Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 9 of 11 1 2 7 8 9 10 11
Jackie #189678 03/02/10 11:55 AM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 655
addict
Offline
addict
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 655
There's also the problem that most immigrants who filled steerage weren't well educated. My grandfather (Sicily) was a laborer and his father an orchardist. My grandmother's parents (Rheinhessen) were peasants. Same on the other side of the family. These folks weren't hired as teachers!


"I don't know which is worse: ignorance or apathy. And, frankly, I don't care." - Anonymous
Jackie #189679 03/02/10 12:01 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 655
addict
Offline
addict
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 655
Also, the people who filled steerage - the great mass of immigrants - were generally not well educated. My grandfather (Sicily) was a laborer and his father a carpenter and orchardist. My grandmother's family (Rheinhessen) were peasants. It was similar on the other side of my family. Nor did they speak English when they arrived, so they weren't considered suitable as teachers.


"I don't know which is worse: ignorance or apathy. And, frankly, I don't care." - Anonymous
beck123 #189680 03/02/10 01:22 PM
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
most immigrants who filled steerage weren't well educated

Also, most immigrants to this country usually did not speak the standard language of the nation states they came from, but the local dialect.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
zmjezhd #189681 03/02/10 03:41 PM
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 724
Avy Offline
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 724
@ beck: your double post reminded me of a poem of Yeats' that is available in two edited versions. It is fascinating to see the mind of the poet working across the two edits of the poem. To google the poem is a bit beyond me else I would have posted its two versions here.

Jackie #189683 03/02/10 05:21 PM
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,931
Likes: 3
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,931
Likes: 3
Originally Posted By: Jackie
Luke, I had the same experience of even foreign languages teachers* having to learn it first, and I wonder if it is due to geography: we in the middle of the U.S. got significant numbers of immigrants far later than coastal areas?
*With the exception of my college professor who was French-Canadian, and warned us that her French wasn't Parisian.


I likewise taught French for a number of years, hearing it only on movies or recordings, and based on what
my teacher had taught. Having had the opportunity to visit Quebec I had the most difficult time understanding
what was being said. I could read and speak, but not understand, it was most frustrating.


----please, draw me a sheep----
LukeJavan8 #189685 03/02/10 08:17 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956
Heres my new word for the day.

elec·tro·myo·graph
an instrument that converts the electrical activity associated with functioning skeletal muscle into a visual record or into sound.


This technology can help people who have lost their voice due to an accident or illness. But an interesting application is its use as a translator. Because the electrical pulses are universal they can be transformed into the language of the user's choice. Much like the universal translators employed in Scifi stories.

Avy #189686 03/02/10 10:04 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 655
addict
Offline
addict
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 655
Originally Posted By: Avy
@ beck: your double post reminded me...

I wish I could say I were imitating Yeats, but the fact is that my computer geeked things up. I couldn't see the first post once I posted it, so I recreated its essence from memory... and then couldn't see that version in the forum, either! So, not hardly a poet, but you've all had the chance to see the mind of a simpleton at work, which might be interesting in itself.


"I don't know which is worse: ignorance or apathy. And, frankly, I don't care." - Anonymous
olly #189687 03/02/10 10:12 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 655
addict
Offline
addict
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 655
Originally Posted By: olly
...an interesting application is its use as a translator. Because the electrical pulses are universal they can be transformed into the language of the user's choice.

Is this actual or potential technology? I've never heard of it, and I don't see how it could work. Wouldn't the pattern of pulses be different if one is saying (voicing?) the word "work" rather than "trabajo?" The use of voiceprints to identify unseen speakers or to detect stress reflected in vocalizations suggests that the pulses are not universal. Tell us more.


"I don't know which is worse: ignorance or apathy. And, frankly, I don't care." - Anonymous
beck123 #189689 03/02/10 10:54 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956
Still in development but Here is the article I read. I'd imagine the output would be similar to a speech recognition device, stilted and electronic sounding with no context or intonation.

olly #189691 03/02/10 11:29 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
I could see how something like that would work. one could simply have several(many) language/waveform databases to draw on when translating. certainly "work" in English would have a different waveform than "trabajo" in Spanish.


formerly known as etaoin...
Page 9 of 11 1 2 7 8 9 10 11

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,580
Members9,187
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Karin, JeffMackwood, artguitar, Jim_W, Rdbuffalo
9,187 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 332 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,713
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,931
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5