G-Blogodaria

Rigsdansk and Dialects: Danish Throughout Denmark

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This recent post by Transparent Language’s Danish language blog discusses the different dialects within Denmark:

“A century ago the dialects were so different that a person from the outskirts of Copenhagen and a person from the countryside around Ålborg in Jutland would have a hard time understanding each other… Today almost everyone speaks a variety of rigsdansk [REEce-dansk] (‘Danish of the Realm’), which is the Danish equivalent of Queen’s English.  The accent, however, changes a lot between regions, as does the choice of words.  You can easily hear whether a person comes from Jutland or Sjælland (Zealand).  In that way it still makes sense to speak of ‘dialects’ or ‘regional dialects,’ even if the differences are much smaller today.”

The dialects highlighted are categorized by region:

  • Sjællandsk.  It is primarily spoken in Copenhagen and distinguished by a rising tone and stød (minor coughing sound).
  • The stød-less fynsk (Funen)
  • The Swedish-influenced bornholmsk (Bornholm)
  • Jysk.  Its speakers are often associated by Copenhagen natives with rural stereotypes.  Certain variations are viewed as unintelligible by speakers of other dialects.  (Jutland)

 

Turkish In Context: Discussing Translation with Maureen Freely

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Maureen Freely, Orhan Pamuk’s translator, relates the challenges posed by the Turkish language when translating it into English in this audio interview with the Washington Post:

“It has no verb ‘to be,’ it has no verb ‘to have,’ it prefers the passive voice to the active voice and you don’t always know who is doing what and there’s no way to find out.  It is an agglutinative language, so it will often have five, six, seven, eight suffixes in a particular order at the end of a root noun and there is only one word for he, she and it.  So it is a very, very different way of thinking.  It is a very associative language that can capture a thought unfolding in a very beautiful way.”

Freely also describes how Turkish writers have worked to overcome the lack of vocabulary resulting from the censorship of the Kemalist government during the 1930’s:

“One thing that he (Pamuk), like so many other contemporary Turkish writers, try to do is renew the language and give it a new aesthetic.  Because of the language resolution that began in the 1930’s, Turkish has lost 60% of its vocabulary–because there was a concern about words of Arabic and Persian origin….So what writers often do in order to make the language more interesting is have very, very long sentences and the verb comes at the very, very end…”

In How Many Languages Do You Live?

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Photo Courtesy: The New York Times

Photo Courtesy: The New York Times

 

Peter Constantine’s book review from last January of “Babel No More” by Michael Erard investigates the enigmas and nuances of the world’s most impressive polyglots.  Among the questions addressed in the book are how these individuals learned so many languages, what approaches they undertook, and what differences their minds may have from less accomplished linguists.

One of the most interesting excerpts takes place in Bologna, Italy: “The hometown of one of history’s most distinguished polyglots, the 19th-century cardinal Giu­seppe Mezzofanti. The cardinal is said to have known 45, 50, 58 or even more languages, depending on whom you ask. Victorian travelers who met him at ecclesiastical banquets reported that he affably conversed in all directions with foreign visitors in languages ranging from French, German and Arabic to Algonquin and ‘Californian.’ (Lord Byron, who challenged the cardinal to a multilingual contest of profanities, was not only summarily defeated but walked away from the contest having learned a number of new Cockney gibes.)”

Erard also interviews specialists for their understanding of what truly defines a polyglot.  That of linguist Claire Kramsch, referring to the challenges that polyglots face when trying to summarize their various levels of proficiency, is among the most perceptive: “Asking how many languages you know is only asking half the question. You should also ask, ‘In how many languages do you live?’”

In other words, it isn’t just the vocabulary and grammar that define your understanding of a language, but also how you use it in everyday life.

They’re Already Gone: Rebels in Mali Set Fire To Manuscripts Dating Back To 1200’s

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timbuktu

File this one under “historic loss.”

Among the casualties in Mali’s internal conflict is a library containing thousands of historic manuscripts from as far back as the year 1204. The manuscripts had for survived through the centuries, hidden and preserved by Timbuktu residents through both peaceful and difficult times.

The vast majority of the texts were written in Arabic. A few were in African languages, such as Songhai, Tamashek and Bambara. There was even one in Hebrew. They covered a diverse range of topics including astronomy, poetry, music, medicine and women’s rights. The oldest dated from 1204.

Seydou Traoré, who has worked at the Ahmed Baba Institute since 2003, and fled shortly before the rebels arrived, said only a fraction of the manuscripts had been digitised. “They cover geography, history and religion. We had one in Turkish. We don’t know what it said.”

He said the manuscripts were important because they exploded the myth that “black Africa” had only an oral history. “You just need to look at the manuscripts to realise how wrong this is.”

Timbuktu’s mayor called it “a devastating blow.” And it really is. We’ll never get that human history back.

Calle 13: Songs of Latin Pride

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Quechua learners: pay close attention to the first part of this song. The brothers of band Calle 13 are being introduced by a Quechua-speaking radio DJ.

Everyone else: don’t miss out on this great song, “Latinoamerica” and the accompanying snapshots of life across Latin America.

What is notable is that the piece intends to awake feelings of social consciousness, pride and a sort of pan-Latin patriotism over nationalism. Calle 13 asserts that the Latin-American experience is tied together by similar values, ravaged by similar battles and sort of orphaned:

“Soy lo que me enseño mi padre/ El que no quiere a su patria no quiere a su madre/ Soy America Latina, un pueblo sin pierna pero camina.”

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