The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

mardatha

Terminal boredom here today - I want and need to get out into the garden but at 3C and a wind that would skin ye, it is not going to happen. Sleet and heavy snow forecast for Monday. Bleugh. I really need another elephant to ea - erm to play with.

greenbee

You know that ark you were building a while back Mar? What did you do with it? Because I think I might need it...

mehefin

monnagran wrote: »

mehefin, you obviously haven't met my tablet. Even if I tried to type June it would insist that it should be Julep or Jigsaw or Junior. We are constantly at war.

The thing that fascinates me about the Welsh language is how many words are so close to the French equivalent and to Medieval English. If I had my time over again I would like to do more study about the derivation and growth of language. Completely useless of course.

All the Celtic languages have similarities. Welsh has similarities to Breton, Cornish and the Gaelic(s). The old Breton onion sellers could converse with the native Welsh speakers not that many years ago. Haven't seen a Shoni Onion here for ages though

nursemaggie

Monna in response to the same as mehefin. I don't think linguistics would be a popular degree course if it was useless. I have always found etymology fascinating. DS and I would both love to do a linguistics degree.
Etymology is part of linguistics. I have books on place names, and word origins.

Just google etymology and you will find over 7 million entries. That should keep you busy for a few years. There are lots of lectures on line on nearly every subject you can think of. Most of the worlds top Universities have their own websites and have a YouTube account.

Yes mehefin I could follow the news on RTE when we lived on Anglesey.

Melvin Brag did a series on the evolution of the English language a few years ago. You will find it on YouTube.

nannywindow

Mehefin there is a Sioni Wynwns seller at my nearest market every Saturday. He even has a bike bedecked with his onions.
Hope everyone has a good weekend. Hugs to anyone who needs or wants one.
nan xx

mehefin

nannywindow wrote: »

Mehefin there is a Sioni Wynwns seller at my nearest market every Saturday. He even has a bike bedecked with his onions.
Hope everyone has a good weekend. Hugs to anyone who needs or wants one.
nan xx

Nanny that's great. Whereabouts are you? PM if you would prefer.

monnagran

I remember touching on the subject when we were studying Chaucer for 'A' levels.It fascinated me how the same words grew harder or softer the further north or south they went. Then I made a Welsh speaking friend and discovered how similar Welsh and French were.
I'm not particularly good at languages, but I do love words.

In have enjoyed my peaceful day today, the more so because the weather has been exceptionally vile. Dark, wet and windy. I feel so sorry for the visitors who have come to the island for the weekend. I think I read somewhere that JackieO is coming over for a few days next week with her family, I hope Spring has put in an appearance before then.

mehefin, I remember the annual invasion of the French onion sellers with their strings of onions on their bicycles. When did that stop? It must have been in the early 60s I think. I certainly remember buying my onions from them when I was first married. Fantastic onions they were too, lasted me all through the winter.

silvasava

I thought JackieO died not long ago........? Nope - it was 1994!!!!

monnagran

Let's get our JackieOs sorted here. The one I am talking about is very frugal, knows she is living the high life when she goes to a quiz evening and has a meal for £2 and holidays on the Isle of Wight.

Not a Greek billionaire in sight.

Floss

Our JackieO lives in Kent and posts on the Daily. She uses that name as her OH used to say she had a look of Jackie Onassis x