OSC13 - Synth1 - Totolitoto Wins!

[abstractcats]

I've never been sure what the image of Italians is abroad - except for mafia, pizza and mandolins, that is - but I'm glad I contributed to change it ;-P (OK, I'm not exactly a fan of my country...)

Actually, there is spaghetti... anda' meata' ball! , sorry my Mexican accent is much better! And I think the Chinese invented spaghetti? and gun powder? and the theremin?

All kidding aside, the Mandolin has a very long history here in KY. USA, I've actually thought of getting one and having a MIDI pickup add...umm an OMC any one?

Da bums might got meatballs and gunpowder, but we got Madonna an GaGa

NOOO!!

[orbik]

I'm not good with mandolins, but when I was 15 I played this http://www.cambratech.it/Immagini/affettauovo.jpg (really), so how about an OAC?

Omg, so I'm not the only eggslicer player. Although I was 17 back then, and I don't currently have one. It had a range of about an octave - 2 tuned strings one fourth apart, with about a fifth of bend range for both. Also not the most ergonomic instrument as you'd need to squeeze the metal bars quite hard with the grip hand. I got a recording of it somewhere too.

[V'ger]

Yeah, we have a few umm "good ol' boy/ down home" dialects in Kentucky, but my mother took English in collage and taught me to speak well, so the deeper into the KY "country" area I go the more I'm asked "are you from Scotland" to which I respond, "Noooo, I'm from Senegal!"

Lol

[Mac of BIOnighT]

Omg, so I'm not the only eggslicer player. Although I was 17 back then, and I don't currently have one. It had a range of about an octave - 2 tuned strings one fourth apart, with about a fifth of bend range for both. Also not the most ergonomic instrument as you'd need to squeeze the metal bars quite hard with the grip hand. I got a recording of it somewhere too.

You too????? I don't have one now, either, but if we really do an OEC I'll get one immediately!! However, somebody will have to choose the model (and no FX allowed, jus a bit of reverb)
I'd love to hear your recording - I think I have one around, too, probably, but I have to check...

[Mac of BIOnighT]

the more I'm asked "are you from Scotland" to which I respond, "Noooo, I'm from Senegal!"

Let me derail the topic entirely (OK, this competition is over anyway) and explain something about Italian dialects that mey (or may not) be interesting:
what you mean by "dialect" in English-speaking countries is just a different accent, rhythm, a small set of local words and expressions, basically a different way to pronounce the same words. In Italy we call that "accent," while what we call "dialect" you would probably define as "language".
Dialects in Italy are really different "languages" that - while stemming from the same root - become more incomprehensible to each other as the distance that separates the places where they are spoken grows.
To give you an example, I'll take a line from a song sung in the dialect of Sicily (an easy line, otherwise I couldn't understand) and give you the transaltions (English, Italian, Sicilian, Lombardic (the dialect of my area)), I hope you can visualize the stress marks:

English: Autumn is coming / it gets dark earlier / trees shed their leaves / and school begins
Italian: L'autunno sta arrivando / si fa buio più presto / gli alberi perdono le foglie /e la scuola inizia
Sicilian: Veni l'autunnu / scura cchiù prestu / l'albiri peddunu i fogghi / e accumincia 'a scola
Lombardic: L'è dre a 'rivà l'autun / el fa scur pusè prest / 'i alber ien drè a perd i foei / e dervisen i scòl

Even if they are simple sentences and very close to Italian, I think you can clearly see the difference. When spoken, they become even more incompatible and incomprehensible to each other.
By the way; the "anda' meata' ball" you mentioned before (whcih I finally understood - I'm pretty slow on the draw, but eventually I get there ) is the way a southerner would pronounce English; if you look at the Lombardic translation above, you will see a lot of words end with a consonant, while it's the Sicilian that always ends with a wovel, hence their difficulty in pronouncing English words ending by consonant and the spurious "a" sound
To be clearer: "Tony" is from the south, not any "Italian" Even clearer: mafia, pizza and mandolins are from the south; cold, unhospitable and greedy are from the north (nice country, huh?)

A unique case is the dialect (now officially and rightfully called "language") of Sardinia, which is to Italian what Gaelic is to English.

I do like the music in the video!

That's Davide van de Sfroos, one of the very best singer-songwriters in Italy; his lyrics are poetic, intelligent, sensitive and just about any positive thing lyrics can be. The dialect he sings in is called "laghee" (dialect from the lake (lago)) and is similar enough to mine to be compatible, except for some pretty obscure words.
A couple more: (about the passing of time)
(a man and a woman meet in a "balera" (a place where common people go to dance) - he's a ignorant worker, she's from a rich family, worlds apart, but they fall helplessly for each other)
(about the Italians who moved to the US looking for a better life in the 30's - chorus in dialect (it describes the hope and excitement of going towards something new), the rest in Italian (it describes the sadness of having to leave your country and the people you love behind), incredibly moving track, I'm listening to it while writing and I'm crying, the lyrics just touch your soul.)

It reminds me that I'd like learn another language. May be Italian ?

You'd better study Spanish, that's definitely spoken in more places than Italian is

I could learn Korean as there is a Korean family who lives next door, there sons speak perfect English but the parents still have very thick accents.

Korean is a very beautiful language, but oriental languages in general are too difficult... they think in a different way as to sentence construction etc, plus their languages are totally immerse in cultural rules that are just impossible to absorb, and... the writing - that's beyond a westerner's brain! Too bad, though, 'cause they are beautiful indeed

[batgab]

Thanks for the lesson in the Italian language(s), Mac. It's interesting to me. By the way, for the longest time I just assumed that you were possibly an American living in Italy because your use of English in these posts sounds completely natural to me - and your posts are written better (spelling, grammar, etc...) than many written by my fellow Americans.

[abstractcats]

Let me derail the topic entirely (OK, this competition is over anyway) and explain something about Italian dialects that mey (or may not) be interesting:
what you mean by "dialect" in English-speaking countries is just a different accent, rhythm, a small set of local words and expressions, basically a different way to pronounce the same words. In Italy we call that "accent," while what we call "dialect" you would probably define as "language".
Dialects in Italy are really different "languages" that - while stemming from the same root - become more incomprehensible to each other as the distance that separates the places where they are spoken grows.
To give you an example, I'll take a line from a song sung in the dialect of Sicily (an easy line, otherwise I couldn't understand) and give you the transaltions (English, Italian, Sicilian, Lombardic (the dialect of my area)), I hope you can visualize the stress marks:

English: Autumn is coming / it gets dark earlier / trees shed their leaves / and school begins
Italian: L'autunno sta arrivando / si fa buio più presto / gli alberi perdono le foglie /e la scuola inizia
Sicilian: Veni l'autunnu / scura cchiù prestu / l'albiri peddunu i fogghi / e accumincia 'a scola
Lombardic: L'è dre a 'rivà l'autun / el fa scur pusè prest / 'i alber ien drè a perd i foei / e dervisen i scòl

Yes, each one does look a little different, if some one were to just glance at them, they might think there each from anther language or are they languages with in one language?
Interesting any way.

Even if they are simple sentences and very close to Italian, I think you can clearly see the difference. When spoken, they become even more incompatible and incomprehensible to each other.
By the way; the "anda' meata' ball" you mentioned before (whcih I finally understood - I'm pretty slow on the draw, but eventually I get there ) is the way a southerner would pronounce English; if you look at the Lombardic translation above, you will see a lot of words end with a consonant, while it's the Sicilian that always ends with a wovel, hence their difficulty in pronouncing English words ending by consonant and the spurious "a" sound
To be clearer: "Tony" is from the south, not any "Italian" Even clearer: mafia, pizza and mandolins are from the south; cold, unhospitable and greedy are from the north (nice country, huh?)

I should say also that I was remembering the girl I mention dating who's mother was from Italy and did not speak with the "a" at the end.She had been in the US for about 20 years at the time I had met her
but still had a fairly thick accent.

A unique case is the dialect (now officially and rightfully called "language") of Sardinia, which is to Italian what Gaelic is to English.

OMG! I've seen some Gaelic righting and that one looks like a hard one as well.

That's Davide van de Sfroos, one of the very best singer-songwriters in Italy; his lyrics are poetic, intelligent, sensitive and just about any positive thing lyrics can be. The dialect he sings in is called "laghee" (dialect from the lake (lago)) and is similar enough to mine to be compatible, except for some pretty obscure words.
A couple more: (about the passing of time)
(a man and a woman meet in a "balera" (a place where common people go to dance) - he's a ignorant worker, she's from a rich family, worlds apart, but they fall helplessly for each other)
(about the Italians who moved to the US looking for a better life in the 30's - chorus in dialect (it describes the hope and excitement of going towards something new), the rest in Italian (it describes the sadness of having to leave your country and the people you love behind), incredibly moving track, I'm listening to it while writing and I'm crying, the lyrics just touch your soul.)

Nice! I'll check these out as well, thanks.

Like emotional music? Check out http://swans.pair.com/

Some of the darkest yet beautiful music I've heard, strange electronic work, some great acoustic guitar and the deep lonely voice of Micheal Gira, three album in particular:

The Burning World, Love Of Life and Whit Light From the Mouth Of Infinity.

You'd better study Spanish, that's definitely spoken in more places than Italian is

Yeah, Spanish would be good as there a many Spanish speaking immigrants here in KY. There are also many African immigrants here as well and I love the there accents.also, ironically, the Africans work at Taco Bell fast food stores.

Korean is a very beautiful language, but oriental languages in general are too difficult... they think in a different way as to sentence construction etc, plus their languages are totally immerse in cultural rules that are just impossible to absorb, and... the writing - that's beyond a westerner's brain! Too bad, though, 'cause they are beautiful indeed

I think your right about that one, I could probably learn klingon easier

[Xenobioz]

Interesting with a discussion about languages.
I always like to learn new ones.
Asian languages are hard indeed. All though often lacking any conjugations (at least in SEA). Tonality is probably the hardest thing to learn. The word order is a bit difficult as well. Also for most of them you have to learn a completely new alphabet, except for Vietnamese.

My mother tongue is Finnish which I find is the easiest language to pronounce. Also appears to have the smallest amount of consonants of the languages I speak or have studied. English is the second easiest to speak. The hardest are Khmer and Swedish (I'm from Sweden). Khmer has the most amount of consonants, possibly vowels too, but is not tonal.

The easiest spelling is in Finnish as well , it's almost completely phonetic compared to English which is full of exceptions. Khmer is obviously the most difficult because it's a completely different system of writing.
I always dream about a reformed English writing.

[PurpleCatfishBettie]

About a year ago, i was watching a ton of Khmer music videos, with subtitles. At times, it almost seemed like i was beginning to recognize bits and pieces here and there.

In watching those Khmer videos, i did actually suss out the characters for 'bong'...('bong' doesn't mean at all the same thing in khmer as it does in american english)

Someone told me that the Vietnamese basically spoke Chinese, until the French showed up and foisted a modern alphabet upon the natives. Vietnamese appears much easier to learn than Khmer. The thing with Vietnamese, is learning all of the ornamentation surrounding what appear to be 'western' letters.

I've learned enough Vietnamese to be able to order in a restaurant, and as it turns out, to get me into trouble with young women, and their fathers standing nearby; and i know how to speak a few Khmer words and phrases beyond 'bong.'

As it turns out, it's almost as though i've got 'international incident' written all over my forehead or somesuch.... 'fools rush in' and all of that...

There was this one time, a Vietnamese dude translated the phrases, 'man on the silver mountain' and 'rainbow in the dark' for me... it's all written down here somewhere...

[Karmacomposer]

I just sent the grand prize winner his/her links.

Was there anyone else who won the 2nd and 3rd place prizes?

SuperCore is getting ready to be released, so I would like to know who I am sending it to.

Mike

[Xenobioz]

Yeah I think the Vietnamese used the Chinese alphabet before.
I tried learning Vietnamese but it was only for a very short period so I forgot everything I learned. I remember having problem with ornaments as well, and the tones which many of them represent. But still it should be easier to learn to read Vietnamese than Khmer. I can read Khmer a bit but with words I never heard spoken I'm never sure if I read them right. Reading the Khmer text in Karaoke videos is still difficult, because it goes so quick.
I speak Khmer everyday because my wife is Khmer.
This is bong written in Khmer, if anybody can read. បង

[Steplton]

I just sent the grand prize winner his/her links.

Thank You very much, Mike!
I have received e-mail. Hooray!!

Thanks all for your support!

[tattiemannie]

Still a couple of folk to contact Mike, but the big picture is that the guys in this comp really do participate for the the fun, the learning, and the general experience ... ...and so most have passed on the prizes ... we may yet have a taker or two, but if not ... dont worry, there's always next comp

[tattiemannie]

Finished the participants prize, just need to do some presets, and then i will post out the link!

[V'ger]

My mother tongue is Finnish which I find is the easiest language to pronounce. Also appears to have the smallest amount of consonants of the languages I speak or have studied.

Finnish must be one of the coolest languages around. You say it has few consonants, but certainly doesn't appear that way when looking at the words..

My vote goes for a single world language, end of story (let all others wither), and one of my plans for getting the peace prize is to unify and promote as obligatory a sign language for all the people of the world.

If there ever was a language I would like to learn now it would be sign language. It looks so cool when 'fluent speakers' talk fast.