THE
T
INVISIBLE IMPORT
OF MR. WAGI
London.
RYPHON WAGI, a 25-year-old African, has been Brought to London because he is a kind of one-man library. He is a repository of nearly all the informa- tion available hero about à Innguage called Sukums, that is spoken in a part of Tanganyika that borders the southern shores of Lake Victoria,
Wagi's people
(the Wo Sukuma) have spoken the language for a long time; but their worda
Have
never
by ROBERT KINGSLEY
been written down. Now, in Bloomsbury, experts are draw- ing upon Wagl's memory of his native Jongue to build up a ritten language from the 2,000- odd basic words in the spoken vocabulary. They are words that sound like this: Leelo, meaning today; Billiwa, meaning food; miinizi, meaning water,,,
to be a
The 'informänt' Wagi was training teacher in a town called Mwanza when the offer of this London Jcb arrived. He returned to his village, "12 hours by boat at eigh: knots, then D1 miles by bus," and told his family. week or two later he was in London,
native
A
years. But the Southeast Asian and African languages had no degree courens. We found. we had to devise our own training. methods,"
The method evolved was to take a graduate with some lin- guistle qualifications, train him for a time in the school, then send him to live for a year or more Among
the people who spoke the language concerned.. With him would go the "intor- mant" who had been at his side
lelong. As far as possible the rainco would live the life of the people,
From Katmandu
One school lecturer who has undergone such a course is Mr Thomas Welboume Clark. He
›
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1952.
Eva Bartok introduces
THE HANDBAG
STEREOSCOPE
TREND
Y
A column that - scans - the world for newɔ you may see later in the tall headlines.
by JAMES BARTLETT
.4
IN PLEASURE
is recently back from Katmandu, VOU will soon be able to living that should be In Nepal, study the Nepalens
where he went to spot a dated touch in back."
Ianguage the most apparently up-to- His "Informant," Pushkar
.coming
FILM men have an inter-
and mere Jang Bahadur Ranaate test-pilot films and untional year book (issued from
the
it
to England stories.
He works as an "Informant" at Londen University's Sichsol of Oriental and African Studies, which deals in one of Britain's most picturesque "invlilble im- portbscure languages
has travelled back cultures. "Informant". Ir with him. school's word for the men
The note-pad strapped to At the school, the spoken word the test-pilc's knee is going brings in to speak in these, their is virtually turned into "pic-
English tures" tongues, to
to ald study and e-out. When he flies faster search.
Shan round he now has hils school deals in languages Professor J. R. Firth, head of hands too full to jot down. as Shilluk, Kimbundu, the phonetics and linguistics his new aircraft is be- Fulani. Enk Call African): department, who spent 10 years Lepcha, spoken in the Hima in Lahore, and is a specialist Jayas; Sundnese, which is Im- in the languages of India, and portant in West Java; Vekslo, a
Pakistan, showed ma tho language used in the Solemons, laboratory, a small room, with During the lost war the school recording studios leading from The test-pilot speaks into was teaching 1,020
students, it. In it stands the camera mouthpiece and can tell mostly from the Services, bought languages like Japanese and the formed the basis or some headphones that his verbal,
second-hand by the vibrations in his
notes are being safely re- corded on steel tape.
Kuch
Chinese.
£3
of the complex Tho Foreign Secretary, *** used now.-'. 1940, set up a Commission
having.
In place of the note-pad: hoa voice recorder.
Instruments
hended by Lord Scarbrough The palatograph
. (now Lord Chamberlain), to go Ono' such instrument is the
into the whole matter of teach palatograph, which by a system. Ing Oriental-African, Slavonie
+
IN FASHION WOMEN's fashions, alreads Age for next
New York) that for 24 has bean coming out
០. Motion Picture Almanas."
years "The
n
The edition for 1953 hos trend retitling: "The Motion Picture and Television Almanac.".
*IN TITLES
town
WOMEN in the hall jobs are rebelling against tradi- the title "Mr Mayor," tional form of address to any accupant of the mayoral chair.
Now
with more than 40 women mayors in Britain-the
have culito Madam Mayer women argue: "If it is legal 10
woman is
Countrywide trend is for more woman councillors; so the motion is likely to be carried. IN BUSINESS
TS not pquities with the Ruestans-as more and more
and European languages of casts of the speaker's palate, dipping into the First Elizabethan British Arms will soon find out.
and the result of the Commis-and-photographs of the casts, slon's undings was a financial shows just where the
grant that allowed
expens!
In.
of the school's work, the staff was 40 now it is 141:
You
tongue year's Corona- on colours (rich gold's, (blues, and
Hes in the mouth when a word is spoken or a syllable, in some atranko dialect.
Coming away "tromi the reds), will New methods laboratory, I asked the Pry soon list their fessor one question more. "Are demands from The school's secratory, Lieut- colonel H. Moyee-Bartlett (on the English such bad linguists a more recent ex-reguler soldier. with an as they are made but?
ngc. Oxford MA), suggested why
1gong gloves the British? he "You mean the
"We are somewhat inn d
the the school was growing in im- answered. portance: "It seems to me, he shy of speaking the languages moulded "Ed- said, "only common sense. to of our
neighbours. But there wardian Bil- that the history of the
Aelds in which the houette" second half of this century is British excel phonetics, and flashback 10 going to be written In-Africa- dictionary-making. The repu- Queen-Alex--- and Asin,
tation the British have for andra-will be ""Our primary difficulty was being bad linguists on the whole | produced by recruiting teaching staff. Lan-Just is not true."
designers with
are two
a
to
gunges like Arabic and. Chinese The School issing its part the comment that they have been taught here for many to ensure that we improve.
rect for "the days of
They
are to be offered n British Government-sponsored of translations from Russian technical journals. The charge: 2s. 6d. to 8s. a page, de- pending on how many Arms
are interested in articles.
particular
Sample, titles on the Arst Hists: "How to keep an average of 25 of 23
piglets Der Bow cach year."... "How to develop fruit buds in autumn and winter."...
Use of
textile energy in the
Some Brms-will find that- samples of
of their own products are being tested in Russian laboratories and then reported are cor- on in the Russian technical
gracious niagazines.
For a long time there has been a craze in America for getting the stereoscope effect with a handbag. mirror and special twin ɛets of home-printed pictures. Demonstrating the idea to friends in London, Glm- star Eva Barlok posed in the stereo-pair study above The diagram and the picture below show----
HOW
THE
IDEA
WORKS
66CEEING STEREO" the the images of the stereo-
new way in good fun. air.
All your need is a handbug Then look directly at the mirror. A one-sided one. left-hand image-2 in the Place these Eva Bartok, diagram-with the left eye. sterco-pictures — or any "And at the reflection of other suitable ones on a Image 1 with the right. flat surface.....
You will see two images, Now deflect the free lower Hold the mirror-with edge of the mirror slightly the reflecting surface on the until the two images over right alongside your nose lap.
-
and aligu: perpendicularly his imediately producer with the white line between three-dimensional effect.
In all things there is only
ONE BEST.
BOOTAS
FINEST
DRY GI
LONDON
Choose
Page g
BOOTH'S
DRY GIN
#
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