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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 7, 2012/ 14 Shevat, 5772
Sez Who?
By
Greg Crosby
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Besides the usual reasons, watching old movies and television shows are interesting because they open a cultural window into yesterday. (When I say "old" I'm not talking 1985, I'm referring to the 1930's, the 40's, and the 50's.) One thing that becomes apparent to anyone with an ear for language is that people don't sound the same now as they did a few decades ago. There are a million ways that language has changed, and usually not for the better. One aspect of American language which has been disappearing at a fast clip is the regional accents.
Undoubtedly the proliferation of popular culture through music, movies, computer communication, and mostly television is the reason why almost all young people today sound the same, with nary a hint of a southern twang, or an east coast soft "r." All young girls want to sound like the popular girls they watch on TV; all young boys want to sound like the cool dudes they hear in the movies.
How sad it is that we are losing the charms of local speak. On a recent cross-country driving trip it was so very obvious. Everyone across the country under the age of forty sounds like they all grew up in the same town: Popcultursville, USA.
While the "New Yawk" dialect is still burlesqued on TV and in movies, the fact is, it is not the prevailing accent of New Yorkers that it once was. While listening to George Burns in a rerun of "The Burns and Allen Show" from the early fifties, I became aware that he spoke of smoking "cigahs," playing "cahds," and going to "dinnah pahties." This soft "r" way of speaking was the norm for most New Yorkers once upon a time, now it's more or less just for movie and TV Mafia types.
The same is true of New England accents. "Ay-ah." There used to be a Pepperidge Farm spokesman in TV commercials who spoke that way. Think of the popular series "Murder She Wrote" and the way the townsfolk all sounded in Angela Lansbury's fictional village of Cabot Cove, Maine. New Englanders really used to talk that way, believe it or not, not just actors who play them on TV. And Midwesterners had their own way of speaking, as did folks in the northern parts of Dakota and Minnesota. Think Fargo.
But the winner of the dialect contest hands down goes to the South. The South had so many different dialects that there was just about one accent for every state. Texas was very different from Louisiana or Virginia, or Alabama or Tennessee. Actors in movies and stage had a field day with southern accents; they still do, even though the dialects are fading away with each passing year. How ironic it is that the entertainment business likes to keep the cliché regional accents alive in plays, movies, and commercials when it is they themselves that contributed almost single-handedly to the end of the regional accents in this country.
For anyone wishing to get an education in what American regional dialect once was, I suggest reading Mark Twain for starters. Then move right into Joel Chandler Harris, Bret Harte, George W. Cable, Charles Egbert Craddock (Miss Murfree), Mary E. Wilkins (now Mrs. Freeman), and William Faulkner. Want to know how the REAL wise guys on the streets of New York used to speak? Read the delightful short stories of Damon Runyon. The newspaper comics of the early and mid 20th Century used dialect extensively, particularly Li'l Abner, Krazy Kat, Barney Google, Mutt and Jeff, and Pogo. But almost all of them used it to some degree.
The United States was a patchwork quilt of individuals with individual nuance in speech and cadence and varied as the landscape. As John Steinbeck once wrote: "Ever'body says words different" Said Ivy. "Arkansas folks says 'em different from Oklahomy folks says 'em different. And we seen a lady from Massachusetts, an' she said 'em differentest of all."
-The Grapes of Wrath
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Greg Crosby, former creative head for Walt Disney publications, has written thousands of comics, hundreds of children's books, dozens of essays, and a letter to his congressman. A freelance writer in Southern California, you may contact him by clicking here.
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© 2008, Greg Crosby
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