And so (as rysmiel would put it) it begins

[lethargic_man]

"Although it was over a month to Christmas, the advertising orgy had begun and the buying hysteria spread as swiftly and ruthlessly as the Black Death along the festooned shopping streets. The epidemic swept all before it and there was no escape. It ate its way into houses and apartments, poisoning and breaking down everything and everyone in its path. Children were already howling from exhaustion and fathers of families were plunged into debt until their next vacation. The gigantic legalised confidence trick claimed victims everywhere. The hospitals had a boom in cardiac infarctions, nervous breakdowns and burst stomach ulcers."

-- Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, The Laughing Policeman (1968)

Comments

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

You know, when I say that in the particular portentous tone of voice to which I think you are referring, I am actually quoting Babylon 5.

[liv]

Meow. That's both cynical and apt. How did you come upon this over-umlauted pair?

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

It's number nine in the Crime Masterworks series. And they're not, I'm sure, over-umlauted for Swedes; you're being languagist. Some day when I get time I'm going to have a rant here about this.

Meanwhile, thinking back to the vague memory of reading that "Istanbul" must be derived from "Constantinople" (http://www.friesian.com/decdenc1.htm#note-3) because "Istanbul" is not a Turkish name, it's occurred to me that with the researching into Turkish I did for my latest story, I can see the reason for this myself: "İstanbul" (spelled in Turkish with a dotted I) breaks the rules of Turkish vowel harmony (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vowel_harmony) (and digging the original article out to provide the above link, I can see that this is indeed the case).

Meanwhile, somebody at work's reaction to the quotation above: "So what you're saying, effectively, is 'Bah Humbug?' :oP" :o)

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

you're being languagist

"linguist", surely?

[liv]

they're not, I'm sure, over-umlauted for Swedes; you're being languagist
Quite intentionally so, I assure you.

I'm going to have a rant here about this
Oh, please do, it sounds like a most excellent rant.

"İstanbul" (spelled in Turkish with a dotted I) breaks the rules of Turkish vowel harmony
OK, I'm impressed. The vowel harmony stuff was cool anyway, but it's even more cool that you've found this direct application of your esoteric linguistic-y knowledge.

"So what you're saying, effectively, is 'Bah Humbug?' :oP"
Which you do say with quite some flair, so this strikes me as a good thing.