Modern Proverbs appeal

[Wilson Gray]

Not to mention that "kee-mo-sa-bay" can quite easily be understood as
an eye-phonetic rendering of "kimosabe." And who knows what Tonto
actually said, heard through the three-inch speaker of a
civilian-grade, WWII, table-model superheterodyne bravely attempting
to pull in a 5,000-watt, local am station?

Unnh. That right, kimosabe.

-Wilson

On 6/12/07, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Modern Proverbs appeal
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I can't recall offhand where I got the "kimosabe" spelling, but as it appeared to be official, that's how it appears in HDAS II.
>
>   JL
>
> Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
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> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Wilson Gray
> Subject: Re: Modern Proverbs appeal
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>
> I heard the line ca.1943 as "white man." Around the same time, I saw
> "kimosabe" spelled as "kee-mo-sa-bay" in a Lone Ranger comic book. I
> was totally confused by the "-mo-" and the "-bay," since I'd always
> heard the word as "keemasobby" [kim at sabi].
>
> -Wilson
>
> On 6/11/07, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society
> > Poster: Jonathan Lighter
> > Subject: Re: Modern Proverbs appeal
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > I heard the line ca1970 both as "kimosabe" and "white man," the former being more subtle.
> >
> > JL
> >
> >
> >
> > James Harbeck wrote:
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> > Poster: James Harbeck
> > Subject: Re: Modern Proverbs appeal
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> >
> > >---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > >-----------------------
> > >Sender: American Dialect Society
> > >Poster: Dave Hause
> > >Subject: Re: Modern Proverbs appeal
> > >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > >Of course, there is the apocryphal response of Tonto to the Lone Ranger's
> > >observation, when seeing Indians on all the surrounding hilltops, "Tonto,
> > >we're in a heap of trouble."
> > >"What you mean we, white man?"
> >
> > I know that one, only the line I know is "What do you mean 'we,'
> > paleface?" ("Paleface" being the typical term in westerns used by
> > Indians to refer to white men in general and not as friends --
> > whereas Tonto usually called the LR "kemosabe".) I use that line from
> > time to time when the situation is appropriate.
> >
> > FWIW, I lived on an Indian reserve until my mid-teens and knew a lot
> > of Indian kids -- and rode the school bus and went to school with
> > them -- and my parents worked for and still have close ties to the
> > Stoney Indians, but I was not used to hearing "paleface" from them;
> > "white man" was in fact a more likely term (and I don't know what the
> > term would have been in their language). "Paleface" is just a
> > Hollywood reference. But I believe it was the term used in _The Lone
> > Ranger_, wasn't it?
> >
> > James Harbeck.
> >
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> -Sam'l Clemens
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--
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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