Kanada = 'back East'; nothing = 'it'

[Scott Tyler]

Nice tidbit from Alki Lake!
Did you see the movie made there?
Scott
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Robertson" <ddr11 at COLUMBIA.EDU>
To: <CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>
Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 7:07 AM
Subject: Kanada = 'back East'; nothing = 'it'


> Howdy, I haven't shared samples of Jargon much lately.  Too busy!  Here's
> something from an 1894 letter that comes from Esket (Alkali Lake).
>
> I thought this would be a nice mini-lesson because it shows how the BC
> people thought of Canada as 'somewhere else'.  A word choice here that's
> typical of the shorthand letters is PATLACH (literally 'give')
> expressing 'to send something by mail'; a synonym for the same idea is 
> MASH.
>
> This passage also shows something people did very very frequently in
> Jargon: When the object of a sentence was 'it' (sometimes 'him' or 'her'
> too), no word at all stood for the object.  Below, I symbolize this by 
> [0].
>
> Any questions?
>
> "Wiht naika patlach ixt kwata kopa ukuk Kanada pipa maika patlach kopa
> naika.
> ALSO I SEND ONE QUARTER FOR THAT CANADA NEWSPAPER YOU SEND TO ME
> I'm also sending twenty-five cents for that back-East newspaper you sent 
> me.
>
> Pi kanawi naika mash ixt tala kopa maika Ogyust <23 1894>.
> AND TOTAL I SEND ONE DOLLAR TO YOU AUGUST 23 1894
> All together, then, I'm sending $1 to you, August 23, 1894.
>
> Pi wiht naika tlap ukuk Kanada pipa maika patlach kopa naika.
> AND ALSO I GET THAT CANADA NEWSPAPER YOU SEND TO ME
> Also: I did receive that Back-East newspaper you sent me.
>
> Ukuk pipa iaka klatwa kopa Pir Lshak iaka aws.
> THAT NEWSPAPER IT GO TO FATHER LE JACQ HIS HOUSE
> The paper had gone to Pere Le Jacq's place.
>
> Kakwa naika ilo aiak nanitsh [0]."
> SO I NOT QUICKLY SEE IT
> So I didn't get to see it right away.
>
> --Dave R
>
> To respond to the CHINOOK list, click 'REPLY ALL'.  To respond privately 
> to the sender of a message, click 'REPLY'.  Hayu masi!
> 

To respond to the CHINOOK list, click 'REPLY ALL'.  To respond privately to the sender of a message, click 'REPLY'.  Hayu masi!