Here are you notes for Section 10 'De Peace ob de Lawd'
0:26 Text: “haid” (head) - I hear “hand” Changes meaning
1:07 Text: ‘An min’ ‘dat yo’ hurry I hear, “men” -- should be “min” as in “mind” Changes meaning.
1:32 Text: “dis heah ol town.” I hear “dis HEAD ol town” (heah = here) changes meaning.
1:50 same note as for 1:07 above. – min’ - the omitted letter is “d” for “mind”
2:00 Text: “Thankin’ da Lawd” I hear, “Thinkin’ da Lawd” Changes meaning
2:04 “min’” again
2:10 Text: “Deah Lawd” I hear, “Da Lawd” here “deah” is the dialect for “dear”
Southern Negro dialect is very difficult, so I've picked out ONLY the instances that seem to change the meaning or make the meaning unclear.
I just haven't got the time this late at night to write all the notes for the longer piece.
I know that you probably think I am a white Canuck based on the fact that I live in Vancouver, BC. That is a true statement!
However a little known fact about me is that I spent several of my later elementary school years in the Edenton, North Carolina school system right when they were integrating the classrooms. The southern dialect comes fairly natural to me as I was immersed in it so I will be fixing a couple of those points but the others are how the words are supposed to sound to my ears.
Lmnei wrote: ↑February 4th, 2019, 12:40 am
but the others are how the words are supposed to sound to my ears.
Obviously in Duluth, GA they speak a different southern slang, or my ears are different, but I just had a listen and my ears work like Larrys . The poem I heard was kind of different from the poem I read along, although both had the same title.
Ok, you've corrected everything except the multiple instances of - min' - which, is as I pointed out is simply the word "mind" without the letter "d" at the end. What you're saying misses the whole meaning, and is not correct for this dialect.
The same could be said of your take of the instances of - o' - which is the contraction of the word "of" and not pronounced as a long "o," but I didn't mention it because it is still intelligible. There are others, but, as I said, I'm only highlighting ones that affect the meaning or understanding of the lines.
especially the part at about 3.05 - "She was seen to be evil, in the streets where the bees feed" and "Try to tie the spy to the kite for a spying flight".
Lynda,
I don't want you to be disheartened by my comments.
Dialect, esp in poetry, presents a particular challenge because it is difficult to represent in writing, and we actually have no way to know exactly how the author intended the spoken word to sound except by inference from the poetic structure itself and trying to put it in its historical and cultural context. None of us has ever heard this dialect exactly as the author heard it, or perhaps spoke it.
We do appreciate her on LibriVox a variety of accents and reading styles. I'm generally very lenient on these things, but a but more picky when it comes to poetry. So, if Carolin is willing to accept this as a variant reading of - min' - the we'll let it stand and move on.
By the way, I have never lived in North Carolina, but have lived on the edge of Appalachia, but that is a different accent altogether. This is more likely deep south, say Mississippi, but I'm not sure, and of several generations past.
However, I have problems with the following two words -
He'd ride de means ... (3rd para down 2nd page)
De ebuhlas'in (middle of last page)
Lynda
I appreciate your extra work on this, Lynda!
Nothing major that needs attention so I'm marking it PL to finish this project.
To your puzzling words:
meanes' The missing letter is "t" so it is "meanest"
ebuhlas'in' The two missing letters designated by the apostrophes are "t" and "g" so it is "ebulasting" which is "everlasting." Not easy stuff.
Anyway, thanks for taking on these two challenging poems.
. The poem I heard was kind of different from the poem I read along, although both had the same title. 