Wednesday, October 21, 2020

 

Again, better weather here than forecast. That still doesn’t mean it hasn’t been pissing down on our cruise-that-isn’t-happening. It’s always wetter in the west. Here’s the Shetland stripe, in this morning’s sunshine:




 

Helen came to heave me around the garden, which was successfully done. She admired the stripes. And the KD yarn didn’t arrive – it would have been rather extraordinary if it had – so I’ll have at least one more day of adding to it. I started to put in an off-white stripe this morning, but soon decided against it. What is it about white?

 

I’ll try to post the video of Hamish clicking. No promises:




 

My guess would be that he did it spontaneously, and his father responded with delight, and it turned into a game delightful to both. Much the same process by which “da-da” and “ma-ma” become “Daddy” and “Mummy”.

 

Language: or wholly-irrelevant-anecdote, as you prefer:

 

Once when I was a student in Glasgow I went to a grown-up drinks party. I can’t remember where or why. Were other students there? And at one point I joined a group of grown-ups who were talking about the whistling language of La Gomera. It’s an island somewhere, and, as it happened, I had only recently heard a most interesting talk on the subject on the Third Programme. (Those were the days.) So I joined in the conversation with youthful enthusiasm and gradually came to realise that one of the grown-ups in the group was the man who had given the radio talk. That shut me up.

 

A few years later – did I tell you this just the other day? – after I had met and married my husband, that same man, now a colleague but still a distinguished linguist, bent over Rachel’s pram and asked, “Is she articulating syllables yet?” She wasn’t, but as soon as we got home she started to do so.

12 comments:

  1. Hamish is adorable.

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  2. =Tamar8:09 PM

    I like the stripes!

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  3. Beautiful and handsome Baby. The stripes in the sweater are looking good. stay safe!

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  4. Beautiful little boy, indeed. And educational for me, since he is very clearly showing us how to make the "click". Thank you. Loving your bright stripes - they will be even more welcome as we approach the solstice.

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  5. Oh my goodness, he is sweet! "Is she articulating syllables yet" precise, but very amusing.

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  6. So adorable!

    My husband who grew up on a hill farm in NI says the local farmers clicked like that at their dogs to call them or for herding sheep...

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  7. Hamish is the most adorable baby! I love the video, seeing and hearing the clicks!
    My younger daughter spent a semester in Capetown, South Africa and demonstrated the Xhosa way of clicking. I could never quite get it right.
    You have inspired me to use some of my left over Shetland yarn for a vest, if not a full jumper. Yours is stunning even in the early bit.

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  8. Wonderful post, Jean. Love the way you have done the rib on the Shetland jumper - not random at all. White always "Shouts" so Kate Davies' use of it as a regular stripe is interesting.
    What an alert and intelligent-looking baby - he is obviously ready to learn anything at all.

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  9. That is very impressive clicking. Click languages are very rare. There is only one known example outside Africa - the Lardil people on Mornington Island use one (Damin) but it has a much more limited vocabulary and range of clicks. Hamish is making a great start!

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  10. Gorgeous infant! Delightful story you tell against yourself. I would imagine we can all pull out an anecdote where youthful enthusiasm has run our tongues away. OH generally reacts to that sort of thing with "Close my big mouth wider!"

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  11. Anonymous10:48 AM

    Gosh, Hamish is bi-lingual already. He is going to be quite handsome, I think. Love those stripes, Jean! That garment is going to be gorgeous. Chloe

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  12. Lurker stepping forward to discuss white... One of the creative knitters I follow is Abby, who writes a blog named The Interior of my Brain and also has a Ravelry group. She puzzles over how and when white works with other colors, and when it's a bully. You might be interested in her comments about white in her Ravelry group: https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/search#forum=The%20Interior%20of%20My%20Brain&user=ableramm&topic=3440905&query=white&sort=recent&view=posts

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