<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">L O W L A N D S - L - 14 March 2007 - Volume 02</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">=========================================================================</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">From: </span><span id="_user_ezinsser@icon.co.za" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 28); font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Elsie Zinsser <<a href="mailto:ezinsser@icon.co.za">ezinsser@icon.co.za
</a>></span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.03.12 (05) [E]</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<span><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Hi all,</span></font></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ron, 'lala'
also means 'to sleep' in Nguni languages (Zulu and Xhosa). Perhaps the word was
borrowed from Central Bantu languages and carried to the Persian Kingdoms centuries
ago. I understand that slaves were taken from Africa by Arabic nations long before
they were taken by European nations. <span> </span><span> </span></span></font></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="FR">Regards,</span></font></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="FR">Elsie Zinsser </span></font></span></p><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">----------</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">From: </span><span id="_user_mark.brooks@twc.state.tx.us" style="color: rgb(121, 6, 25); font-family: arial,sans-serif;">"Brooks, Mark"
</span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: arial,sans-serif;" class="lg"> <<a href="mailto:mark.brooks@twc.state.tx.us">mark.brooks@twc.state.tx.us</a>></span><span id="_user_ezinsser@icon.co.za" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 28); font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.03.14 (01) [E]</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<font color="navy" size="4"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: navy;">Gary wrote
about la-la land from the Oxford American Dictionary:</span></font></p><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" class="q">
<p><font size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">noun informal Los Angeles or Hollywood, esp. with regard to
the lifestyle and attitudes of those living there or associated with it. • a
fanciful state or dreamworld.</span></font><font color="navy" size="4"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: navy;"></span></font></p>
</span>
<p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font color="navy" size="1"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: navy;">That's what I always
thought. I considered writing about that yesterday, but I reckoned that I was
so far off that I wouldn't be helpful. Now that an "authority" agrees with me,
I'll pile on the bandwagon ;-)</span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: navy;">Don't ask me
how or why I thought it had to do with Los Angeles, I can't recall.</span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font color="navy" size="4"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: navy;"><font size="2">Mark Brooks </font><br><br>----------<br></span></font></p><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
From: </span><span id="_user_kevin.caldwell1963@verizon.net" style="color: rgb(91, 16, 148); font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Kevin Caldwell <<a href="mailto:kevin.caldwell1963@verizon.net">kevin.caldwell1963@verizon.net
</a>></span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: arial,sans-serif;" class="lg"></span><span id="_user_ezinsser@icon.co.za" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 28); font-family: arial,sans-serif;"></span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.03.14 (01) [E]</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;">My (decidedly uninformed) opinion is that
the phrase "la-la land" for "a fanciful state or dreamworld" came first, and
then people started applying it to Los Angeles/Hollywood.</span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;">Merriam-Webster Online has this:</span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;">"Etymology: perhaps from <i><span style="font-style: italic;">la-la</span></i> nonsense syllables in the refrains
of songs </span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;">Date: 1983 </span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;">: a euphoric dreamlike mental state
detached from the harsher realities of life"</span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;">And the Online Etymology Dictionary has
this for "la-la" (note especially the Latin word):</span></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;" lang="EN">nonsense refrain in
songs, probably from O.E. la, a common exclamation; but la-la is imitative of
babbling speech in many languages (cf. Gk. lalage "babble, prattle,"
Skt. lalalla "imitation of stammering" L. lallare "to sing to
sleep, lull," Ger. lallen "to stammer," Lith. laluoti "to
stammer").</span></font></p><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" class="sg">
<p><font color="navy" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;">Kevin Caldwell<br><br>----------<br></span></font></p></span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">From: </span><span id="_user_kevin.caldwell1963@verizon.net" style="color: rgb(91, 16, 148); font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
R. F. Hahn <<a href="mailto:sassisch@yahoo.com">sassisch@yahoo.com</a>></span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: arial,sans-serif;" class="lg"></span><span id="_user_ezinsser@icon.co.za" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 28); font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
Subject: Etymology</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">For what it's worth, my (decidedly uninformed) decision is to put my money on Kevin's opinion above.
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Whatever migration there may or may not have been, I assume that "la-la" is onomatopoetic by origin, imitating the "uncooperative tongue" speech of infants, sleepy-heads and various intoxicated characters (including those that were taken away in a drug raid last night in my neighborhood).
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">German </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">lallen
</span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> tends to be translated as 'to babble' or 'to prattle'. I'm not happy with that and am under the impression that English doesn't have an exact equivalent of
<span style="font-style: italic;">lallen</span>, namely for this afore-mentioned "uncooperative tongue speech" (which tends to be slow and halting). It is definitely not 'to stammer' or 'to stutter', for those are
</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">stottern</span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">. In Northern Low Saxon I would say </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
lallen</span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> and </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">stamern</span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> or </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
stammeln</span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> respectively.</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Mark (above):
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" color="navy" face="Berlin Sans FB" size="1"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: navy;">
<font size="2">> That's what I always
thought. I considered writing about that yesterday, but I reckoned that I was
so far off that I wouldn't be helpful.</font> </span></font><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Oh, sure, Mark! That's easy to say
</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">now</span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">. Credit for "meant to"? Nope, sirrie! ;-)</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Regards,</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Reinhard/Ron<br><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
</span>