My Budget Speech Analysis: Kolo-golo-nay!
This story is not a parody (although it's kind of tragically hilarious): The last two speakers of this endangered language refuse to speak to each other:
The language of Ayapaneco has been spoken in the land now known as Mexico for centuries. It has survived the Spanish conquest, seen off wars, revolutions, famines and floods. But now, like so many other indigenous languages, it's at risk of extinction.
There are just two people left who can speak it fluently – but they refuse to talk to each other. Manuel Segovia, 75, and Isidro Velazquez, 69, live 500 metres apart in the village of Ayapa in the tropical lowlands of the southern state of Tabasco. It is not clear whether there is a long-buried argument behind their mutual avoidance, but people who know them say they have never really enjoyed each other's company.
Here's the part where I think America could roll up its sleeves, set aside its differences, and cooperate in a bipartisan way to save part of this language, because we are all connected, and there are some things we can only do together, as a nation, and we can solve this problem and meet this challenge, and this is our vision and we truly believe in it and we share our community:
Suslak says the language is particularly rich in what he calls sound symbolic expressions that often take their inspiration from nature, such as kolo-golo-nay, translated as "to gobble like a turkey."
We've got to be able to save that phrase, at least. I'm not quite sure what it's supposed to mean, but I think it might mean, any part of yesterday's budget speech that didn't involve numbers. Or details. Or a plan. So, here's my translation:
Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay! Kolo-golo-nay!
Consider that language saved. Next problem?
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Comments :
Dec '10
Re: My Budget Speech Analysis: Kolo-golo-nay!
Claire,
You left out a sentence.. ;)
Admittedly, I didn't listen to the whole speech. It's gotten to the point where I can't listen because all he does is babble on and on like some sophomore in an alternate reality. No details and no substance. Just idiocy, class warfare, and fear -- they want to take your pink pony away. He's just campaigning like it's 2008. Good luck with that Barry.
Edited on Apr 14, 2011 at 4:02amJan '11
Re: My Budget Speech Analysis: Kolo-golo-nay!
One is left to wonder how the Turks feel about this, and why they haven't taken any steps themselves to rescue a language which obviously holds them in such high esteem.
Re: My Budget Speech Analysis: Kolo-golo-nay!
What are you talking about, Ajax? The country is called Türkiye.
Jan '11
Re: My Budget Speech Analysis: Kolo-golo-nay!
Turkey, Türkiye; poh-tay-toh, poh-tah-toh, &c.
May '10
Re: My Budget Speech Analysis: Kolo-golo-nay!
Wasn't that the phrase heard by the man from Nantucket (no, not going there ... this time) in that Edgar Allen Poe story, as he lost his sanity while sailing further to the nadir of the world than any person in history?
Strangely fitting for the big do-nothing-while-the-nation-collapses speech.
Dec '10
Re: My Budget Speech Analysis: Kolo-golo-nay!
Claire,
I think you've identified the hex word which will finally tip us over into the debt crises Paul Ryan has been predicting.
Kolo-golo-nay: translation: The President is not serious about reducing America's debt. Please don't let this get out to the Chinese.
Alternate translation 1: The President has now shifted from pretending to be president to full campaign mode so that he can pretend to be president for another 4 years. The pronunciation for this usage is kolo-golo-NAY, with the accent on the last syllable.
May '10
Re: My Budget Speech Analysis: Kolo-golo-nay!
Sorry, the Poe thing was "Tekeli-li!". All too easily confused with "Mi-likki-likki-maki", which means "is that a turnip in your leggings?" in Finnish.
Apr '11
Re: My Budget Speech Analysis: Kolo-golo-nay!
Kolo-golo-nay!! Kolo-golo-nay with canards of mass appeal for the prince wish not evince what he knows will not convince - Prefers instead to keep quite murky plans for socialist malarkey Not allow one to unveil the true motive he conceals but occasionally reveals by a condescending smirk-y
Dec '10
Re: My Budget Speech Analysis: Kolo-golo-nay!
Yeah, but, the 65% of Americans that do not work, plus half the remainder that do work, but work for the government, say. "Gobble, gobble".