Re: American dialect of Brithenig

[andrew <hobbit@mail.earthlight.co.nz>]

On Sat, 31 Jul 1999, Padraic Brown wrote:

Some caveats:

Much higher levels of polution.  Older forms of technology is much more
pollutant than newer forms.  Some of the worst damage to the atmosphere
was caused by nineteenth century industry.

Serious threat of fuel crises.  Technological change may not be fast
enough to keep current technology running.

We know the Great Wars occured this century, but we do not know the
details of them.  There may have been a cold war period between a NATO
directed from the leadership of several western nations in competition
with a Soviet block.  Great incentives for technology.  Manned flights to
Jupiter, anyone?

> 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.
No Enigma files then?  Code breaking in WWII kickstarted computer
technology by ten to twenty years.  Wars are a great incentive.  After the
wars the technology was too much fun for people not to play around with.
Once that happens then the push for technological change just falls into
place.  The same would also happen for aviation.  Where there's money to
be made from technology people will push to benefit from it.

> 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 think what would happen is that social and technological innovation on a
major scale would not happen in the post-colonial nations, including the
League.  Rather they would follow what changes are occuring in the home
countries.  So the League, and Canada and all will produce outstanding
individuals, but they will go to Britain to do their work.  I'm thinking
of Rutherford who split the atom, but was born in NZ and retained an
affection for the country of his birth until his death.  Maybe somebody
like Henry Ford might break that mold, but they would be exceptional.
Only until the Federated Kingdom accepts that it is no longer the heart of
empire and move into orbit in Europe again will the post-colonial nations
be confident to forge their own identities and insecurities.  This is why
I believe the Federated Kingdom will willingly join a Federated Europe,
and the Scots and the Kemrese will lead the way into this greater
federation.  I suspect in NZ we did not nationally start thinking about
our own distinct national identity, and celebrating it, until Britain
joined the EEC.

> 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.
>
The more I hear about that area the more I think about it the same way as
people think of the American Deep South.  The traditionalism sounds
utterly stupifying to me! 

- 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.