Movement -- i.e., Nazism).
During the Third Reich, there was the question, whether the Passionspiele (Passion Play -- every ten years since the late Middle Ages) should continue in Oberammergau. The Party determined that the ten-year cycle would, indeed, be important for the propagation of the "Aryan" ideology of the "neue Bewegung" among the Volk (THE People).
The Mediaeval literature is great and beautiful. But it was EXPLOITED by the "neue Bewegung" for massive brainwashing into an "Aryan" (which etymologically is the same root word as the name of the country, Iran) ideology.
So, the beautiful writing of Tacitus -- Germania -- and the mythology surrounding Arminius, too, were exploited as part of the Third Reich's massive brainwashing.
The "neue Bewegung" even had elements that maintained that Jesus was not Jewish and reformed a theory of "Übermensch" (superior persons), using a word coined by Nietzsche (whose meaning was tortuously twisted and warped by the "neue Bewegung").
To be clear: Arminius, Germania (Tacitus), the Nibelung, the Parcifal and the Mediaeval are a beautiful part of the fabric of worldwide literature, whether from England, the Continent, Africa, or Asia, or later America. The use of this literature by Nazism does not lessen its ineffable value in our own spiritual lives in literature or philosophy.
Victor Hugo: That is WONDERFUL reading. My Goodness, there is nothing that Dostoevsky did in his five great novels that had not been preceded (and borrowed by Dostoevsky from) Victor Hugo!
I think reading Victor Hugo in French is a wonderful thing. My Mom did NOT teach me her native French. Later, rather than speak what could have been a mother-tongue with an ACCENT and American flaws, I migrated to the German language, for my love of the Romantic Era -- especially Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert.
Sorry: Armando is VERY LONG-WINDED.
I love it! Our new motto: WAY CUP, Americans !
Ha ha ha! Love it, Elizabeth! I'll have to take it to Twitter. Someone from here already said it over on Twitter too!
Réveillez-vous"!
I definitely dream in French sometimes.
Just click anywhere on the image you uploaded, then click the "link" icon in the formatting bar at the top and enter the link!
I love "Way cup"! I used to teach English, and learning these elisions between words can be so hard for learners.
Going back to expressions like "wishy washy" etc in English; as you say, "human pronunciation is all about efficiency and euphony." In Japanese, they like onomatopoeia and repeating sounds. So the expression for "excited from anticipation, pleasure, or happiness" is わくわく, "waku waku" which I think imitates the heart thumping - but expresses the meaning in an efficient and euphonious way.
Oh wow that's amazing feedback, Jeffrey, regarding Japanese. So beautiful, it's a magical language.
Of course you are correct, Lorraine, not surprisingly! Clearly the ding-dong reporter's hoity toity attitude resulted in an unfortunate cognitive mish mash, resulting in a zig-zag hodgepodge of willy-nilly hocus pocus in place of bona fide brass tacks. These are reduplicatives. Here is an excerpt from an excellent article:
Reduplicative Words
By Richard Nordquist
Updated on August 09, 2019
"A reduplicative is a word or lexeme (such as mama) that contains two identical or very similar parts. Words such as these are also called tautonyms. The morphological and phonological process of forming a compound word by repeating all or part of it is known as reduplication. The repeated element is called a reduplicant.
David Crystal wrote in the second edition of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language:
'Items with identical spoken constituents, such as goody-goody and din-din, are rare. What is normal is for a single vowel or consonant to change between the first constituent and the second, such as see-saw and walkie-talkie.
'Reduplicatives are used in a variety of ways. Some simply imitate sounds: ding-dong, bow-wow. Some suggest alternative movements: flip-flop, ping-pong. Some are disparaging: dilly-dally, wishy-washy. And some intensify meaning: teeny-weeny, tip-top. Reduplication is not a major means of creating lexemes in English, but it is perhaps the most unusual one.'"
(Cambridge Univ. Press, 2003)
Nordquist, Richard. "Reduplicative Words." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/reduplicative-words-1692030 (accessed March 11, 2024).
Wow Kate!
I knew you would have great input, but this is above and beyond.
You illustrate how over simplifying a subject is detrimental.
The whole misinformation network is fraught with this kind of thing.
It's so easy for someone to take something out of context to make it more important than it is. Of course I hope I'm not doing that here.
But this is a really great subject.
Language is important!
I could not agree with you more, Lorraine! It's such a typical media wank I mean wonk sideshow gimmick to dip half a toe into some subject just to titillate with "buzz." What a disservice to the audience and to the "holy curiosity of inquiry," as Albert Einstein said. This stuff is really interesting to anyone with curiosity about language, and it pains me to think of someone hearing that nonsense and thinking "Oh, well, lazy huh? That's boring." THANK YOU for raising this issue!
Oh oh oh oh.
You just said it all so beautiful.
Let's keep getting the message out there eloquently.
Thank YOU!
It's a deal!
And if I remember, you like to swear, too, correct? I do as well, artfully, and I think that's fantastic. It's a great part of language, and women need to do more of it!
When we're not busy sitting in our kitchens auditioning for dipshit of the year, fondling our gold crosses and bending over for the disgusting rapist spawn of lower-than-satan.
Oh yes, you know me Kate, big potty mouth, gave up trying to change it. 😆
Keep up the good fight, sis!
Hell yes!
Way cup!
Boy, does that resonate with me. I have dyslexia so Crystal does this very thing for me when I can’t pronounce words correctly.
Brilliant, Lorriane!
That's awesome, Gloria.
I think I have several undiagnosed issues too, so cheers to us persevering!
Truth!
💕
I started learning Spanish at 69. I don’t know why I didn’t try years ago, especially since I lived in Orange County, CA. But thanks to Phonics, I quickly mastered the different vowel sounds along with ñ and the double ll. I discovered that the notoriously difficult rolled double rr sound was like a “nonsense” sound I’d been making since I was little. So I go around saying dog (perro), rice (arroz) and other trilled r’s just for fun.
I started reading English at 5 with my mother’s guidance. In 1960, I started first grade at a small 8-grade country school. Miss Johnson was adamant that all her students would learn to read phonetically. A whole new world opened up. I got to skip the awful Dick and Jane books. By third grade, I was able to help the teacher with small reading groups. By fifth grade, I was reading many of the American classics because I could sound out unfamiliar words and learn them by context. Although phonics failed me, when I had to read Tom Sawyer out loud. I had never heard the dreadful N-word so when I pronounced it like Nigeria everyone laughed.
Anyway, every child needs to master phonics and you’ll never be overwhelmed by any book again. And you’ll be able to master the Latin-based Romance languages easily.
You're an inspiration! I really want to learn Spanish, but whenever I speak it I go into Italian😩
This was fun! I speak fluent Italian and a little French. Love both languages.
Thanks for reading and commenting Laura!
Lucky you, did you grow up in a multi language home or studied?
My Italian is much better than my Spanish, due to an Italian bf.
My parents are immigrants. I learned Italian before English - my Dad - the major linguist, whom speaks many languages, insisted on it. Yes, which I am glad, but I do recall after being in school in Italy and then California- you can imagine there was a bit of mix-up in the brain function...could be why I'm considered a bit....wacky? HA!
That Italian BF sounds like it was a hearty match....and by the way...WHERE'S THAT WIG you promised?????? UH?
That's such a blessing! I worked so hard to get my French fluent having started very late, not until college.
My bf in Paris is Roman, but grew up with Chilean mom, Italian dad, did university in London and Paris, so basically born speaking 4 languages. I was around Italian a lot for 7 years so it was kind of by osmosis I can get by okay in Italy. But I'd really like to hunker down and learn it more fluently.
Oh no! I found the photo with the Afro wig, but I chickened out posting it, ha ha!
I'll post it now as a note to you. Hope it doesn't get me in trouble. 😆
I love learning bits and pieces of YOUR history!
Thank you, Susan! That's some of the magic of Substack. 🙏🏻💙
Yep, we have had a place for 10 years spending about 4-5 non-winter months in Northern Idaho, Aryan Nation Hayden Lake. No exaggeration. We're not far from Sandpoint mentioned in the piece, which is further north, almost Canada.
Thanks for this link!
Great stuff.
Apparently although deep red, some think it's mostly because of low voter turn out. Not sure why that would be. But if more people voted it could turn more purple. Not holding my breath though.
If it helped turn Idaho purple I'd do it!
😵🤣
It was exactly how I wrote it, amazingly all men in the businessmen English class. But you made it a great play on words Alan!👏🏻👏🏻💕
You were right, I put in a comma😆