[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index][Author Index][Search Archives]

Re: Other 12th night events




Poster: David KUIJT <kuijt@umiacs.umd.edu>



On Thu, 19 Nov 1998, Eli White wrote:

> 
> Poster: Eli White <eliwhite@home.com>
> 
> >What is the problem that we in the SCA have with the fine old period
> >word "children"?
> 
> As Uncle Justinian of the Speaking Forsoothly class at Pennsic would say:
> 
> "It's because it sounds more forsooth"
> 
> Basicaly as other people have said ... It is a way to sound like we are
> talking differently than we normally do.  To bring us into the frame of
> mind of the middle ages.

Yes to the first -- "Smalls" instead of children, and "Feastocrat" instead
of "head cook" is jargon -- a way to define our membership in a group by
using a special code language.  All jargon works that way.  We could as
well be calling the children "Buzfuts".

And No to the second.  Speaking differently is not the same as speaking
medievally.  Just because a particular jargon phrase seems medieval to one
segment of the population is not a reason to use it -- in this case that
same jargon phrase does NOT seem medieval to another segment of the
population.

Some people are happy to call their car a "Dragon" at events -- clearly a
code word for car.  To other people it is jarring; the same as talking
about your high score at DOOM.

>  'Lets go get the children' doesn't sound
> different than normal speaking.  However:  "Let us gather the smalls", has
> the nice 'ring' to it that makes us think medieval, even if it isn't.

To you, perhaps.  To me, not.  I do not see calling children Smalls,
Hobbits, Rugrats, or Buzfuts as being medieval in any way.

Dafydd

=======================================================================
List Archives, FAQ, FTP:  http://merryrose.atlantia.sca.org/
            Submissions:  atlantia@atlantia.sca.org
        Admin. requests:  majordomo@atlantia.sca.org