[Leica] Language dialects

[lrzeitlin at aol.com (lrzeitlin at aol.com)]

        I fully agree with Nathan's comments about the diversity of dialects 
in the US. It is difficult for a New Engander to converse easily with 
someone from the deep South. Many radio and TV personalities come from 
the Midwest simply because their dialects  are understandable to people 
 from both coasts. They speak the lowest common denominator of English. 
My own work has required me to live abroad for several years at a time. 
A quarter century ago I lived in india for three years. I wasn't fluent 
enough in Hindi to detect regional dialects, nor could I speak any of 
the other 20 or more languages used on that subcontinent, but English 
served as a common means of communication for educated people, 
university faculty, and business people. There were wide variations in 
the way it was spoken and even the vocabulary differed in various 
regions of the country. My colleagues at the Univ. of Delhi assured me 
that the best English was spoken in Chennai (formerly Madras). I'm sure 
Jayanand will have much to say on this topic.
        For a decade I held a joint appointment with the Univ. of 
Wales-Bangor 
and lived in North Wales for a year at a time. Preservation of regional 
dialects in the UK had almost reached the point of obsession. Here is a 
short passage from a book I wrote about my stay in the UK.

        "Regional sensitivity has reached extreme proportions. In a last 
minute attempt to stave off Scottish independence a ban has been placed 
on all ethnic jokes. This will deprive the "British" comedians of half 
of their most fertile source of humor. Imagine the despair among stand 
up comics who can no longer joke about what the Scots wear under their 
kilts or about the composition of haggis. The other half of their 
routine is safe enough. Cross dressing is protected by law.
In Britain, no one can "welsh" on an agreement anymore, although there 
is a move to substitute the word "bangladesh" in the appropriate 
phrases. The Welsh are also sensitive about the image of the average 
Welshman as a simpleton. One comic here started his routine by shouting 
"oggi, oggi, oggi." When it didn't get laughs he complained, "That's 
funny - when I said that in Wales the audience roared. Obviously it 
doesn't take much to amuse the Welsh." Then the English audience roared.
        The BBC has also ruled that subtitles for Scots when speaking 
English 
should never be used even if the accent is unintelligible. This is a 
balm for ethnic pride but is a real loss to communication. The natives 
of the UK labor under the curse of Henry Higgins. The moment anyone 
begins to speak, he or she is instantly labeled by class, education, 
economic status and place of origin. It might as well be tattooed on 
one's forehead.
        Regions perversely pride themselves on the thickness of their accent 
and make no effort whatever to encourage comprehension beyond the local 
precinct. Scottish television just fired a native Scots newscaster 
because she was educated at Cambridge and could be understood outside 
of Glasgow. The Welsh are going the Scots one better. An official 
language of the new Welsh Assembly will probably be Welsh, even though 
only a fifth of the people in the country are fluent in the tongue. The 
Welsh Language act of 1953 made Welsh co-equal to English as an 
official language and all government documents and road signs are in 
both Welsh and English. Now it appears that some languages are more 
equal than others."

Larry Z