Melanenglish?

[Wilson Gray]

I'm watching the Travel Channel, which is featuring the life of
Melanesian-looking people - the guys are wearing only penile sheaths -
on an island named "Tanna." As they speak the usual random babble of
phones, pitches, and tones that you hear when you have no training in
linguistic fieldwork, I suddenly hear what appear to be English
strings like "two hundred" and "last night." And sho nuff, the
subtitles read, "two hundred [pigs]" and "[had a good time] last
night."

The program features both traditional and modern (called
"clothes-wearers" by the traditionals) tribes. It's startling to see
that the moderns generally stand head-and-shoulders taller than the
traditionals.

-Wilson
--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                              -Sam'l Clemens

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