Conference thebay::joyoflex

    Interesting.  It started here on Monday evening - we've just had
    the first episode, which dealt with the global nature of English
    as a means of communication, especially as a neutral "link" language
    in countries like India and Africa.
    
    I believe future episodes will deal with the evolution of the
    language from its early beginnings.
    
    Verdict so far: change your diary if necessary.

I seen it Monday night.  About the East Anglia origins of the New England
accent.  Wicked good.

BU

    Yes--a wonderful show.  I was intrigued by the "archiac fossils"
    in New England speech, which included some of my favorite expressions
    (which apparently are now outdated in Britain, but were current
    in Shakespeare's day?):
    
    	"I guess" for "I think"
    	"sort of" for "like"
        "mad" for "angry"
    	--and 'reverse expressions', such as "quite a little" for "a
          lot"
    
    	Not a bad show atall...

    A review in TV Guide compares this show with the likes of
    "Civilization" and "Ascent of Man".  So far, I agree -- I've only
    seen the first two shows as I'm watching on Channel 11 (Durham NH),
    Thursdays at 10 p.m., Saturdays at 11 a.m.

    The accents one was fascinating, especially that society on the
    island.  Apart from a very slight Americanization, I'd have sworn
    they were straight out of Devon or Cornwall.
    
    Off home to see tonight's episode ...
    
    Jeff.

This show is proving to be even more educational than I had thought.
After (mumble, mumble) years of being unable to answer the often-asked
question, "Where the (varied expletives, etc.) does your accent come from?"
I found out this past Monday night that it comes from Canada, around
Niagara Falls.

Actually, this shouldn't be too surprising, since my grandfather or his
father was supposed to have been up around there at some time.  I never
figured he had stayed around there long enough to pick up any speech
patterns.

Ah, roots at last!

BU

    also, MacNeil provides us with an answer to the age-old question
    where does "okay" come from. He says it comes from an African word
    that sounds something like "woe ka" (I think that's how he pronounced
    it). I occasionaly see Ann Landers publishing groups of letters
    all providing different derivations of this colloquiallism.
    
    3:00 pm on Sundays, though, is proving very inconvenient for me,
    I've missed at least two episodes, and the ones I've seen, I haven't
    seen the whole thing. And no I don't have a VCR *yet*.
    
                                                   
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    WGBX (ch. 44) shows it Tuesday evenings at 8:30.   
    
    -Allison

Do PBS affiliates ever offer series like these on tape?  I've missed a few
from this one and would like to "fill in the blanks", too.

-- Sam

    There is usually a blurb after most of their programs, offering
    tapes to educational institutions. Once I get a VCR I'm going to
    try to convince them that a family IS an educational institution
    (at least my family will be). I want my son to see all the great
    PBS shows like "Connections", "Alistair Cooke's America",
    "Civilisation", "The Ascent of Man", "The Day the Universe Changed",
    and so on and on and on.
    
    Anyway, I don't remember seeing this blurb after "Story of English"
    but that don't mean it weren't there.
                                                   
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    For an English viewer of this series, it seems to be developing
    into "The history of regional accents in North America".  Interesting
    enough, but I think it is developing into a much narrower account
    than its title implies.
    
    It has very, very, obviously been written with the American audience
    in mind.  The Sunday Times is bored with it, from their programme
    notes.
    
    Jeff.

	re -1 	Me too, but surprizing how much "English" comes from the 
		States, I'm begining to wonder if we should not call the
		language American. 8^). 
		Does anyboby know if the programme will cover the Antipodean,
		Indian, Chinese, African and Pidgeon versions of the lanquage?
Richard.

    Re .12	I expect all those will get slotted into an odd 5 minutes
    		somewhen.  After all, Chaucer and Shakespeare got a
    		mention!
    
    		(Sorry - do I sound cynical? :-)
    
    Jeff.

    According to TV Guide, this coming week will concentrate on
    the development of Cockney, including how it became Strine.
    
    Happier now?
    
    							Ann B.

    Yes, thanks.  I think we're running a week behind you.  Yesterday
    (Monday) was the episode on Black English.  However, I thought the
    subtitling might cause some offence, unless it was to point up the
    precise differences in the spoken word, and how it would be
    represented in "standard" English.
    
    I thought some of the Southern Belles were more deserving of subtitles
    than the black people :-)
    
    Jeff.

			ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz.........

VNS VOGONBALLS:                               [Dick Binder, Stainless Steel Rat]
===============                               [Nashua, NH, USA                 ]


    "...a good grasp of the English language is also important to scientists 
    and technologists...so that they can express how good engineers they are."

				- Kenneth Baker, on BBC Radio 4
				- from Steve Noble (Reading, England)


 <><><><><><><>   VNS Edition : 1257      Friday 13-Feb-1987   <><><><><><><>

    Re: .17  Just so the point doesn't get lost as it wings its way
    westwards: Kenneth Baker is the Minister for Education in Mrs.
    Thatcher's Government.
    
    Jeff.

    	So much for British education then, huh?  :^)
    
    	Don't worry, Ronnie sells tomatoes to school kids and tells
    them they're vegetables.
    
    	Larry