He Ain't Heavy, He's My Dead Husband

Language Log today has an interesting post on the language of the Carrier people of British Columbia. With the arrival of a Francophone priest in 1865, and the subsequent influence of English speakers, their names changed.

There are a few family names of Carrier origin. There are a great many people named “Ketlo”, which is the anglicization of /ketloh/ (English speakers can’t hear the final /h/), which is the contracted form of /ke dʌtloh/ “squishy shoes”. The progenitor of the family was called by this nickname because he was always getting his feet wet.

As I mentioned, the idea of having both a given name and a family name was an innovation of the late 19th century, and to Carrier people it wasn’t terribly clear which was which or how they were passed on. As a result, some children would take their father’s first name as their family name and some the second. The little village of K’uzche, for example, is populated mostly by people named either “William” or “Austin”. They are actually the same family: the patriarch was named “William Austin”.

Wikipedia offers this account of how the Dakelh came to be called "Carriers":

According to noted anthropologist Antonia Mills, the term "Carrier" was derived from the mortuary tradition of carrying the husband's ashes back to the main traditional village site, where a potlatch would be held acknowledging the passing of the individual and dealing with redistributing his property. Which would make sense when considering seasonal movements and the need to bring the ashes back to the village as proof.

The Last of Her People, So to Speak

Marie Smith-Jones was the last native speaker of the Eyak language. She died Monday at her home in Anchorage, Alaska.

Eyak is one of 20 languages spoken in Alaska, many of which are thought to be fading out of existence. Mrs Smith-Jones was determined that the Eyak language would not die with her, and devoted much of her later life to this cause.

Working with linguists at the Alaska Native Languages Centre she compiled an Eyak dictionary and grammar guide. Michael Krauss, professor emeritus at the centre, said: "She understood as only someone in her position could, what it meant to be the last of her kind. And she was very much alone as the last speaker of Eyak.

In an interview in 2005, Mrs Smith-Jones gave her Eyak name, Udach' Kuqax*a'a'ch, which she translated as "a sound that calls people from afar". [Link]

Dutch is All Greek to Him

One of the perks for Mark Van Vleet of being a lawyer for Fender Musical Instruments Corp. is meeting great musicians.

He negotiated an exclusive deal for the company to manufacture and distribute EVH products inspired by Eddie Van Halen, a Van Vleet hero. The lawyer told the guitarist that they shared Dutch ancestry, and Van Vleet sat enthralled as Van Halen spoke fluent Dutch for the next 20 minutes. The two shared a laugh when the lawyer sheepishly admitted that he didn't understand a word of it. [Link]

Pardon My Norfuk

The language spoken by the descendants of Bounty mutineers on Norfolk Island has been recognized by UNESCO as both unique and endangered. The language derives from "Pitkern," itself based on the 18th-century English spoken by Bounty crewmen and the Tahitian spoken by their island brides.

To outsiders the creole, known as Norfuk, is almost incomprehensible, although pronouncing words slowly helps untangle their meaning. "Daad'wieh" means "that's the way" and "daaset" is "that's it".

Other words are from archaic English: "food" translates as "wattles", derived from "victuals". The word "children" has morphed into "sillen".

Alice Buffett, a seventh generation islander who has written a Norfuk text book and dictionary, said the pupils were enjoying learning phrases such as "Whataway yorle?" ("How are you?") and "El duu f'mada" ("They'll do for dumplings"). [Link]

If you don't like the dumplings, say "Car do far dorg et." Check out this site to hear the language spoken.

Learn to Speak Canadian

If you've got Canadian relatives, you'd better pick up a copy of Katherine Barber's new book, Only in Canada, You Say, before the next reunion. It'll explain all those homegrown Canadianisms that baffle Americans.

Barber’s book is divided thematically into chapters, each beginning with a short essay, with clever titles such as Canadians Say the Darnedest Things (fuddle duddle, bumwad and come from away); Land of the Silver Birch, Home of the Beaver (capelin and noddy); Where We Live (bachelor, as in apartment); and Eat, Drink and Be Merry (rappie pie and tourtiere).

Canadians love to talk about politics, the weather and hockey. So of course, Canadians have their own words and Barber has a section on each: Peace, Order and Good Government (drop the writ and bear-pit session); weather is a subsection in the chapter A Country With Too Much Geography; and For the Love of the Game (pond hockey and puckster). [Link]

"Fuddle duddle" should perhaps have been filed in the political section, given its origins. (Warning: Contains language that could be offensive to non-Canadians.)

Horse Thief Almost Lost in Translation

The recently departed Alice Claire Lehmann Nelson was a devoted genealogist who took classes in German and French so she could translate historical documents.

Still, when she came across a copy of a newspaper article on her great-great-great grandfather, there was a glitch in the translation.

"She thought there was a distant relative who was killed by being run over by a horse," Don Nelson said. "Then she realized he was really a horse thief. He escaped from jail several times.

"Once she got the correct translation of it, it took her two years to tell my grandmother there was a horse thief in the family." [Link]

Dadgum It, That's a Good Question

Craig at GeneaBlogie poses an interesting question: Why do we so often slip into a hillbilly accent when pretending to talk like old folks—even if our folks grew up in Manhattan or Saskatchewan? The answer he provides cites Looney Tunes, so it must be correct.

Not Yet a Dead Letter

Viktor Chumakov's mission in life is to save the seventh letter of the Russian alphabet from extinction and, by doing so, preserve the traditional spellings of some 2,500 Russian surnames (including Khrushchyov and Gorbachyov).

The letter "ё" (pronounced "yo") first appeared in 1795, but fell on hard times when printers began dropping the dots to save a few kopeks. The letter was also hanging out in the wrong neighborhoods.

Part of the reason for the demise of the letter 'ё' could be because of its unsavory associations with Russian 'mat' -- the colorful language within a language that constitutes Russian swear words. Very few words begin with 'ё' in Russian, and most of the ones that do would make a sailor blush.

But Chumakov says he is not deterred by the letter's reputation -- he has written three books on the history of the 'ё' and a dictionary of words that contain the letter. To date, there are 12,500 ordinary words and 2,500 surnames. And he didn't include a single curse. [Link]

Those two little dots do make a difference. Without them, a Russian bride might be given a "solityor" (tapeworm) instead of a "soliter" (diamond).

How Do You Say 'Watch for Falling Prices'?

The admissions policy of the AhNiYvWiYa tribe—a group that wants only "to be left in peace and granted 501c(3) status as a not-for-profit group"—is more flexible than those of other American Indian tribes. In fact, I think I might fill out an application.

"We do not look at a quantum of blood," said White Eagle of his tribal requirements.

"Most people will not be able to find documentation, so we ask people to trace any family history they can. Through our spiritual ceremonies, they will be shown. What we ask of people is that they're willing to learn language and want to be part of our true culture," White Eagle said.

The AhNiYvWiYa language is taught with the help of confused Wal-Mart employees.

The class is still learning the fundamentals, but in later weeks they will make a trip to Wal-Mart, where only AhNiYvWiYa will be used while shopping for produce and appliances.

"People are going to look at us like we're crazy," joked White Eagle. [Link]

A Wedding That Defied Comprehension

From the Brooklyn Eagle of May 19, 1896:

Whitestone, L. I., May 19—A peculiar marriage was solemnized here yesterday. The contracting parties were Corporal John Notter of the engineer battalion of Willets Point, and Miss Louise Schlungle of College Point. The ceremony, which was in the German language, was performed by the Rev. Frederick Kroencke, pastor of the German Lutheran church. The groom did not understand German, and the bride, who is not conversant in the English language, would not consent to having an English ceremony. Several times the groom interrupted the ceremony to ask the clergyman what he was saying.

Interracial Interaction in Intercourse, PA?

From The (Hanover, Pa.) Evening Sun of Aug. 29, 2005:

Volunteers sought for study on Pennsylvania Dutch dialect

By JEFFREY B. ROTH
For The Evening Sun

Speech is telling, and Jennifer Bloomquist can tell if people are from southcentral Pennsylvania by the words, phrases and idioms they use.

She is collecting this linguistic harvest from the area under the auspices of the National Science Foundation.

Bloomquist, an assistant professor of linguistics and African-American studies, and her student assistants at Gettysburg College are beginning their final year of the two-year, $40,000 grant.

They're investigating if the language of rural and urban blacks in Adams, York, Lancaster and Dauphin counties has been added to or influenced by the dialect peculiar to this area, she said. That includes Pennsylvania Dutch's influence on black Americans and vice versa.

[snip]

[Read the whole story]