LL-L "Language varieties" 2004.08.21 (04) [E]

Sat Aug 21 20:49:34 UTC 2004

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From: john feather <johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk>
Subject: Language varieties

I've just found out that at some point there was an orthographic revision of
the King James Bible. The most obvious change is the consistent use of "v"
as a consonant and "u" as a vowel. The sample I have is from Luke 15, vv
35-32 (the return of the prodigal son) and some 1611 spellings are
sonne/musicke & dauncing/ calfe/goe/Loe/yeeres/doe/mee/soone/meete/againe.
Apart from u/v I don't think this version is much harder to read than the
current one.

But I wondered about pronunciation and whether "doe" was pronounced
differently from "do" (cf "don't") and looked it up in Chambers. No result,
but another serendipitous discovery: "'did' .. being a reduplication of the
present tense stem is the only form in modern Germanic that retains visible
traces of that way of indicating past tense." And another: in earliest
Germanic the equivalent to "did" was used to form the past tense of other
verbs, then progressively reduced - in OE to "-de" and in ModE  to "-d",
though perceived as "-ed". Good stuff.

The 'o'clock' thing gets more complicated. Chambers dates it only from 1720,
from 'of the clock' (1647). If so, what did Shakespeare really write?

I'm not sure if it was in this strand but somebody suggested a while ago
that Henry V used a supposed threat to the English language from French as a
rallying cry before Agincourt. Does anybody have chapter and verse on this?
It seems a bit odd, since Henry started the war, which was about a dynastic
claim rather than enmity with France.

John Feather
johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk

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From: John Duckworth <jcduckworth2003 at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Language Varieties

Good Evening Lowlanders!

Dan was asking about literature in the Lancashire dialect. Much of the
dialect literature is in the form of verse, though there is some prose.

Here are two poems by Samuel Laycock (1826-1893), who was born on a small
hill farm near Marsden, Yorkshire, moved to Stalybridge (Cheshire), and then
to Oldham (then Lancashire; now Greater Manchester) and finally ended his
days in Blackpool, on the Lancashire coast. He was not well educated at all,
learning to read and write at Sunday school, and went to work in a wool
factory at the age of nine. He later worked in the cotton factories, until
the cotton famines of the 1860's made many workers redundant. The privations
of the famine were an inspiration to him, and he became a poet, eventually
having his work published in book-form. He also worked as a librarian and a
photographer amongst other things. I think you will agree that the second
poem particularly is very poignant.

Bowton's Yard, by Samuel Laycock

At number one Bowton's Yard, mi gronny keeps a skoo,
Hoo hasna' mony scholars yet, hoo's nobbut one or two;
They sen th'owd woman's rayther cross - well, well, it may be so;
Aw know hoo boxed me rarely once, an poo'd me ears an' on.

At number two lives widow Burns, hoo weshes clooas for folk;
Ther Billy, that;s her son, gets jobs at wheelin' coke;
They sen hoo cooarts wi' Sam-o-Neds, 'at lives at number three;
It may be so, aw canno' tell, it matters nowt to me.

At number three, reet facin' th'pump, Ned Grimshaw keeps a shop;
He's Eccles-cakes an' gingerbread an' traycle beer an' pop;
He sells oat cakes an' o does Ned, he 'as boath soft an' hard,
An, everybody buys off him 'at lives i' Bowton's Yard.

At number four, Jack Blunderick lives; he goes to th'mill an' wayves;
An' then, at th'week -end, when he's time, he pows a bit an' shaves;
He's badly off is Jack, poor lad! he's rayther lawm, they sen,
An' his childer keep him down a bit, aw think they'n nine or ten.

At number five aw live misel', wi' owd Susannah Grimes,
But dunno like so very weel, hoo turns me eawt sometimes;
An' when aw'm in ther's ne'er no leet, aw have to ceawer in't dark;
Aw conno pay mi lodgin' brass becose aw'm eawt o' wark.

At number six, next door to us, and close to th'side o'th speawt,
Owd Susie Collins sells smo' drink, but hoo's welly allus beawt;
An heaw it is, ut that is so, aw'm sure aw conno' tell,
Hoo happen mak's it very sweet, an' sups it o hersel'.

At number seven ther's nob'dy lives, they laft it yesterday,
Th' bum-baylis coom an' marked the'r things, an' took 'em o away;
They took 'em in a donkey cart - aw know nowt wheer they went-
Aw reckon they've bin ta'en an' sowd becose they owed some rent.

At number eight - they 're Yawshur folk - ther's only th'mon an' th'woife,
Aw think aw ne'er seed nicer folk nor these in aw mi loife!
Yo'll never see 'em foin' eawt, loike lots o' married folk,
They allus seemgood-temper't like, an' ready wi' a joke.

At number nine,th'owd cobbler lives, th'owd chap ut mends mi shoon,
He's gettin' very wake an' done, he'll ha' to leeov us soon;
He reads his Bible every day, an' sings just loike a lark,
He says he's practisin' for heaven - he's welly done his wark.

At number ten James Bowton lives, he's th'noicest heawse in't row;
He's allus plenty o' summat t'ate, an' lots o' brass an' o;
An' when he rides or walks abeawt he's dressed up very fine,
But he isn't hawve as near to heaven as him at number nine.

At number ten, mi uncle lives, aw co him Uncle Tum,
He goes to concerts up an' deawn an' plays a kettle-drum;
I' bands o' music, an' sich things, he seems to tak' a pride,
An' allus mak's as big a noise as o i'th' place beside.

At number twelve at th'eend o't row, Joe Stiggins deols i' ale;
He's sixpenny an' fourpenny, dark-colour't an' he's pale;
But aw ne'er touch it, for I know it's ruin't mony a bard,
Aw'm th'only chap as doesn't drink 'at lives i' Bowton's Yard.

An' neaw aw've done, aw'll say goodbye, an' leov yo' for a while;
Aw know aw haven't towd mi tale i' sich a fust-rate style;
But iv yo're pleas't aw'm satisfied, an' ax for no reward
For tellin' who mi neighbours are ut live in Bowton's Yard.

Bonny Brid by Samuel Laycock.(1826-1893)

Th'art welcome, little bonny brid,
But shouldn't ha' come just when tha did;
Toimes are bad.
We're short o' pobbies for eawr Joe,
But that, of course, tha didn't know,
Did ta, lad?

Aw've often yeard mi feyther tell,
'At when aw coom i' th' world misel'
Trade wur slack;
An' neaw it's hard wark pooin' throo —
But aw munno fear thee, iv aw do
Tha'll go back.

Cheer up! these toimes'll awter soon;
Aw'm beawn to beigh another spoon —
One for thee;
An', as tha's sich a pratty face
Aw'll let thee have eawr Charley's place
On mi knee.

God bless thee, love, aw'm fain tha'rt come,
Just try an' mak' thisel awhoam:
Here's thi nest;
Tha'rt loike thi mother to a tee,
But tha's thi feyther's nose, aw see,
Well, aw'm blest!

Come, come tha needn't look so shy ,
Aw am no' blamin' thee, not I;
Settle deawn,
An' tak' this haupney for thisel,
There's lots o' sugar-sticks to sell
Deawn i' th' teawn.

Aw know when furst aw coom to th' leet,
Aw're fond o' owt' at tasted sweet;
Tha'll be th' same.
But come, tha's never towd thi dad
What he's to co thee yet, mi lad —
What's thi name?

Hush! hush! tha mustn't cry this way,
But get this sope o' cinder tay
While it's warm;
Mi mother used to give it me,
When aw wur sich a lad as thee,
In her arm.

Hush-a-babby, hush-a-bee,
Oh, what a temper! dear-a-me
Heaw tha skrikes!
Here's a bit o' sugar, sithee;
Howd thi noise, an' then aw'll gie thee
Owt tha likes.

We've nobbut getten coarsish fare,
But, eawt o' this tha'll get thi share,
Never fear.
Aw hope tha'll never want a meal,
But allis fill thi bally weel
While tha'rt here.

Thi feyther's noan been wed so long,
An'yet tha sees he's middlin' throng
Wi' yo' o.
Besides thi little brother Ted,
We've one upsteers, asleep i' bed,
Wi' eawr Joe.

But tho' we've childer two or three,
We'll mak' a bit o' reawm for thee,
Bless thee, lad!
Tha'rt th' prattiest brid we have i' th' nest,
So hutch up closer to mi breast;
Aw'm thi dad.

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language varieties

Thanks a lot, John and John!

John Feather:

> And another: in earliest
> Germanic the equivalent to "did" was used to form the past tense of other
> verbs, then progressively reduced - in OE to "-de" and in ModE  to "-d",
> though perceived as "-ed". Good stuff.

In Lowlands Saxon (Low German) as well, just going one step farther in most
modern dialects: dede > deed' > dee > -de > -d > - (the last one being
zero); e.g., 'I learned/studied/taught': (*_ik leyrede_ >) _ik leyrde_ > _ik
leyrd'_ > _ik leyr_.

Even in Modern LS _douen_ 'to do' is still used as verb intensifying or
emphasizing auxiliary, also in the preterite, much like in Modern English;
e.g., _ik deed' [de:(d)] leyren_ 'I did learn/study/teach', _ik dou leyren_
'I do (so) learn/study/teach!', 'I will (so) learn/study/teach!'  For some
reason it occurs more in cases of negatives; e.g.,  _ik deed' nich leyren_
'I (simply) didn't learn/study/teach', _ik dou nich leyren_ 'I (just) don't
learn/study/teach', 'I won't learn/study/teach!'

John (Duckworth), I love the poems!  This is aside from their value as
language samples.  Poignant indeed, very tempting, possibly for a LS
translation project.  Thanks for sharing them with us!

The Lancashire dialect seems to share some features with Northumbrian and
with (Borders) Scots, unless I am deluding myself.

Cheers!
Reinhard/Ron

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