LL-L "Language varieties" 2004.10.05 (02) [E/S]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 05.OCT.2004 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Thomas <t.mcrae at uq.net.au>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2004.10.04 (03) [E]

Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org> wrote
> Dialectical differences certainly start causing problems after a distance
of
> about 50 miles or so.
Och Sandy Ye only needed aroond 5 or 6 miles away frae Edinburgh for trouble
tae start in my wild youth. When you travelled to Lasswade or Pennicuik the
differences became apparent. Hope it's the same way now.
I learned about British regional dialects at the best school of all, two
years in the British Army when we really got to know one another and
adjusted to speech differences.
I was amazed to see a wonderful British movie from 2002 "Anita and Me" on
Aussie TV last night. About Indian families in Britain with the kids all
speaking Brummagen (Birmingham area). Must admit that even with my
experience I lost a lot while my wife was totally bemused. Great to see a
major movie being done in a local dialect although I suspect the average
Australian switched channels. When released in local movie houses it quickly
vanished alas.  Watch out for it Folks it also brought back happy memories
of times I spent as a guest of Indian families..
Regards
Tom
Tom Mc Rae PSOC
Brisbane Australia
"The masonnis suld mak housis stark and rude,
To keep the pepill frome the stormes strang,
And he that fals, the craft it gois all wrang."
>>From 15th century Scots Poem 'The Buke of the Chess'

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From: Andrys Onsman <Andrys.Onsman at CeLTS.monash.edu.au>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2004.10.04 (07) [E]

To: Sandy en Grietje
Subject: Language Varieties
From: Andrys Onsman

<Something similar with Russia, which used to be signed as right fist
high - reference to the communist era. The Russians are keen to make a
different
sign, if I remember correctly the sign for bear, to stand for Russia>

<The Russian Sign Language sign for Russia is common usage in BSL as a
loan-sign now. It's moving the index finger horizontally across the chin
from right to left (if you're a right-hander). I don't know what it
signifies, but it doesn't seem to be 'bear'! >

 From my brother (ex-actor in the Theatre of the Deaf in Australia and
demon signer at football matches):

"My understanding is that the open side of the finger drawn from left to
right followed by a downward flicking motion at the end was an indigenous
sign brought to Britain at a conference about 1990 (ie the Russians
attending the conference used it as the sign for "where we're from"). I
believe it comes from the colour branch of sign origins. The finger is
indicating the red of the lips, while the finger movement indicates "here"
or "home". There are theories that it refers to a beard without a moustache
(Russian Orthodox Jews) and that it comes from the habits of Russian
drinkers (the whole thing resembles wiping something from your chin and
flicking it off), but I prefer the color theory simply because it is less
dramatic and therefore more likely. I believe this is one of the genuinely
local signs from Russia, where most of their SL comes from French and
Austrian SL.

As an illustration of the role of colour in signing, in the early 80s Auslan
was in transition from using the old hands on hips sign (as if you're about
to do some cossack dancing) to a combo of red (crooked index finger pulling
down lower lip - ie the letter R plus the red of the gums) and the power
salute of the closed fist. But I believe a different sign has been adopted
since.

Another example: the old Australian sign for USA was a hand waggled under
the chin to resemble the beard of Uncle Sam. It wasn't until the 60s that it
was realised that this action constituted the American sign for "rubbish".
Australians asking "Where are you from?" were somewhat taken aback to be
told by Deaf American tourists that they were "rubbish". When Auslan was
codified in the 70s/80s it adopted a new sign of interlocking the fingers
and moving them in a circular motion to represent the United States."

Best wishes
Andrys

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