Help me understand older English

[removed9556]

 

[Saucyminx]

It damn well should be a public monument. But I have listened again. I'm trying to commit it to memory!

Agreed! It is truly fantastic. I, for one, would love another Dreamtime story.

And thank you for all the kind words.

 

[pplwatching]

I didn’t realise I spoke so softly, sorry about that!

When you're deaf, everyone speaks softly. Blame a mixture of genetics and loud guitar amplifiers, not yourself .

 

[removed9556]

 

[Bramblethorn]

If you’re doing requests, could you do one that’s all animal impressions?
I want to hear your echidna.

so, echidna courtship rituals are worth reading about.

 

[pplwatching]

so, echidna courtship rituals are worth reading about.

As are bonobos and their free love.

 

[removed9556]

 

[pplwatching]

Jeepers. You guys have been hiding some seriously weird kinks.

No judgement here of course. Of course.

I appreciate the judgement-free zone . While I had previously known about them in a general sense, I just finished a chapter in my Anthropology textbook that included bonobos! It went into quite a bit of detail, including exploring how they can have sex for pleasure (versus strictly reproductive sex), use sex to manage aggression, and why they evolved that way.

All of which may have been common knowledge to everyone but me, however I thought it was an interesting read. Since you don't have my textbook (I assume) here's a decent summary

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bonobo-sex-and-society-2006-06/

 

[Bramblethorn]

I’ve never heard an echidna call actually, though I have stopped traffic on a busy highway to let one cross safely. #sucker

We tried to move one off a road once, in Tasmania. Mistake. It went into defensive mode and was almost impossible to shift - we'd have done better just to signal traffic like you did, and let it wander off at its own pace. Cute little beasties.

I don't know what noise they make, if any.

 

[pplwatching]

That was an interesting read, actually. Thank you!

I think so, and you're welcome.

 

[oggbashan]

I’ve never heard an echidna call actually, though I have stopped traffic on a busy highway to let one cross safely. #sucker

Mating echidnas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frZGhk0i228

 

[Saucyminx]

Mating echidnas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frZGhk0i228

They are so freakin cute! I didn’t hang around for the sex part. I have stuff to do today.

Quoll sent me a link to the sound Tasmanian devils make once. He thought one would be just the ticket to get rid of a neighbor problem I had at the time. Baby minx was totally on board. She’d want an echidna too if she saw one. We will make sure that doesn’t happen. I doubt we could sell one as an emotional support animal in her dorm.

 

[Bramblethorn]

They are so freakin cute! I didn’t hang around for the sex part. I have stuff to do today.

Quoll sent me a link to the sound Tasmanian devils make once. He thought one would be just the ticket to get rid of a neighbor problem I had at the time. Baby minx was totally on board. She’d want an echidna too if she saw one. We will make sure that doesn’t happen. I doubt we could sell one as an emotional support animal in her dorm.

I petted a devil once! (and still have all my fingers...) They can get used to people, but they don't ever seem to become friendly; they're mostly solitary animals.

I've met people who were amazed to discover that the Tasmanian devil is a real animal and not just a Warner Brothers cartoon. They certainly are ferocious for their size.

 

[oggbashan]

I petted a devil once! (and still have all my fingers...) They can get used to people, but they don't ever seem to become friendly; they're mostly solitary animals.

I've met people who were amazed to discover that the Tasmanian devil is a real animal and not just a Warner Brothers cartoon. They certainly are ferocious for their size.

Tip 1: If offered a koala to hold, if it is daylight - refuse.

They are nocturnal so are not happy to be woken up during the day. They have teeth or claws but are usually too sleepy to use them. They express their displeasure with piss and shit.

Tip 2: If offered a bare back ride on a working Indian Elephant, sit down by leaning forwards and sliding backwards as you sit. Elephant hairs are like so many needles. If you sit straight down the hairs will stick into you through most clothing. If, as I was, you are wearing shorts, you will have many punctures on your thighs.

 

[oggbashan]

Shakespeare's English as it was heard in 1600

Short version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPlpphT7n9s

Very long lecture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqmgeth4tFY

 

[elli1point1]

Short version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPlpphT7n9s

Very long lecture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqmgeth4tFY

That's one of the things I showed my students this term; they weren't very impressed, I think. They also kept referring to Old and Middle English as 'weird' or 'incorrect'.

Today we had a wonderful student presentation, however: a discussion of the black country dialect and how it has retained many features from earlier varieties of English. Really interesting

 

[removed9556]

 

[elli1point1]

Older English? Beowulf in Anglo Saxon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K13GJkGvDw

thank you! I was just looking for a recording of this, then remembered this thread!