Grammar Experiments

1a. Referring to couples in the singular third person
1b. Referring to close friends and relatives in singular second person

I call this the familial singular. In usage, the desired effect is to give an impression as close as possible to lolcats. In principle, the purpose of the familial singular (third person) is to indicate closeness in the couple, to the extent that they behave as a single person in all settings, and the purpose of the familial singular (second person) is to reinstate the formal-informal second person distinction which we can still see in French and German but has long been considered archaic in English. For example, it has become the usual practice to use the word Dadmom to refer to my parents; we wonder aloud to each other, whenever my siblings and I meet, that Dadmom is going to be home soon. Also when I greet my siblings I say How is you! because informal.

In the French language, the informal second person is used to address God in prayers. In English the equivalent is thou, which in the modern age sounds more snooty than familiar, and too aloof to be fitting for someone with whom your relationship has to be personal. O Lord, You is seated at the right hand of the Father, receives our prayer.
 
2. Pronouncing words with voiced consonants only

Diz iz juz vor zounding zdupid. I do diz onny wen bored, or wen my zizder veelz lige a lav.
Alternatifely, chanchink all te consonants to harter ones can pe tone put toes not vork so vell.
 
3. Shortening long vowels for emphasis

Vowels are usually lengthened for emphasis, because louder and longer sounds command more attention. But what if you want to inspire surprise? What if you want the superlative to be less of a long and violent earthquake, but more of a sharp intake of breath, followed by a lingering feeling of being let down?

I call this the dimunitive superlative. For example, the dimunitive superlative for manly is muhn. When I tell someone You're the muhn! I mean to say that he is the manliest, but it sounds more sarcastic.
 
4. Using French grammar in English

See this article.

5. Discarding the future tense

An American Economics professor, in an uncharacteristic case of sticking his nose into a field he has no business in, has said that using the present tense for the future makes Finns more frugal and forward-looking than, say, people from France, who use a future tense. I would love to stop and wax lyrical about the honest and hardworking Finnish nation whom I have had the pleasure of staying with the whole summer, but now the more important question is What if English uses it?

Tomorrow, I am going for guitar practice at school. Afterwards some of us have dinner at Hwang's at UTown. Next Sunday, our concert takes place at UCC Theater, with tickets selling at $14 a seat. This actually sounds normal. Let's try it again.

Ah! I have forgotten my assignment is due soon! I die! Tomorrow I have four labs in a row and six vivas. I never come back to see my family again! O cruel fate, my grades deprove! Eventually the world comes to an end; it is my only solace.

Time to sleep.

Christopher Walker

Christopher Walker, who composed the Celtic Mass and a bunch of other things, is holding workshops at Saint Mary of the Angels. On Friday I skipped school mass to attend it. He was a stout guy with a propensity towards talking too much nonsense. We sang and we laughed and we cried. Then I sang one for my late grandfather.

Den Förtrollade Barnaföderskan

Det ståndar en lind allt sunnan under by
~ Allt under den linden så grön ~
Där ståndar en jungfru, hon borstar sitt hår
~ I riden så varligt genom lunden med henne ~

Hon trolovade så granner en man
Den unge herr Olof, det hette han

Liten Elin hon spörjer sin svärmoder om råd
"Huru länge skall kvinnan med barnet gå?"

"I fyrtio veckor på åttonde år
så länge ska du med det barnet gå!"

De klädde på Elin en silkessärk
Hon gick uppå loftet med så mycken värk

Herr Olof han spörjer kär systeren sin
"Ack, ville du nu hjälpe allra kärestan min?"

Systeren gångar till brudekiste
Så gör hon två vaxdockor, allt med stor liste

Så sveper hon dem uti vitan lin
Hon bär dem i loftet för moderen sin

"Ack, kära min moder, låte fara eders harm
I tage eders gossebarn uti eders arm!"

"Jag haver förtrollat båd himmel och jord
förutom det ställe där brudkisten stod!"

Så breder de kisten med silketyg blå
där föder liten Elin de sönerna två

Det gjorde herr Olofs moder stor nöd
~ Allt under den linden så grön ~
Så snart blev hon utav den harmen död
~ I riden så varligt genom lunden med henne ~





A third interpretation is done by Ale Möller, Lena Willemark and Per Gudmundsson, but the video is unavailable.

Pre-Sunday Manifesto

1. On the economy of words

The first idea is that words are precious, and overuse and misuse of a word diminishes its value and strips it of meaning.
The second idea is to conform a language to the Chinese aesthetic, by which a shorter expression is considered more desirable than a longer one, rather than the other way round.

These and the following ideas are made to be tested. For each judgement and conclusion that I make, I have to change my life to live up to it. This is so that the statements are not made out of idleness and vanity, but to exploited again in the fullness of its meaning.

2. On empathy

The idea of empathy is that by freeing oneself from the prison of their own vantage point, disputes are made to appear trivial, misunderstandings unlikely, and war frivolous.
The idea of empathy is to know that differences between human beings of different cultures, though prominent, are superficial.

3. On living a godly life (c.f. Wednesday cell group)

The first idea of living a godly life is to make the living moment one continuous prayer.
The second idea is to disregard any self-awareness and to dedicate all one's actions to God's volition.

4. On love

The idea of love is that it is not an emotion, but a promise made, remade, and carried out on the run.

The Upper Kent Ridge route leading to the Library's back door

This morning I brought Sean and Lin Xi also known as Adrian to Upper Kent Ridge, and shared the joy of discovering a familiar place. Then came eight hours of guitar playing and emotional fatigue. I gave Yujun's mooncake party a miss.

Christina, the most senior member from the choir at church, has fallen ill and is recuperating in Malaysia. In other news, the Vietnamese dude called Jason in the choir has found a job and is staying in Singapore after all. Last Sunday it was his party and I missed it. I seem to be good at doing this sort of thing.