Grand Ronde spellings and others for CJ

[Liland Brajant ROS']

R K Henderson scripsit:

  >Never knew Seattle cabbies used Alki as a radio signal. My grandfather
  >used it (without the heavily-anglicised modern pronunciation) as

I'm not sure the modification can properly be called "anglicisation",
since a form otherwise identical except for the final vowel is equally
(or *more*, since geographically less limited) English, as a diminutive
of "alcoholic" -- cf. the "Alky Angels" motorcycle club.

  >"Goodbye," though as he once explained to me, it's much better than that.
  >He said, "It's like taking the other guy by the shoulders, pointing his
  >face toward the horizon, and leaving while he ponders it." Since Alki
  >really does refer to the future in that purely-conceptual Jargon way, my
  >grandfather seems to have nailed it.
  >
  >I wonder if cabbies didn't pick up Alki as a sign-off first, then come to
  >use it to end any transmission.

I suppose it's possible, but when I was taught it, it wasn't a sign-off
so much as a confirmation of receipt.  The dispatcher would read the
bell, and the cabbie would respond "Alki" *if and only if* s/he had heard
and understood the address (or whatever).  My impression was that it was
originally shorthand for "Alki I'll be there."

  >Speaking of Seattle public transit linguistic archaeology, let us not
  >forget that: "Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest." (My apologies if
  >I've remembered it wrong; my dad's the Seattleite.)

For those over whose heads this completely went, Mr. Henderson is
referring to a mnemonic device used to remind oneself that the streets of
downtown Seattle, starting at Pioneer Square and heading north to the Bon
and the Market, are

Jefferson,     \ J is for Jesus      Note, too, a la the
James,         /                     oyster months, that
Cherry,        \ C is for Christ     in each couplet the
Columbia,      /                     first has an R in it
Marion,        \ M is for Made       and the second hasn't
Madison,       /                     -- except "Pike and
Spring,        \ S is for Seattle    Pine"...
Seneca,        /
University,    \ U is for Under
Union,         /
Pike, and      \ P is for Protest
Pine.          /

Don't think there's any Chinuk Wawa tie-in to this, though.

LaXayEm, as Tony would spell,

lilend (my Lushootseed name; the e is @)

--
Liland Brajant Ros' * UEA-D, Seatlo Usono * FD Baptismo, AA, US-lit-ro
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