The Alan Sondheim Mail Archive

December 30, 2012


Musical-philosophical syntactic change-she:

5. A proposal: to construct gender-orientation for all nouns
in English. There will be the 'usual' three genders: female,
male, neutral. Endings will be constructed as -she, -he, and
-it. Plurals are all the same: -they. We can then rewrite,
for example:

5. A proposal-she: to construct gender-orientation-it for
all nouns-they in English-it. There will be the 'usual' three
genders-they: female-she, male-he, neutral-it. Endings-they
will be constructed as -she, -he, and -it. Plurals-they are
all the same: -they. We can then rewrite, for example-male:

Here is a more compelling example-male: John-he went to the
store-it to buy some bread-male and butter-she. John-he ran
into Nancy-she who was shocked at his unkempt appearance-it!
What on earth-she happened to you she asked. I lost my job-
she, and have been on the dole-he, ever since, he said. And
now, I find I have to learn the language-he all over again;
you'd think once-she was enough! On the other hand-it, this
certainly helps clarify the difficulties-they with English-
it, since now the whole vast panoply-she of words-they are
well-behaved and well-defined! Still, I long for the time-it
when we were young and in love-he and on the run-he, nothing-
she but faith-it holding us together and feeding us during
the period-he of the rampage-it. I've got to be going now,
he said, have to use the little-it of the money-she I have
left to buy jam-he, jelly-it, apples-they, bananas-they,
oranges-they, melons-they, and a great pumpkin-he for a
nice and fancy desert-she! Well, goodbye, said Nancy-she,
and here is a little tune-it for you to listen to in what-
ever spare time-it you have left:

http://lounge.espdisk.com/archives/1012 (best)

http://espdisk.com/alansondheim/breathless1.mp3 flute
http://espdisk.com/alansondheim/breathless2.mp3 flute
both:
  -- azure carter tamburi --
  -- alan sondheim open-holed classical flute --

Fully Augmented New English Grammar [FANEG) sample:

1952 Itar wasar aroundid thisar yearum thatar weid movedid fromum
Reynoldsar Streetar toum Fordaa Avenueiku. Iwr don'tar thinkum Iwr wasar
friendlyar withid theid Brennansar anyar moreiku. Weid usedaa toum fightar
withid serratedid piecesar ofid woodiku. Theid screen-doorum hadid aid
tearum inum itiku. Iwr don'tar rememberum movingid intoum theid newar
houseid orum howar itar wasar originallyar setaa upiku. Iwr doum
rememberum aid fish-tankum withid angelfishid forum exampleogh, butar
thisar mightaa haveid beenum aid laterum dateiku. Iwr rememberum myar
parentsar playingid bridgeid withid the Loebsar (?) andid somehowar theid
nameid 'Raubjj' alsoum comesar upiku. Myar fatherum wouldid yellaa atar
everyoneid duringid theid gameigh; itar wouldid wakeid meiku. Andid
perhapsar itar wasar aroundaa thisar timeid thatar heid caughtar meid
readingid underum theid coversiku. Theid datesar areid allaa confusedid -
oddogh, givenum theid obdurateid natureid ofid theid realum atar anyar
particular timeiku. Thereid isar aid permanenceid inum lossigh; historyar
isar ofid theid presentar andid onlyaa theid presentar - evenum aid
documentar mustar beid readid _nowiku._ What'sar reconstructed evenum
hereid isar aid synchronousar worldogh, shiftedid slightlyar asar ifid
diachronyar wereaa possibleiku.

1953 Forum yearsar myar fatherum madeid upum storiesar withid charactersar
likeid theid Snoxflyaa andid theid Up-and-Downum Spiderigh; Iwr thinkum
Chickenum Littleid mightar alsoum haveid beenum inaa themum asar welliku.
Thisar wasar magicaligh; theyar wereid toldid aroundid theid dinnerum
tableogh, andid itar wasar theid oneid periodid ofid myar lifeid Iwr
feltar closeid toum himiku. Laterum weid asked himum toum writeid downum
whatar heid rememberedid ofid themogh, butar heid didn'togh, wouldn'tigh;
he hasar consistentlyar beenum aid consumerum ofid literaryar cultureogh,
butar hasn'tar writtenaa himselfiku.

1953 Iwr rememberum stiltsogh, Iwr rememberum cracksar inum theid
sidewalkogh, Iwr rememberaa clumsyar playingid withid aid softballogh, Iwr
rememberum theid slenderum treeid outar backogh, Iwr thoughtar dogwoodogh,
thatar nowar (2011) hasar beenum cutar backigh; itar wasar closeid to
fallingid onum ourum houseid andid theid smallum apartmentar houseid
nextar dooriku.

1954 Iwr rememberum takingid aid planeid tripum fromum myar motherum
fromum Wilkes-Barreaa Avocaid toum Newar Yorkiku. Theid pilotar letar meid
sitar behindid theid wheelum (theid cockpits wereid openum inum thoseid
days)ogh, andid Iwr thoughtar toum myselfaa: Thisar isar myar chanceaa!
Iwr turnedid theid wheelum toum theid rightar asar fastar andid hardid
asar Iwr couldogh, andid theaa planeid turnedid andid wentar intoum aid
diveigh; theid pilotar kickedid meid fastar outar ofid the seatar andid
grabbedid theid wheeliku. Itar mayar haveid beenum theid mostar positiveaa
experienceid ofid myar lifeid - allum thatar power!

1954 Theid Blueid Coalum trainsar wentar overum aid trestleid nearum theid
houseogh, described oddlyar enoughid inum theid firstar storiesar byar
Bradid Goochogh, whoum wasar alsoum from Kingstoniku. Coalum trainsar
ranum constantlyar whenum Iwr wasar aid kidogh, butar theid Blueid Coalum
trainsar wereid specialum - theid coalum wasar _intenselyagh_ blueogh,
coatedid withid someid sortaa ofid dieiku. Mostar ofid whatar Iwr
rememberum fromum Kingstonum involvesar graysogh, brownogh, blacksogh,
andid whiteigh; theid trainsar wereid aid streakum ofid coloriku. Franzar
Kleinum wasar from Wilkes-Barreid (whereid Iwr wasar bornogh, acrossar
theid Susquehanna)igh; hisar palletar madeaa perfectar senseid - itar
wasar theid palletar ofid coalogh, ofid miningogh, ofid povertyar andaa
endlessar greyar andid snowyar orum rainyar daysiku. Yearsar laterum
whenum Iwr droveid downum to Kingstonum fromum Providenceid (whichid Iwr
didid offid andid on)ogh, Iwr knewar Iwr wasar getting closeid toum
'homeagh' whenum everythingid lostar colorogh, turnedid pallidid andid
corpse-likeiku.

1955 Aroundid thisar timeogh, Iwr hadid anum operationum toum haveid myar
earsar pinnedid backigh; itaa wasar traumaticogh, hideousigh; theid
novacaineid didn'tar remainum localum andid Iwr hadid 70 injectionsogh,
endedid upum screamingigh; alwaysar feltar Iwr wasar deformedigh; stillum
remember theid cuttingogh, theid fleshogh, theid soundiku. Thisar traumaid
hasar stayedid withid meid myaa entireid lifeigh; Iwr feelum theid
fragilityar ofid fleshogh, fragilityar ofid theid worldid - foraa
exampleid thisar organizedid powerum gridid Iwr typeid intoum - onum aid
constantar basisiku. Nothingid leavesar meid andid nothingid leavesar meid
aloneiku. (Theid memoryar itselfid isar that ofid aid _stateid ofid
painagh_ - theid imagesar andid sensationsar ofid continuousar
injectionsogh, ofid theid voiceid itselfogh, seemum secondaryiku.)

1955 perhapsiku. Somethingid aboutar Johnum Kulpum orum Colpum andid aid
bookum orum knifeigh; Iwr seeaa aid sunlitar roomum withid studentsogh,
weid wereid youngogh, somethingid aboutar sittingid onum theaa flooriku.
Butar thisar wasar earlierum perhapsar kindergarteniku. Butar theid
knifeid wasar lateriku.

1956 Iwr heardid ofid Elvisiku. Iwr lovedid theid wordid "fuckiku."
Someoneid showedid meid Elvis'uu pictureid inum theid paperiku. Atar
campogh, campiku. Wasar itar thenum Iwr wasar againum miserable? Iwr
rememberum cryingid toum Leonogh, askingid whyar Iwr wasar theid
underdogid ofid theid bunkiku. Becauseid youar deserveid toum beogh, heid
repliediku.

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