CHAT: The centre of the temporal universe, was Translation relay

[Andrew Smith <hobbit@MAIL.EARTHLIGHT.CO.NZ>]

On Thu, 17 Jun 1999, Sally Caves wrote:

> HA HA!  But of course you KNOW that the center of the temporal universe
> is
> the American East Coast? <GGG>

Oh undoubtedly!  I watched the first episode of a new documentary series
this week, American Visions: eight episodes of the history of America
through its art.  In the episode it described Washington as the most
powerful city in the world  (politically yes, otherwise I would have
thought the title should go to New York).

They showed an architect's map of Washington and explained that it was
based on the corridors and landscaping of French Versailles, rather than
the different architeture of power of the English.  It immediately made
sense to me that in the North American League of Brithenig history no city
would be laid out like Washington is here.

I also found out that in the alternative history of the Brithenig speakers
the third greatest domed building in the world is the Cathedral of Saint
Mary in the N.A.L.  There is a joke hidden in that last sentence and I'm
not going to explain it!

That's not really an reply to your original statement, but it gave me an
excuse to talk about something else.

  I thought of that just after I sent it,
> remembering suddenly that you were in New Zealand!  Good... I'm glad you
> found your word, and that the torch has been passed on.
>
Today I'm going to go look up another word, which is the Brithenig word
for 'preaching'.  I know that the infinitive of the verb 'to preach' is
used as a noun in this case, but I don't have that word on file among my
existing words.  I suspect it may turn out to be 'pregethar', or it may
not.

N.B., without giving too much away, 'preaching' is not used in the
translation relay!

> The Teonim are particularly confused about time.  They can sploosh up
> out of the Black Sea and find it the nineteenth century (our time), go
> back home, and sploosh up again and find it the sixteenth century (our
> time).
The Teonim are definately on my list of places to visit on a Grand Tour of
Conlangea.  I am sure that their national library contains wide and
eclectic sections on the languages and customs of such places as Cambria,
the Hankerim republics, Livagia, Boreanesia, Nowapan, and the Rihannsu.
The best resource this side of the Dreaming, and I haven't found a New
Zealand library that will interloan from it!

> >                         - Alexander Pope, The Dunciad, Book IV.
>
> Yeah, I know what he means.
>
And he didn't even know about the Internet either!  It's one of my
favourite poems.

- andrew.

Andrew Smith, Intheologus                       hobbit@earthlight.co.nz

        Lo! thy dread empire, Chaos! is restored;
        Light dies before thy uncreating word:
        Thy hand, great Anarch! lets the curtain fall;
        And Universal Darkness buries All.
                        - Alexander Pope, The Dunciad, Book IV.