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Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 1997-11 > 0880506924


From: <>
Subject: Re: The Hamely Tongue
Date: 25 Nov 1997 21:15:24 EDT


Right here atop the Appalachian Plateau, we have a distinct accent tha
30 years in California, 3 years in England and 2 years in Ohio, did not
change. We recognize each other by that accent. And the area is
strongly Scottish, Welsh and Irish.
But I've never heard the term "ken" (understand?) or Jalouse used in
other than Father Cadfael's Mysteries.
Connie

DR>Diane Hettrick <> wrote:DR>There was a PBS show on a
few years back (perhaps a BBC production
DR>originally?) called The Story of English (?). I remember distinctly a
DR>section
DR>about the Appalachian people, those who'd been kept remote for
DR>hundreds
DR>of years. It compared their speech against that of the oldest of the
DR>Ayrshire
DR>folk who still spoke a variation of Scots. Hardly a difference to an
DR>outsider!
DR>What we found funny (my husband is an Ayrshire man) was that they
DR>gave
DR>the Ayrshire gent subtitles!! <g>
DR>Would the Appalachian folk in the group know if the words 'ken' and
DR>'jalouse' have been used in recent memory? As in "I ken what you
DR>meant"
DR>and "I jaloused that might happen."

DR>Bobbie

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