English Acquisition by Immigrants (1880-1940): The Confrontation as Reflected in Early Sound Recordings
Eric Byron
« Previous Page
English Acquisition Difficulties: Words That Sound the Same in Both Languages But Mean Different Things
Quite a few recordings concentrate on the struggles associated with English acquisition. Commercial sound recording artists could not resist exploiting the mispronunciations, misunderstandings, and other distortions that resulted when immigrants tried to master English. The end product not only made for a good laugh, but the immigrant must have felt a little less awkward and lonely in the pursuit of this new language. One hears a number of common acquisition problems on the records. Words may sound the same in both languages, but may have entirely different meanings. A speaker might master the meaning of the words and the grammatical order in which they should be used but never quite pronounce the phonemes correctly. Idiomatic expressions and popular phrases in one language are often extremely difficult to translate into another.
A word in one language may sound exactly the same or nearly the same as a word in another language, but the meanings may be completely different. The following example hints at the kinds of difficulties that could arise. In the 1915 "Milchuma" (War) performed by Isadore Lillian and Louis Gilrod on Columbia E2446, the performers humorously describe all the confusion that occurs when immigrants write home using English words they have integrated into their native language that sound similar to Yiddish words. For example, the word for "letter" sounds like the Yiddish word layter, which means ladder in Yiddish. The English word "miss" sounds almost exactly the same as the Yiddish word mies, but in Yiddish mies means ugly. Likewise, the English word "board" means beard in Yiddish and key in Yiddish is the word for cow. "Strike" pronounced the way a Yiddish person might pronounce it becomes the Yiddish word for string. The chaos and bewilderment the immigrants must have felt are all played out on the recordings, so much so that the two speakers finally decide that it is better to remain in wartime Russia than to come to America where nothing makes any sense.
Zindl: "Vayl mayn brider Chayim Lokshn iz in Amerike tsen yor. Hot er mir geshribn a leyter."
Grindl: "A leyter shraybt men? Ikh veys az a leyter krikht men."
Zindl: "Oy gevalt! Nit a leyter az men kent im, steyt er. Nur a leyter az men skhikt im, geyt er. A leyter auf Amerikener lushan, dus is a briv.
Grindl: "Azoy. Vi geyt es im do?"
Zindl: "Er shraybt az es geyt im dortn zeyer gut. Er voynt dorn bay a mies (misses) un di mies (misses) iz zeyer a sheyner un bay der sheyner mies (misses) iz er a bord."
Grindl: "Ikh farshtey nit. Oyb zi iz a mies, vi ken zi a sheyner? Oyb zi iz a sheyner, vi ken si zayn a mies. Un vi kimt tsi ir a bord?"
Zindl: "Nisht a bord vos vakst aufn punem. A bord auf Amerikaner lushan iz a kvartirant."
Grindl: "Azoy. Er voynt vay iz auf kvartir?"
Zindl: "Yo. Un er shraybt mir az di sheyne mies (misses) spilt mit im a libe un zi hot im gesheynkt a ki (pronounced key)."
Grindl: "Azoy. Ez iz im avekgeshenkt a ki (pronounced key). In Amerike, muz zayn a sakh bahaymes. Nu, vuszhe ti er mit di ki? Vos tit er?"
Zindl:"Er trugt zi arum in keshene un az er kumt aheym speyt baynakht un es iz farshlosn di tir, nemt er aroys di ki (pronounced key) fun der keshene un efent mit di ki, di tir."
Grindl:"Azoy, ay, yay, ya . . . Vi kimt arayn a gantze ki in a keshene?"
Zindl:"Freg nisht keyn kashes auf Amerikane keshenes. . . ."
Zindl:"Because my brother, Khayim Lokshn, has been for ten years in America. He wrote me a letter."
Grindl:"You write a ladder (leyter)? I know you crawl on a ladder."
Zindl:"Oh, help! Not a ladder that as you see him, he's standing; but a letter that when you send it, it goes. A letter, in American speech, is a briv."
Grindl:"Is that so? How is he doing, then?"
Zindl:"Oh, he's doing very well there. He's living there at a Misses (pronounced mise) and the misses is a real beauty. And at the beautiful misses, he's a boarder (pronounced bord)."
Grindl:"I don't understand. If she is un-attractive (a mise), how can she be a beauty? If she is a beauty, how can she be un-attractive? And how does he come to have a beard (pronounced bord)?"
Zindl:"Not a bord that grows on your face. A bord (boarder) in American speech, that a kvartirant (boarder)."
Grindl:"Is that so? He's boarding at her place."
Zindl:"Yeah. And he writes me that the beautiful misses and he are playing around and she has given him a key."
Grindl:"Is that so? He was given a cow (ki). In American there must be a lot of cattle. Well, what then, does he do with the cow (key)? What does he do?"
Zindl:"He keeps it in his pocket, and when he comes home late at night and the door is locked, he takes the key out of his pocket and opens the door with the key."
Grindl:"Is that so? Ai, ai, ai, - - - How does a whole cow get into a pocket?"
Zindl:"Don't ask questions about American pockets. . . ."[7]
English Acquisition Difficulties: Phonemic and Idiomatic Interference
Each linguistic group has its own set of phonemes, units of sound that signify meaning for that specific group. Immigrants commonly found pronouncing the phonemes of their new language difficult, if not impossible. Often, a native speaker of one language will unintentionally impose the phonemes of the native language on the language with which he or she is less familiar. Of course, mispronunciation can lead to misunderstanding, resulting in embarrassing and comic situations. Performing artists during the early years of sound recording could not resist using such material. Generally they were American performers producing for a native English speaking non-ethnic and non-racial audience. Charles Widden, however, employs the method in his "Peterson Vid Telefonen" (Peterson on the Telephone) for a Swedish immigrant audience. Recorded in April 1919, Widden speaks in English with a Swedish accent.
No, I didn't say you were crazy.
I said she works for Casey
U. R. Casey, the plumber.
Well, I'm please to meet you.
Can you give me the telephone number of U. R. Casey?
No, I didn't say anything about your mental condition.
I want Casey. C-a-k-s-e-e [?], the plumber.
My girl Hilma Yonsen works for him and I want to see her through the wire." [8]
Image: "King Lear," Columbia 667, circa 1900.
Immigrants discovered that even if they could master English phonemes to the point where others could understand them they had at least one other linguistic hurdle to overcome. They quickly realized that translating idiomatic expressions from one language to another could be a formidable task, often generating unwanted results. The 1915 recording "Wie Men Englisch Lernt," by Carl Frischer on Columbia 2797 plays on these difficulties. Carl Frischer informs his audience that his Irish girlfriend has betrayed him and now he has decided to share with us the letter in English he has written ending their relationship. His literal translations of German idioms into English create linguistic havoc resulting in a very poorly constructed letter in English and a very funny skit.
"Mein liebes, süsses Zuckerherz,
my dear little sweet sugar heart .... seitdem ich mich mit Dir verbunden habe ... (wissen Sie, es ist nicht zu
leicht vom deutschen ins englische zu übersetzen,
because the American can [question the houses?]
which is the German) .... seitdem ich mich
mit Dir verbunden habe .... since I farknipft
myself with you hab ichausgefunden
have I found it out dass Du mich hintergehst
that you
go behind me hinterum und so habe ich den Entschluss gefasst
and so I catch the resolution dass ich Dir nicht mehr den Hof machen
will
but now I don't like to make you any more the yard. Ich liebte Dich immer zum Fressen ganz
I always liked you to very much that I liked
to fressen aber jetzt ist's aus
but but now is out.
Ich hab' Dir immer gesagt
I always telled you so dass ich im Stande bin
that I am in the stand eine Familie zu ernähren
to nourish a family, aber jetzt ist's aus
now is out und ich kann Dich nur versichern
and now I can make the insurance mit you dass ich die Sache nicht mehr auf die lange Bank stehen
will now I don't like to push the [case = Kä se = cheese ]
on the long bench any more. Lass' mich für immer im Frieden und in Ruhe
let me for ever in quietness, shurrup und halt's Maul, Du aufgeblasene alte Dampfnudel,
you old busted up steam noodle. Ich hab' überhaupt
schon'nen Katzenjammer vor Dir ... das ist sehr schwer zu übersetzen, denn der Ameri-kaner weiss genau was "Katzenjammer" ist --
pussy-sick from you."
"My dear sweet sugar heart ... my dear little sweet sugar heart .... since I linked up with you... (You know, it isn't too easy to translate from German
into English, because the American can [question the houses?] which is the German) .... since I "farknipft" myself with you, I found out that you cheat
on me, have I found it out that you go behind me in the back, and so I reached the decision .... and so I catch the resolution that I will no longer court you... but now I don't like to make you any more the yard. I could have devoured you entire with love ... I always liked you to very much that I liked to devour, but now it's over ... but now is out. I have always told you ...
I always "telled" you so ... that I am in a position... that I am in the stand to support a family ... to nourish a family, but now it's over ... now is
out, and I can only assure you... and now I can make the insurance with you ...that I am not going to let this case keep pending ... now I don't like to push the cheese ["casee"] on the long bench any more. Leave me for evermore in peace and alone ... let me for ever in quietness; shurrup ... and keep your
trap shut, you old puffed-up dumpling ... you old busted-up steam noodle. I'm altogether sick and tired as a cat of you ... (You know, it isn't easy
to translate from German to English, because Americans know precisely what a "katzen-jammer" is: pussy-sick from you.)"
[9]
Next Page »
Eric Byron is the Coordinator of the Ellis Island Discography Project at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum of the National Park Service. He can be reached at (212) 363-3206 ext. 153.
