Tuesday 1 May 2012

Daniel Jones's favourite proverb

In my blog entry of the 23rd of April a follower wrote that one of Daniel Jones's favourite proverbs was: "Alone I am not a human being; I become one only with the help of others". I was wondering what the proverb sounded like in the original language.
One of the authors of the book The Real Professor Higgins kindly sent me scans from a book called A Sechuana Reader published in 1916 by Jones together with Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje. It contains a set of reading passages together with literal translations and phonetic transcriptions.

English translation of reading text no. VII with the proverb at the end.

Phonetic transcription of the Sechuana version of the proverb.

Title page of the Sechuana Reader.

3 comments:

  1. Now there's a book I'd like to add to my collection.

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  2. Can any reader find a way to let us hear the proverb spoken by a Sechuana speaker.

    →Paul. If you've got an attractive swop...

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    Replies
    1. Phew!
      It'd have to be a real beauty to be worth a Sechuana Reader.

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