Practicing the link-y thing

[feliciakw]

Just to see if I can get this right . . .

Here's a link to an article I found this morning:

The Aussie Bible

I thought it was kind of interesting, particularly since I read a different article recently about the Bible being translated into Gullah, which is a creole language (though I think of it more as a dialect. I suppose an argument could be made that there's a fine line between "language" and "dialect," but I digress . . .)

The Gullah Bible

Incidentally, we actually do have a copy of The Cockney Bible somewhere in the house.

Comments

[kerravonsen]

I was a bit skeptical of this "Aussie Bible" but it sounds like fun. I must see if I can get hold of a copy.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

I'm usually a little twitchy about things like this at first, but then I think of . . . Martin Luther, was it? . . . translating the Bible into the language of the common man. That's sort of what's going on here. Simply making things more accessible to the average Joe (or I guess in your case, it would be Bruce? :-) ).

It does sound like fun.

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

Oh, how cool! *peruses other article* That would be mighty fun to read, though in none of these cases is the dialect one I'm familiar with.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

though in none of these cases is the dialect one I'm familiar with.

Well, in the case of Gullah, it probably is a fine line between dialect and language. If I were to hear it, it would probably sound like a (very thick) dialect or accent to me (possibly so thick I'd have trouble understanding it). But the way the verse in the article is written, they've created words to mimic the phonetics of the spoke dialect.

If the Aussie Bible is anything like the Cockney Bible, one actually does have to have some sort of grasp of the way things are said. It's still "English," but as with any subculture or sub-construct of the language, if you don't know the workings of the lingual culture, you're not really going to understand what's being said.

Kinda like how it takes me a few moments to get into the rhythm and lingual mindset of Shakespearean English, but once I'm there, I have a hard time paraphrasing things back into modern English.

Language fascinates me.

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

It fascinates me, too.

It's still "English," but as with any subculture or sub-construct of the language, if you don't know the workings of the lingual culture, you're not really going to understand what's being said.

*cough* Okay. Has online-fannish slang departed far enough to be a viable choice for this type of translation? Probably not. (Although if they can do one for text-messagers....) But the idea very much amuses me.