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Re: Australian/American language and memes
Scott Holmes (sholmes@PACIFICNET.NET)
Sun, 6 Oct 1996 08:29:11 -0700
>
> Ah, whatcha' be meaning be hour language, eh? Can ye specify which local
> dialectical syntax and phonology ya mean, bro? Whot do ye mean by the
> "language": the "Language as a 'hole," or those little tags which we
> slipslide into linguistic utterances to indicate participation in a
> sociological/sociopolitical community? No whot ah meen, eh?
>
"Our Language" was a ball kicked by David Malouf in the interview I cited.
But, tk's question is wonderfully valid and illustrates perfectly the quandry
one is in whilst trying to determine such cultural demarcations. For the
"English Language", we have a thingie that (arbitrarily) begins in 1066 and
stretches not only through time but has spatial contours as well.
I suppose it is this "meta-language" that I be meanin' as hour language.
I doubt that very many of "Us" would be able to understand spoken "Old English"
yet it can be considered the same language. I understand that the movie
"Road Warrior" with Mel Gibson had to dubbed to be understandable in America
yet Australians and Americans share the same "English Language".
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to trace the boundaries
of the "language memes" found in "Hour Language". Please describe and
justify rules for delimiting spatial and temporal boundaries.
"Captain, I canno do it ..."
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Scott Holmes <sholmes@pacificnet.net> Informix Applications
4GL -- SQL -- New Era
http://www.pacificnet.net/~sholmes
---- There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, ----
---- Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. ----
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