rorkesdriftvc.com :: View topic

Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 2:56 pm

Haydn

You see, that's what I can't abide about you young 'uns. It used to cost us a tanner ...

Wink

I too have had a few thoughts on ZR to which I shall return at a later stage.

P

Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 3:01 pm

Haydn

This is why I mentioned in an earlier post in the topic, about being content with 'Zulu Rising' as a good last book on the subjects of Isandlwana/Rorke's Drift.

I'm not sure how much further any study can be taken, without it becoming over-analysed.

C.J.

Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 4:05 pm

PeterE
Can't comment as yet on ZR. Am reserving it for poolside reading in sunnier climes in a couple of weeks.

Did you hear the one about the bloke who went into a grocers and asked for two pounds of potatoes?
The grocer said, "Due to EU regulations it's Kilos now, I'm afraid!"
The bloke replied, "OK then. Give me two pounds of Kilos!"

Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 5:39 pm

Paul - a tanner? It was only a copper in my day!

Mel - Loved that one! One Sunday afternoon more than forty years ago I was wandering the streets of Plzen in Czechoslovakia, about 50 miles behind the Iron Curtain, famished and searching for a State outlet (the only sort which existed) that could feed me. There was none, until I finally came across a fruit kiosk selling, as far as I remember, only cherries. My Czech and her English somehow managed to meet in the middle but I was stumped as to how much to buy. She asked/suggested a kilo and I said yes (which is 'no in Czech, incidentally). I had not the faintest idea what a kilo would look or feel like.

Spent the rest of the afternoon doling out surplus cherries to local kids I met - and learnt for life that a kilo of cherries is a lot of cherries.

Peter

P.S. Admired the Sunderland grocer who was willing to go to jail for having the temerity to sell fruit & veg by lbs and oz. If they ever try to change our road signs it'll never work, as I'll be out every night painting them over ...

Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:48 am

Just to clarify here, under the right thread, that Ian Knight does set out in more detail than my posting of 1st October here originally suggested, his clear reasons for his opinion on the location of the discovery of the Zulu army and his awareness of differing views. My post under yesterday's date on The Missing Five Hours thread refers to this in more detail. (See Zulu Rising, pp642/3/4, which I thought I had referred to in my post on this thread of 6th October, part of which was lost/deleted in error).

P.

Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:22 pm

Returning, not entirely seriously, to a point made by Paul B-Q much further up the stack.

Surely signposts in miles are no more of an anachronism than signposts in Welsh?

G

Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:42 pm

For Peter Ewart,

Best not to listen to the BBC World Service then, where all prices are spoken of in terms of US Dollars.

G

Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 10:59 am

G

I was about to say "You amaze me" - but then nothing would surprise me these days with the BBC. Not sure what the first B stands for but it hasn't stood for "British" for a very long time now.

P.

Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 9:13 am

Surely signposts in miles are no more of an anachronism than signposts in Welsh?

Gall �glaigh

I am reminded of that exchange between Manus and Owen in Brian Friel's wonderful play Translations:

Manus: What�s "incorrect" about the place-names we have here?
Owen: Nothing at all. They�re just going to be standardised.
Manus: You mean changed into English ...

Wink

Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 10:27 am

That seems to have worked!

As was done during the 19thC revisions to the Survey of Ireland, and mostly because gazetteers could be more cheaply produced and were more necessary by then.

So, at the benign end helping to sell the maps and promote their usefulness and at the 'administrative' end facilitating the conduct of constabulary, excise and military operations. At least the hierarchies had a single name for each place and feature, however inconsitent with the emergent orthography, rather than the several versions used locally in many instances.

One is compelled, I feel, to ask what the Welsh words for mile and kilometre are?

Then, possibly, how much Dylan Thomas stuff (in English) might improve or worsen if kilometre was substituted for mile.

G

Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 10:42 am

Galloglas wrote:

One is compelled, I feel, to ask what the Welsh words for mile and kilometre are?

Ah, loan-words: don't you just love 'em? ...

Very Happy

The Welsh for 'mile' is milltir, first attested in the 13th century and evidently ancient even then.

Always delightful to joust with you, Sir. But before we move on, do remind me: what's the English for 'century', 'revision', 'survey', 'gazeteer', 'produce', 'necessary', 'benign', 'map', 'promote', 'administrative', 'facilitate', 'conduct', 'constabulary', 'excise', 'military', 'operation' 'hierarchy' ...

Et cetera ?

� Oh yes: and 'kilometre'?

Wink

Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 12:37 pm

I had to go back to page one to see what the original topic is (was).

Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 1:17 pm

It loses a lot in the translation..........

G

Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 4:29 pm

And to think of all the hassle I got on this topic, even though I was sticking to the original subject, about the contents of 'Zulu Rising'.

Odd. Confused

C.J.

Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 2:35 pm

Knight's talk at a signing of the book at Waterstone's in Chichester last Thursday [11/11/10] was very good. A scene-setter for reading the book and not a blow by blow rendition of the contents, he mentioned that he MAY seek to produce a volume two....of course publishers always have the last say, but I for one would certainly welcome a second volume.

AMB