At 11:36 97-02-07 -0800, unicode@Unicode.ORG wrote:
>Mark Twain expressed similar sentiments:
>
>Quote:
>
>"Why, Huck, doan' de French people talk de same way we does?"
>
>"No, Jim; you couldn't understand a word they said - not a single word."
>
>"Well, now, I be ding-busted! How do dat come?"
>
>"I don't know; but it's so. I got some of their jabber out of a book.
>S'pose a man was to come to you and say Polly-voo-franzy - what would you
>think?"
>
>"I wouldn' think nuffn; I'd take en bust him over de head - dat is, if he
>warn't white. I wouldn't 'low no nigger to call me dat."
>
>"Shucks, it ain't calling you anything. It's only saying, do you know how
>to talk French?"
>
>"Well, den, why couldn't he say it?"
>
>"Why, he is a-saying it. That's a Frenchman's way of saying it."
>
>"Well, it's a blame ridicklous way, en I doan' want to hear no mo' 'bout
>it. Dey ain' no sense in it."
>
>"Looky here, Jim; does a cat talk like we do?"
>
>"No, a cat don't."
>
>"Well, does a cow?"
>
>"No, a cow don't, nuther."
>
>"Does a cat talk like a cow, or a cow talk like a cat?"
>
>"No, dey don't."
>
>"It's natural and right for 'em to talk different from each other, ain't
>it?"
>
>"Course."
>
>"And ain't it natural and right for a cat and a cow to talk different from
>us?"
>
>"Why, mos' sholy it is."
>
>"Well, then, why ain't it natural and right for a Frenchman to talk
>different from us? You answer me that."
>
>"Is a cat a man, Huck?"
>
>"No."
>
>"Well, den, dey ain't no sense in a cat talkin' like a man. Is a cow a
>man? - er is a cow a cat?"
>
>"No, she ain't either of them."
>
>"Well, den, she ain't got no business to talk like either one er the yuther
>of 'em. Is a Frenchman a man?"
>
>"Yes."
>
>"Well, den! Dad blame it, why don' he talk like a man? You answer me
>dat!"
>
>Unquote
>
>
>Jonathan
Absolutely delightful... What a pleasure... As everyone knows, we're frogs,
these guys were not good in biology and knew nothing about amphibians... (:
Have a good week end!
Alain LaBonté
Québec
Grenouille, et fière de l'être!
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