h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well the French left their linguistic footprints all over the Louisiana Purchase (which I only discovered the other day spread from the east cast in the Deep South to Michigan in the North).

It is easy enough to see that Sioux is a French word. If it had been an English word it would have been writen "Soo", or similar. Likewise, Chicago would have been written "Shickargoe" and Michigan would have been written "Mishigan". You can see it was first written down by the French because of the spelling.

B

for "Gallic English" you should get hold of "R.S.V.P." by "The Monochrome Set", an old Brit group from an album called Love Zombies (1980). the whole thing is in french but all the words are ones we use in english! (can be downloaded (for test purposes of course) from Kazaa)

The lyrics:

R.S.V.P.

Pas de deux, cordon bleu
Quelle domage, a la plage
Laissez faire, tete-a-tete
Mal de mer, vinaigrette
Sans souci
Ma cheri

Melange, et blancmange
Raison d'etre, et kilometre
Savoir faire, neglige
Au contraire, consomme
Vis-a-vis
Ma cheri

Je ne sais quoi, pate de fois gras
Corps de ballet, tout-a-fait
Rendez-vous, femme de chambre
Entre nous, tout ensemble
Lingerie
Ma cherie

Sorry, is this off topic!?

The Chairman

Well there was that big broohaha about the use of the word Anasazi.
The descendents of the Hisatsinom (people?), as apparently they really called themselves according to the last information i have, said Anasazi meant ancient enemies, and worse, and therefore took great objection with the people who used Anasazi in archeological and ethnological publications of varying accuracy.
I didn't think all the outrage was entirely justified, at least not directed at the right people, because they had been told that was the name by the neighboring folks.
In Germany i still see many highlycoloured books describing the Anasazi in the most complimentary terms, which makes me smile a little, as those innocents who wrote them are really the very last who would say a bad word, all contrariwise, and how taken aback the poor dears would be by being accused of all sorts of offenses against the character of the Hisatsinom.

Of course the researchers et al. could and ought to have taken into account that neighbours don't always have the kindest things to say about each other, and call each other names that aren't entirely complimentary. They had Europe all handy for a plethora of examples for that.
But the idea has been and is widespread, that in the precolumbian Americas all was somehow nicer, more peaceful, less malicious than in Europe, and so it didn't occur to them.

A reason for pride: JK Rowling and Harry Potter.

Pattern-chaser

"Who cares, wins"

*urrrh*

Great stories, in print and on film. Seriously entertaining. What's yer problem, Delicia? Or were you just running off anyway...?

Pattern-chaser

"Who cares, wins"

For Ben.
A Reason to be proud to be British:

". . . I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone.


We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.".

June 4, 1940.
Sir Winston Churchill

Oh, and heres another one, another speech:

What's he that wishes so? My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin. if we are marked to die, we are enow to do our country loss; and if to live, the fewer men, the greater share of honor. God's will! I pray thee wish not one man more. By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; it earns me not if men my garments wear; such outward things dwell not in my desires: but if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive. No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England. God's peace! I would not lose so great an honor as one man more methinks would share from me for the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more! Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, that he which hath no stomach to this fight, let him depart; his passport shall be made, and crowns for convoy put into his purse; we would not die in that man's company that fears his fellowship to die with us. This day is called the Feast of Crispian: he that outlives this day, and comes safe home, will stand a- tiptoe when this day is named, and rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall see this day, and live old age, will yearly on this vigil feast his neighbors and say, "Tomorrow is Saint Crispian." Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, and say, "These wounds I had on Crispin's day," Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, but he'll remember, with advantages, what feats he did that day. Then shall our names, familiar in his mouth as household words - Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester - be in their following cups freshly rememb'red. This story shall the good man teach his son; and Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, from this day to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remembered - we few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, this day shall gentle his condition and gentlemen in England, now abed, shall think themselves accursed they were not here; and hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

William Shakespeare: King Henry V, Agincourt 25th.October 1415.

I must be the only one in the whole wide world not having read Harry Potter. I did start reading it, scouts honour, and then i put it down to do something else, and somehow never picked it up again, like. Now i feel like a pumpkin in a cucumber field, like a white sparrow, like a nougat chokkie among the mint cremes

I compliment the British detective stories, lets hear it for Sherlock Holmes playing the violin in his dressing gown, the elementary Watson, for the grey cells of Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple's knitting and Lord Peter Whimsey's monocle!

The Welsh say: only pooves make speeches....

But there's no "v" in Welsh...!

Pattern-chaser

"Who cares, wins"

Ben
*who once tried with a British colleague to rally an unhappy IT Team by quoting the Henry V speech, but tripped over rather badly when she realised that a mixed team of Germans, Danes and American's didn't get the reference... *

Having worked with many multi-national, and global, teams (there is a difference) I know exactly what you mean....

I'm not at all certain there are any common referents that can be used across the board, as it were! (Not even the Simpsons, or even bad big budget hollywood movies)

When I used a Thunderbirds reference in Finnland, the Finns all got it, but the American I was presenting with looked at us as if we were all mad. "What is it with the arms?" he said, as I stood there waving my hands about at just above waist height.

B

i would have taken that as a reference to Rocky Horror

'strong black tea with milk and sugar'

You're mad! You can't have black tea with milk! I prefer coffee myself, although my mum's addicted to tea.

of course she can, i can, we all can!
Black tea with milk and sugar is about the most reviving beverage i know.

no you can't have "black" tea with milk

that's WHITE tea...

The Americans don't use the work w**k?
They could always use an online dictionary.

re arm waving...

I remember doing 'spotty dog' - also with much arm waving... sadly only two out of twenty had even a clue (and I was one of them)... If I wasn't such a loud bas***d, with significant lack of empathy & morals I might have sunk right there & then into the rather thin commercial grade broadloom... (would have left a rather large & difficult to remove stain though, so just as well I stuck around I suppose)


ps. Spotty dog, perfromed by a 240 pound 6'1" hairy scotsman is a sight to behold.

it's not about the colour of the beverage The term black tea says something about the fermentation the tea leaves have undergone and turned dark in the process, as opposed to green tea.
And how would you call green tea with milk then, come now?