The Language of Riddley Walker

Today, I'm going to talk to you about Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban, a post-apocalyptic novel that takes place over 2,000 years in the future. More specifically, I'll be focusing on the language of this novel and using it to talk about the creative use of language, with some tips you can use in your own writing.

The Language of Cat's Cradle

I recently finished Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, a novel about religion, science, and global annihilation.  A fun read for the whole family, which will not be spoiled in any way by my post today because I am going to talk about the fictional language haphazardly presented throughout the book.  You see, the narrator of Cat’s Cradle has converted to a religion (Bokononism) that originated from the fictional Caribbean island of San Larenzo and sprinkles the narrative with terms coined from its founder, Bokonon.  These seem at first like nonce words (foma, karass, granfalloon) but it is implied that they come from the creole language spoken on San Lorenzo.  Today, I’ll be sharing the process by which I figured out some of these words and how you can help.

Can Nibble is mmm

I was in Gilroy a few weeks ago and I came upon a sheet of paper on my car's winshield wiper. Expecting some sort of advertisement, I instead found an essay titled "Cannibalism Today":

Soviet Mexicans

So I got to reading about Russian phonology, because that's what I do for fun. Anyway, I had this idea. What if I took a broad transcription of another language, say Spanish, and then applied narrow phonetic detail from Russian? And then, if you read such an IPA transcription to a Spanish speaker, they would say "Ay Dios mío, es un acento ruso" which roughly translates as "Oh my god, it's a Russian accent, run for the hills!" (inevitably, any rough translation of Spanish will end in "run for the hills;" they really put the panic in Hispanic).

Hyperlinking

So, I've come to the conclusion that hyperlinking text in a sentence makes it seem more authoritative. Even when you're B.S.ing or citing an opinion. For example:

Arianna Huffington suggests that Miller may have been the source of Valerie Plame's identity, and certainly Scooter Libby's weird letter to Miller, granting her a waiver to testify, hints even at a first read to Miller's intimate relationship with Cheney's office.


A more responsible and less manipulative method would be the term paper form, as such:

Arianna Huffington suggests that Miller may have been the source of Valerie Plame's identity (link), and certainly Scooter Libby's weird letter to Miller, granting her a waiver to testify, hints even at a first read to Miller's intimate relationship with Cheney's office.

I hate manipulation. Here's a cat with extra toes. I'm so excited about my new digital camera. Thanks brother of mine who will never read this!

Would Mouse make a 6-fingered cat?

Magic Kingdom in the Sky by Da Vinci's Notebook

All my life I have been searching for that fabled promised land
With my sisters and my brothers we shall walk there hand-in-hand
Through the trials and tribulations and the devils cruel temptations
I know that we'll all get there one day

After years and years of wandering, oh that kingdom we shall find
And the doors might not be open but we'll gather in the line
And our hearts will swell with pride the day those gates swing open wide
And we take a walk down Main Street USA

Oh, that Magic Kingdom in the sky
We will all be there together by and by
We will all drink from the fountain and go riding on Space Mountain
When we reach that Magic Kingdom in the sky

Where Mother Minnie, Father Dopey and Saint Tinkerbell abide
There'll be no more cares or sorrows on that heavenly teacup ride
I will lay down all my fears when I put on those big black ears
And join the choir to sing in harmony

We will sing the songs of aimless souls who once had gone astray
Who were lost but now are found in the Electric Light Parade
Singing Hakuna Matata, growing mouseketeers stigmata
In the only club that's made for you and me

Oh, that Magic Kingdom in the sky
We will all be there together by and by
All God's children shall be free in Pirates of the Caribbean
When we reach that Magic Kingdom in the sky

Oh, the meekest and the poorest their inheritance shall see
And a zillion Japanese tourists all will join the jamboree
They will ride that holy monorail into sweet providence
When they know that their redeemer is a mouse in short red pants (nice pants)

Won't you take me to Orlando where the sun is shining bright
All the angels are clean shaven and the people snowy white
Where your problems all are hidden and unhappiness forbidden
You'll find salvation for a modest fee
Climb into my Winnebago and if you help with the gas
Then we maybe can finagle you a five or six day pass
May your afterlife be blessed, just American Express it
Let MasterCard and VISA set you free

Oh, that Magic Kingdom in the sky
We will all be there together by and by
All religions may be practiced there except for Southern Baptist
When we reach that Magic Kingdom in the sky

Oh, that Magic Kingdom in the sky
Manufactured by that awesome Walter guy (he is my Walter guy)
We'll give thanks to that old geezer and we'll keep him in the freezer
When we reach that Magic Kingdom in the sky

This is relevant to the discussions about the link between Disney and religious experiences. I've heard Disneyland compared to Mecca, which is part of the reason why Saudi Arabia wants to retransliterate مكة المكرمة as Makkah.

There aren't enough Monomyths to go around

So I just finished two books. Joseph Campbell’s the Hero With a Thousand Faces and the Myth of the American Superhero by John Shelton Lawrence and Robert Jewett (leave a comment or two in their blog, they're looking a little lonely over there). The former book has been much better circulated and even has several Wikipedia articles devoted to it while the latter, being published in 2002, has not made as much of an impact yet. I had to special-order the book, and it was $27.
So, as a service to you, I’m going to share a summary as well as my criticism of the book.

And the Lord Said Unto Me: "Just tell 'em I said 'hi'"

Now, if you’ve seen Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, you may be vaguely familiar with the Cabazon Dinosaurs that worked as a symbol of Pee Wee’s subconscious anxieties. I went with my parents to pick up my niece and nephew in Indio and we stopped by the Cabazon dinosaurs. I hadn’t been there in years, and when I entered the gift shop, I was presented with a little display of a knight and dinosaur with a sign noting how dinosaurs lived alongside human beings. A few feet up the stairs and there’s a plate tectonics map with a nearby note:

Exciting new research by geophysicist and creationist John Baumgardner shows how plate tectonics works better rapidly. Dr. Baumgardner supercomputer model Terra was developed when he was a researcher at Los Alamos Laboratories. His computer model, which is highly regarded in the scientific community, has continents moving at meters per second instead of inches per year and the sea floor crust diving under the continents. In this model, the sea floor would also warp up and the continents would warp down, flooding the land with water. This sprint of the continents would have caused a line of geysers along the boundaries of the plates creating global rainfall. Global rainfall, fast moving continents and rapidly laid down sediments are the major parts of a Creationist flood model for the 21st century.

Art in Government Documents

So, as some of you may know, I am a graduate now. While I plan on continuing my education, the degree I have certainly benefits me in my path to self improvement. But it can also help me on the job. Now what, may you ask, could a BA in English possibly do me in the business world? Well, I'm glad you asked, because not too recently I was put in the position of alerting the top brass at my workplace of an illigitimate policy. I had to do it in writing. As my work largely consists of processing documents, my manager agreed with the policy, and I had already taken my scheduled breaks, the longer it took me, the poorer my performance rates would be for that day so I had to work quickly. Luckily, I had just graduated the week before, so I knew I could do it. Now, keep in mind that the sensitive information had to be censored out (I do work for the government) but I believe my writing shines through the censorship:

Sim Peanut Butter

Since I like to cheat at games frequently, I was reading a walkthrough for Simcity 4. Apparantly there's something the author calls the "peanut butter point" where things are going fine but there's no growth. The way to deal with such circumstances sounded eerily familiar:

A common phrase in comedy and the entertainment industry in general is "Leave your audience wanting more." Concentrate on what is RIGHT in your town... I hate saying this, but for the sims' own good, the best way to make your city get out of its sticky trap is to piss everyone off.