Where there’s smoke...

Last Saturday the meat got burnt without warning me, today the fire alarm went off because I was making soup and M.G. had taken a shower and there was just a wee bit of steam hanging around in the corridor. That thing needs to get its priorities right. Also, I have no idea how to actually stop a fire alarm, except from yanking out the battery and putting it back some time later in the hope it won’t go off again. Apparently you need to wave a tea towel underneath it. I think fire alarms should come with a snooze button.

Work
So many books taken out, but they all seem to be about twentieth-century case studies in the Americas, Asia or Australia. Please give me some solid theory or historical European stuff! An article (well, half a book) by Fishman was useful, it questions some general presuppositions and also has a couple of useful contrasts that you want to consider if you’re doing comparative case studies.

Also read a bit on the history of language policies in France. It seems that minority languages were quite well-off during the oppressive Ancien Régime, while the real francification only started after the French Revolution, because everyone had to understand the message of liberty. You can draw nice parallels to the russification efforts in the Soviet Union, and perhaps to the present de facto American cultural imperialism. It’s ironic how despite all the talk about liberty, linguistic minorities get their rights and identities taken away from them.

Seems like Fishman’s polemics are rubbing off then...

Prosody
Staying in France, I randomly downl... acquired a French radio comedy sketch which is supposedly an interview with singer Francis Cabrel. J.M. introduced me to Cabrel last year, and the one CD that she gave me has been coming by in iTunes on a regular basis. There is something about Cabrel that makes him different from all the other French stuff I have. Something funky, but I could never put my finger on it.

Until this radio sketch. The comedians had Cabrel misplacing word stress on pretty much every word: the themes of his new album were the same as ever, ‘les chemains pleins de cailloux au fond de la rivière’ but ‘la différence est qu’il est nouveau’. Listening to his songs again, I realize it must be that what makes it so funky.

Too bad the comedians killed themselves laughing during the sketch.

Step, shuffle, hop, tap tap
I went to step class tonight. I had done step once before on Freshers’ Weekend ’04, but I never got the hang of the rhythm. But it was worth another try; and M.G. and C.A. were going as well so I wouldn’t look completely stupid. Much to our suprise though, there were about twenty people at step class. What?! Step is supposed to have at best five people there, including the teacher. Oh well. I got the rhythm of the step, shuffle, hop, tap tap bit now – and I might even return next week.

Going to the Pleasance Bar after step class is a bad idea. Monday night is pub quiz night. I did find out how Teviot is paying for lowering coke prices from 90p to 85p: the Pleasance have upped theirs from £1.10 to £1.20. Leeches.

Wind
For much of the day it was very windy. Wheely bins travelling independently across the street-type windy. This goes arm in arm with a slight drizzle and quite comfortable temperatures so that it really doesn’t feel that bad. Of course it shouldn’t start pouring with rain when I’m on my way back from the shops with only 50 meters to go.

Our dryer has decided that after four hours of drying, laundry should preferably wetter than when you put it in. M.G. and I disagree but we haven’t been able to convince the dryer yet. With today’s weather, this is quite unfortunate.