On Avalon, Anglic is influenced by the chief Ythrian language, Planha:
vowels are pure;
r's are trilled;
m's, n's and ng's are hummed;
speech is deepened, slowed and strongly cadenced.
Having read Poul Anderson's description of Planha-influenced Avalonian Anglic, we would like to hear that speech direct rather than in English translation.
When Christopher Holm speaks as Arinnian of Stormgate Choth, he sounds as if he is translating Ythrian thoughts for human ears. He tells his father that he must go to his choth because Khruaths are being called around Avalon. Arinnian will participate in a decision-making process that has so far been impossible for human beings. But species learn from each other.
6 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I have more than once wondered how different reading an Anglic text would be from our English. I assume Roman letters would still be used in Flandry's time, but the spelling of many words would look strange to us. I also assume Anglic would include many neologisms and loan words absorbed from non-human races.
Flandry mentioned having read Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem "A Musical Instrument" in translation. Meaning Anglic was at least as different from our English as that is from Middle English.
Ad astra! Sean
Species might learn from each other, but they also have inherent biological natures which cannot be overriden. Choths wouldn't work with a predominantly human population -- they'd get tied up in arguments and never reach a conclusion.
Note that English spelling is at least 500 years out of date -- it predates the bulk of the Great Vowel Shift, just for starters. Eg., "just" is spelled phonetically, but "thought" or "sight" are not -- they're pronounced in Standard English as if spelled "thot" or "site".
Sight the visual process and site the place are not perceptibly different as most people say them.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree, both as regards how Ythrian political institutions simply would not work for a quarrelsome race like ours and the maddening complexities of English.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: the archaic spelling prevents ambiguities, though. If it were spelled phonetically, you really couldn't tell "sight" from "site" except through context when reading.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
A good point, one I should have thought of myself. There are times I'm tempted to advocate things like changing the spelling of words like "Queen" to "Kween," "Quick" to "Kwick," etc.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment