Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Linguistic elucidation from Moscow-based teacher/commentator Mark Teeter (from Facebook)



THE COUNTRY I COME FROM / IS CALLED THE MIDWEST

--Russian students of English who are watching "Fargo" via the Internet may be forgiven for missing some of the nuances of what is called Upper Midwestern American or Minnesota English ("Well all right, then"). To help familiarize learners with this regional dialect, here's a well known text -- the 10 Commandments -- translated into UMA/ME Vernacular:

1. Der's only one God, ya know.
2. Don't make dat fish on yer mantle an idol.
3. Cussing ain't Minnesota nice.
4. Go to church -- even when yer up nort.
5. Honor yer folks.
6. Don't kill. Catch and release.
7. Der's only one Lena fer every Ole. No cheatin!
8. If it ain't yer Lutefisk, don't take it.
9. Don't be braggin' about how much snow ya shoveled.
10. Keep yer mind off yer neighbor's hotdish.

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