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zaneth · Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 11:40 am Post subject: Language puzzle

Wants pawn term dare worsted ladle gull hoe lift wetter murder inner ladle cordage honour itch offer lodge dock florist. Disc ladle gull orphan worry ladle cluck wetter putty ladle rat hut, end four disc raisin pimple caulder Ladle Rat Rotten Hut.

Try translating this into ordinary English.
From Keith Alan's Natural Language Semantics.
Sorry if everybody's seen this one before. I'm looking forward to seeing if any of my students can get it.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 3:59 pm Post subject:

....Thanks. I like it.

I have also used a chapter from the novel "trainspotting" with an advanced class. It has much the same effect.

Justin

Tamara · Joined: 24 Jul 2004 Posts: 108

Thank you!

zaneth · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 6:37 am Post subject:

Hey! don't give it away so soon!

Justin, could you edit out your answer so people won't have it spoiled?

carnac · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 8:14 am Post subject:

For French and English speakers:

Lit-elle messe ma faite
Satan ne te faite,
Et digne sommes coeurs et nouez.
A longue qu'aime est-ce paille d'heure,
Et ne Satan bis ailleurs,
Et ne fredonne messe, ma faite, ah ouais!

Very Happy

(Hint: It's a Mots d'heures Gousses Rames)

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 5:47 pm Post subject:

If you had to deal with my students� writing for a bit, it would all make perfect sense.

Justin

PS Safely Edited

zaneth · Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 10:29 am Post subject:

I used it on some students the other day. It was really difficult for them. Their listening comprehension is just not developed enough. They're still stuck on the written form.

When one of the students read it out as it was, I was amazed how obvious it sounded.

After I told them the secret, they still had a bit of trouble deciphering it. They did have one nice alternate answer for part of it, that I hadn't thought of but it fit nicely.

Celeste · Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:07 pm Post subject: Re: Language puzzle

zaneth · Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 8:32 am Post subject:

The alternate my students had was from "fur disc raisin pimple caulder" to "for this, crazy people called her"

Snoopy · Joined: 13 Jul 2003 Posts: 185

�Un petit d�un petit s��tonne aux Halles�. Does anyone know the rest? I suspect it's in Carnac's collection.