Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Umbrella procession, being right, Jafacain

In the rain this afternoon, an extended flock of golf umbrellas proceeds up Mount Sion. Beneath the umbrellas are smartly dressed men and women wearing those badges which are pinned on at conferences or official occasions. Some of the men wear dress uniform. On the umbrellas is printed a reference to this year's 400th anniversary of the foundation of Tunbridge Wells.

A book called The Art of Always Being Right by the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer attracts my attention in Halls book shop. "You don't need that," says the woman assistant, "you're a man." I buy it all the same.

According to the papers, cockney and other inner city dialects are giving way to an Afro-Carribean dialect called Jafaican. Creps means training shoes; Yoot, child/children; Jamming, hanging around; Nuff, really, very; Sick, good. It strikes me as interesting that in one paper an interviewee indicated that a slang word, which is now considered old fashioned is wicked, to mean good, fantastic.

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