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Oh and let's not even get into the fact that the modern English accent would sound completely foreign to the English of the 1700's than the does the modern Amer

by moate 9y ago

Oh and let's not even get into the fact that the modern English accent would sound completely foreign to the English of the 1700's than the does the modern American accent (regional variances excluded). Language is weird. I always find it strange when people get upset even though meaning is clear but syntax/structure defies what they expect. Then again, I did get in to a bit of a row with YC staff about posting style. TL;dr- Language preference is typically just a way of enforcing classist beliefs.

rhizome 9y ago
the modern English accent would sound completely foreign to the English of the 1700's The accent on Tangier Island in Virginia[1] is said to be the closest living pronunciation to Elizabethan English, and based on that I think some mutual understanding could be wrangled. 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIZgw09CG9E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIZgw09CG9E
- tlarkworthy 9y ago
  I heard it was Geordie https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geordie https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geordie Here is an example:- https://youtu.be/yX8qgW8rGbw https://youtu.be/yX8qgW8rGbw
  - rhizome 9y ago
    I believe the situation is that Geordie has the pedigree, that there's a continuous line back to the olden times, but it has evolved to a greater degree, and through forks in coal miner culture (see: Pitmatic[1]) and other professions of the area. Tangiers seems special because, as the story goes, it was essentially a transplantation of the 17th century accent, a hard fork, which evolved to whatever degrees in isolation. I don't know if I should soft-pedal this as much as it is in Wikipedia, but I've had an ear bent for both of these regions for 10-15 years and this is my sense of both. Naturally the truth is likely somewhere in between. (IANA Dialectician, just a part-time sound and language aficionado) 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitmatic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitmatic
cfadvan 9y ago
There’s a classist element, but so much of language is just a testament to the brevity of human life. Each new generation invents some new language, new out-groups do as well, and some in-groups struggle against both. In the end the language most people use changes rapidly, with few remembering why or how. English is a great example full of ancient and new creations, from “gadzooks”1 to “naff”2 and each word tells a story about people who are mostly long gone. Accents, and the content of languages really are livin things, highly adaptable and prone to seemingly random mutations. Language is awesome. 1. From “God’s Hooks” i.e. the crucifixition. 2. From British gay slang language Polari, meaning unfashionable.

by moate 9y ago

rhizome 9y ago

the modern English accent would sound completely foreign to the English of the 1700's The accent on Tangier Island in Virginia[1] is said to be the closest living pronunciation to Elizabethan English, and based on that I think some mutual understanding could be wrangled. 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIZgw09CG9E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIZgw09CG9E

tlarkworthy 9y ago
I heard it was Geordie https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geordie https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geordie Here is an example:- https://youtu.be/yX8qgW8rGbw https://youtu.be/yX8qgW8rGbw
- rhizome 9y ago
  I believe the situation is that Geordie has the pedigree, that there's a continuous line back to the olden times, but it has evolved to a greater degree, and through forks in coal miner culture (see: Pitmatic[1]) and other professions of the area. Tangiers seems special because, as the story goes, it was essentially a transplantation of the 17th century accent, a hard fork, which evolved to whatever degrees in isolation. I don't know if I should soft-pedal this as much as it is in Wikipedia, but I've had an ear bent for both of these regions for 10-15 years and this is my sense of both. Naturally the truth is likely somewhere in between. (IANA Dialectician, just a part-time sound and language aficionado) 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitmatic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitmatic

cfadvan 9y ago

There’s a classist element, but so much of language is just a testament to the brevity of human life. Each new generation invents some new language, new out-groups do as well, and some in-groups struggle against both. In the end the language most people use changes rapidly, with few remembering why or how. English is a great example full of ancient and new creations, from “gadzooks”1 to “naff”2 and each word tells a story about people who are mostly long gone. Accents, and the content of languages really are livin things, highly adaptable and prone to seemingly random mutations. Language is awesome. 1. From “God’s Hooks” i.e. the crucifixition. 2. From British gay slang language Polari, meaning unfashionable.