an informal posting

[David D. Robertson]

Hi, Theresa,

Thanks for this good message.  It would be really interesting to talk with
your friend and learn what he knows about Jargon use along the Fraser in
days past.

You mention his comparison of some parts of Jargon with the way people
talk in the Seychelles.  By coincidence, another linguist here at UVic has
been interested in comparing the French parts of Jargon with the French
creole of Mauritius (in the Indian Ocean, not too far from Seychelles).

--Dave R.


On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 08:34:02 -0800, Theresa Kishkan
<tkishkan at UNISERVE.COM> wrote:

>I'm not a linguist and mostly just lurk in the background listening to
the interesting conversation that has evolved over the years but I wanted
to tell you about a recent encounter I had with an elderly friend who is
nearly 90 and who grew up in the Fraser Valley. The topic of the Jargon
came up and he brightened and said that his father, a butcher, was fluent
and used it frequently in his business in the Valley. He mentioned a
number of words he remembered and then said that he thought his father had
been familiar with the Jargon before coming to B.C. from Ottawa! I don't
have a date for this but if Frank is 90 and was born in Sumas, then his
father must have come to B.C. in either the late days of the 19th c. or
the early days of the 20th. My friend also observed that when he was in
Seychelle Islands, he heard lots of stuff that sounded uncannily like
Chinook to him!
>
>Best to you all,
>
>Theresa Kishkan