Another way of speaking English disappears as fisherman's death spells demise of rare dialect

Fox News ^ | 10/3/2012 | Associated Press

[FeliciaCat]

In a remote fishing town on the tip of Scotland's Black Isle, the last native speaker of the Cromarty dialect has died, taking with him another little piece of the English linguistic mosaic.

Scottish academics said Wednesday that Bobby Hogg, who passed away last week at age 92, was the last person fluent in the dialect once common in the seaside town of Cromarty, about 175 miles (280 kilometers) north of Scottish capital Edinburgh.

The Biblically-influenced speech — complete with "thee" and "thou" — is one of many fading dialects which have been snuffed out across the British Isles.

[Bigg Red]

The disappearance of this dialect won’t effect anyone’s life in the slightest.

***
Effect? Well, will it affect anyone?

[ConservativeMind]

It’s my understanding that we are speaking what was once the British English and England late went on to new dialects c

The same is true with Quebec, as the speak old French.

The “New World.” Go figure.

[ConservativeMind]

Sorry about the typos. I’m typing on my iPhone screen.

[ConservativeMind]

Sorry about the typos. I’m typing on my iPhone screen.

[Fiji Hill]

Since there were more than two states involved, shouldn’t it be: “The War AMONG the States”?

It should be. I believe it was Confederate vice president Alexander Stephens who coined the term "War Between the States.

[Docbarleypop]

dialects and slang do not equate to the same thing. A dialect is a reflection of the traditional culture where slang would, in general, reflect a modern change to the traditional culture, over time slang may integrate into the dialect or even create the basis for its own dialect.

I grew up in a confluence of 3 dialects, proper midwest American English, Lawrence Welk style German-Russian English and my families heelin Scottish. I understand things like being a wee bit gleekit, or buying a nice pair of Wangler cheans. Its really amazing I can even function in polite society!

[Hawthorn]

>> Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put! <<

Excellent! May we also presume that you’ve learned to not split infinitives?

[Hawthorn]

>> I’m trying to come to grips with a middleground here. On one hand, I’m fascinated by obscure, obsolete, and defunct languages.... On the other hand, “supply and demand” has a natural purpose extending to linguistics <<

Absolutely. I couldn’t agree with you more. I love languages. Hate to think about their disappearing.

But I also recognize the irresistable pull of “language standardization.” For example, when I travel to China, I’m amazed (and actually pleased!) to see exactly how your “supply and demand” dynamic is at work:

When African, South American, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, Arab, Italian or any other country’s or region’s businessmen visit China, they normally must do business in English or Chinese. Interpreters for some other languages are available in many instances, of course, but they are the exception rather than the rule. And perhaps even more critically, a sales contract or a letter of credit for a Chinese export or import is almost always going to be in English, regardless of the trading partner involved.

The same sorta phenomenon affects visitors who go to museums in just about any country I’ve visited lately: The exhibits usually have explanatory signs just in the local language and in English. If you’re a tourist who only knows French, Spanish, Chinese or Arabic, you’ll be outa luck unless you arrange in advance for your own interpreter.

So just as “supply and demand” (as you so aptly put the matter) are inexorably stamping out minor languages and dialects, they also have made English THE supreme international language. Moreover, I dare predict that no amount of wailing and complaining by French and other non-Anglophone intellectuals will change the situation, even if (may God forbid!) the USA continues it’s current decline in international power/prestige.

[dfwgator]

And yet there are those that think that Hispanic kids here should be taught in Spanish.

[Hawthorn]

>> Also like you mentioned, there were a few phrases which were different <<

Yes, indeed. For example, as a very attractive English female neighbor once told me before an outing we had planned,

“Just take the lift up to my flat when you’re ready and knock me up.”

[Hawthorn]

>> Those accents are probably all dying out because of all the summer people <<

And even more, because the local kids watch too much MTV and all try to talk like Britney Spears!

[yarddog]

That is funny.

It reminds me that I got to thinking he would sometimes purposely say something which he knew made no sense just to fool me. Actually probably not but I was sometimes suspicious.

[ctdonath2]

Related observation:
The same basic principle belies the “Americans are bad for not learning other languages” sentiment’s misguided premise. What to learn? Per your observation of English’s dominance, most other speakers would see English as the obvious choice, alongside a neighboring region’s language. We, however, are faced with a much less obvious choice.

Mandarin Chinese and American Spanish are probably the broadest alternatives, but are muted as choices by sheer complexity or localization; other languages are further limited in use. Nothing has the universal practical appeal of English, and odds of any given language being useful in arbitrary situations are low.

The other obvious choice is proximity, like German and French being obvious pairings. Most speakers of one language pick up another language or three because of the close proximity thereof; odds are they’ll either go to those regions or will encounter visitors from there. In the USA, however, most residents find the language is uniform for thousands of miles in most any direction. If an Ohioan were to choose a language from an adjacent state (akin to a German’s geographic motive for learning French), he’d pick up, what, Pennsylvanian? The only major regional languages in the entire hemisphere are Spanish and French, with the former still largely relegated to an entire separate continent.

So, between no local need for another language plus the overwhelming odds of learning the “wrong” language (i.e.: won’t be the one needed when another is needed), we stick with English - looking arrogant in the process.

Maybe this explains why Americans are relatively big on _software_: lacking obvious choices for learning natural languages, our human affinity to acquiring other languages instead turns to C++, Java, Lisp, Objective-C, etc.

Pointless ramble over...

[Hawthorn]

>> shouldn’t it be: “The War AMONG the States”? <<

No, certainly not. There were only two sides in that war:

1. The United STATES of America, and

2. The Confederate STATES of America.

There was no third grouping of “states” — for example, no “Independent States of America” or no “Federal States of America.”

Therefore, since the war involved just two sides, each of which titled itself as a collection of “states,” then the operative preposition clearly should be “between” — as opposed to “among.”

[Hawthorn]

>> The same basic principle belies the “Americans are bad for not learning other languages” sentiment’s misguided premise <<

Again you channel my thoughts exactly. Maybe we are identical twins, separated at birth?

Anyway, for whatever it's worth, I think kids in the USA should be required at an early age to study and learn another language, if for no other reason than that the process should help to improve their command of English. Latin is an obvious choice, but I'd settle for German, French, clasical Greek or even Spanish.

[tarawa]

I remember reading an article a while back as to what the Brits actually sounded like during the Revolutionary times. It stated that the British accent has changed so much since then that the Brits of 1776 actually sounded more like what you would hear today in some parts of North Carolina.

[beelzepug]

“To be or to NOT be, that is the question.”

Doesn’t have the same ring, does it?

[beelzepug]

“...there were a few phrases which were different...”

Indeed. See if you can work the term ‘shag’ into that story.

[Romulus]

In my opinion, English is an easy language to learn at a rudimentary level (like Spanish that way), but very difficult to conquer. Few people speak or write English with complete mastery and grace.

It’s a peculiarity of language that each has concepts and turns of phrase that are untranslatable. This is why it’s a sad day for the human race when any language falls into desuetude.

[Flycatcher]

Lol!