oldish englishness

Have taken a break from Latin, to look at Old English.

It's wonderful. And so Englishy. Half the words sound like I'm just talking in a funny accent - and then you add "ish" and "ness" to the ends of everything.

Look at this, for instance:

"Eala ge cild, hu licaþ eow þeos spræc?"
"Wel heo us licaþ; ac þearle deoplice þu spricst and ofer ure mæþ. Ac sprec wiþ us æfter urum andgiete, þat we mægen understandan þa þing þe þu spricst."
"Ic ascige eow, 'For hwy leornige ge swa geornlice?'"
"For-þæm we nyllaþ beon swa-swa stunt nietenu, þe nan þing nyton buton gærs and wæter."
"Hwæt wille ge þonne beon?"
"We willaþ wise beon."

Incomprehensible, no?
But if I write it like this...

"Eala ye child, how likath you these sprech?"
"Well heo us likath; ac thearle deeplish thou spricst and over our math. Ac sprech with us after ourum andgiete, that we mayen understandan tha thing thet thou spricst."
"Ich askey you, 'For why learny ye so yearnlish?'"
"For-them we nillath being so-so stunt nietenu, thet no thing nyton but gars and water."
"What wille ye thonne being?"
"We willath wise being."

It's sort of like a weird mix between English, German, and weird sing-songy gibberish.


So, anyway, my new program for teaching hypothetical students lots of languages goes like this:
- English (which they should know anyway, because my hypothetical students are native speakers)
- Auslan (because sign language is awesome and gets them into a mindset of language being very weird and adaptable)
- Old English (to get a good grasp of our origins, and to learn the whole nominative-accusative-genitive-dative thing)
- ...from Old English they can then branch off into Germanic languages - as for example German
- Latin (to get a good grasp of the rest of our origins, and to add in all the extra cases like ablative)
- ...from Latin they can then branch off into Romance languages, like French

Hurrah!

---

For those interested, a full translation would go something like this:
"So, you children, how do you like this language?"
"We do like it a lot; but you're speaking very deeply and beyond our understanding. But speak with us at our level, that we may understand the things you're saying."
"I ask you, why are you so eager to learn?"
"So we won't be stupid like animals, that know nothing but grass and water."
"What will you be then?"
"We will be wise."

new show

Flist, I need to be stern with you.

*looks stern*

I rely on your wondrous wisdom in finding me new television. In the past, you have been very helpful in this regard. You have led me to many new shows, such as Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes, Warehouse 13, Dresden Files, Avatar, Battlestar Galactica, Community, Castle, and Leverage. This has been a valuable service, and I appreciate it.

So. WHY did no-one mention the Murdoch Mysteries? Not once have I heard effusive praise, episode reviews, or even icon posts! What is going on?! Why haven't you mentioned this spectacular dream of a show to me???


*looks stern*

*tries not to squee*

*fails*

*gives up on sternishness*


So... Murdoch Mysteries. Best crime show this decade, or best crime show ever?

For those of you who have failed to encounter this gem - and hence failed to enthuse at me (I haven't let you off the hook yet) - it's a crime show, with a Canadian detective and a forensics team, solving murders throughout Toronto... in the 1890s. When forensics involves this newfangled invention called fingerprints, and even the occasional telephone call!

It's so much fun.


Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a whole lot of tv to watch.