Re: American dialect of Brithenig

[Padraic Brown <pbrown@nova.umuc.edu>]

On Sat, 31 Jul 1999, Sally Caves wrote:

> 
> So, do you take the world of colonized America up to the twentieth
> century?
> If so, what does that world look like?  I presume that the development
> of
> technology has been slightly different?  Are there computers and
> corporate
> businesses in this world?  Airlines?  Nuclear warfare?   Who dwells in
> "California," whatever its name is?  What is the East Coast like?
> Are there movies?  Imagine that!  Movies in Brithenig!!!

Dear Sal!  Look at the back of your K. Grammar .. what do you see? 
Adverts for current moving pictures!  Obviously the World *there* can not
be precisely the same as the World *here*.  Technology is somewhere
"behind" *there*.  There are computers, probably some kind of
"computerised network", but no or very few "PCs": they're large and
expensive and generally found in Government, universities, research
facilities and the like: no PC banking, no ATMs, no internet stock
trading.  There are corporations (the ones thus far named are British
Overseas Airway Corp., Royal Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Cambria, Bank
of England, Bank of Dumnonia, Metropolitan Moving Pictures and Mama
Martinez, a Spanish/Gypsy hole in the wall eatery in Esca) and they work
for the greater part on paper.  Also look at the back of the Grammar, and
you'll see a typical airline advert.  I don't know if there are any
nuclear weapons as we know and love them *here*; but there are atomic
weapons of some sort there. (One fiction/thriller story from *there*
entails a terrorist organisation's plot to buy an atomic device from the
Germans, and then plant and detonate it in downtown London; and the
stunning consequences of same.)

My guess is that technology *there* ranges from 10 to 80 years behind
*here*.  There is radio and television (and therefore juice), but these
have not reached all places: tv is probably in colours by now, but is not
HDTV, no VCRs no laser disc players, has a definable "broadcast day" and
they're also expensive. There are automobiles, busses, trollies, trains,
airships, aeroplanes, and diesel powered ships.  Automobiles are not
excessively common (the American phenomenon of two cars in every garage
doesn't exist), but are not rare as a month of Saturdays either.  People
travel mostly by train (the vast majority of which are electric, unlike
the US, anymore), which are ubiquitious in the land; trollies and busses
are frequently found in Town and suburbs.  Foreign travel is accomplished
by airship or passenger liners.  Aeroplanes are curiosities ruminated on
by the military (RAF) or are the domain of a few rich (but idiotic and
shortlived)  barnstormers (After all, who would want to go up in the air
in something that doesn't naturally float!?).

Basically think of *here* without the contribution of the USA (with all
its associated problems and triumphs); but some slack of which is taken up
by other countries, most notably the FK and Germany.

> 
> I had thought the world of Brithenig stayed in the realm of the
> premodern,
> but I guess I'm only just now waking up.  What about Britain, and all
> the
> same questions posed above?  I'm fascinated.  

Somewhat premodern, but not much.  For a look at _really_ premodern, you
want to visit far SW Kemr: no pavement, electricity or central water
outside of larger towns; very rural with low population; priests and
doctors' housecalls galore; entertainment is found in pubs and house
parties; and where (if you can get one into a place) a motorcar would be
The Thing to See -- and where people would dress up in Sunday Best and
pay sixpence to ride in it.

Britain probably looks somewhat the same at it does *here* (the worst of
transtemporal effects happen in the places _affected_ by Britain, like the
US).  Technologically and materialistically same as above.  Pace of life
*there* I think must be a little slower than *here*.  A good salary is in
the 7000 to 11000 pound range.  This is enough to live decently with a
good sized family and manage some nice holidays.  [Note that one can take
a decent tour holiday of Europe (off season), all inclusive, for about one
month's salary.  *Here*, you can buy a roundtrip airfare for that.]

Padraic.

> 
> Sally
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> SALLY CAVES
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