My Cat Guards My Instruments (pic)

[bellowbelle]

Is that a F1 Edeophone next to Puss on Bass - F1 as it seems to be wearing 'tyre-warmers' like the Formula race-cars do prior to a few laps of the circuit....

 

It's my one-and-only (so far) 'real' concertina -- a 37-button Morse Albion English treble. (I also have a miniature Stagi that has....18 buttons, I think.)

 

Hmmm...tyre-warmers....never thought of crocheting something like that! I have a few covers for my concertina like the one shown -- it's crochet over some brass hoops, mainly. One end is more open than the other, so I can slide the concertina out. Again, it's all part of the 'cat system' -- I needed something for my 'tina to keep the cats from clawing the bellows if I had to leave the room for a moment.

 

I like my tubular holders better than the regular case, so I always use the holders, now. I had problems catching the latch of the case on things, and then it would open up unexpectedly.

 

I'd like to crochet again, but I've pretty much given that up, since it bothers my hands. I am hoping, though, that the bamboo yarn I'm trying out might be nicer to me than the types I've used before....time will tell.

 

Is the word "Kissa" a real word or a nickname?

Russians often call cats "Kisa". And to call a cat, we say "Kis-kis-kis" or just "Kss-kss".

Cats react to it.

Entirely off topic, but there is raging discussion about the origin of Russians and one of the theoris is that at least Nordic Russians come from Sweden. Similarities between Swedish and Russian are striking.

 

I am part Finnish, and I remember hearing it spoken around me when I was a kid, but I only know about 10 words! My daughter actually learned the language (which amazed me) and she went on a trip to Finland (I've never been, don't really think I'll get there....). She named the cat. Appropriately, 'Kissa' is quite a 'kisser' -- she's always kissing us!

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the word origin is the same as the Russian. (Jim L., I'm sure you could tell us!)

 

In fact, you know, my own pre-Finnish origin might be Russian, or Swedish -- I don't have a whole lot of written family history. I know that my great-great grandfather's name was actually the Finnish word for 'Sweden.' The name got changed to Wiinikka eventually, because he worked for/apprenticed to someone in the 'house of' Wiinikka, as a taylor. The habit was to change your name to your employer's.

 

So, though we here in USA have only known our relatives as Wiinikka, they all started out as being from someone called, basically, 'John Sweden.' Something like * ''Ruotsi' -- though, I've probably spelled that incorrectly.

 

I loved my nordic relatives, they were such great people to go visit. But, they're all gone or scattered, now! We had a great time as kids, though.

 

Anyway....no concertina players, in my history...(must keep on topic, heheh ). Piano, organ, and dobro, though!

 

EDITED: "ruotsi' -- THAT'S what it was, or that's more like it -- not, as I had it, 'Rueski.'

Edited June 7, 2007 by bellowbelle

[JimLucas]

Kissa ('cat') has taken over my foot bass!

Is the word "Kissa" a real word or a nickname?

It seems to be Wendy's name -- or "pet name" (which coincidentally is a literal translation of the Danish equivalent of "nickname") -- for her cat. But as she says, it is the Finnish word for "cat".

 

Entirely off topic, but there is raging discussion about the origin of Russians and one of the theories is that at least Nordic Russians come from Sweden.

Makes sense that there would have been some interbreeding and even migration. Didn't Russia and Sweden each rule what is now Finland at different times? But migration of peoples and genes isn't always accompanied by their cultures and languages.

 

Consider, for example, all the slave-descended American blacks, who may have been kept culturally separate from the whites for a century and more, but whose culture in America retained virtually nothing of any of the languages or cultures they were torn from in Africa. Or the various invasions of China in which the invaders became political rulers, but culturally were absorbed by those they "conquered".

 

Similarities between Swedish and Russian are striking.

You mean the languages? Insignificant in comparison to the differences. The grammars are at least as distinct as Russian and Latin or Greek, though with commerce between the two countries, the occasional borrowed word is almost inevitable. (How about words like "babushka" and "troika" in American English?) There have been deliberate attempts on the part of the Russian elite to borrow both culture and vocabulary from Western Europe, notably Germany and France, no? And Sweden and Germany share linguistic ancestry. Meanwhile, all three countries are separated -- or connected -- only by the waters of the Baltic Sea.

 

But Swedish, like English, has none of the case endings that are fundamental to Russian, and the formation of past and future tense using continuing- and terminating-action verbs (e.g., идти vs. пойти) in Russian has no counterpart in Swedish or any of the Germanic/Scandinavian languages. On the other side, Russian word order is much freer than in Swedish (and word order in German even more restrictive is ). There may have been occasional recent borrowing of words between Swedish and Russian, but for a common ancestry I'm pretty sure that one would have to go back to before the ancestors of either group reached northern Europe.

[JimLucas]

Is the word "Kissa" a real word or a nickname?

I am part Finnish, and I remember hearing it spoken around me when I was a kid, but I only know about 10 words! My daughter actually learned the language (which amazed me) and she went on a trip to Finland (I've never been, don't really think I'll get there....). She named the cat. ...

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the word origin is the same as the Russian. (Jim L., I'm sure you could tell us!)

I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me. The main Danish word for cat is "kat", but affectionate words equivalent to English "kitty" are "mis" and "kis". Borrowed from Finnish or Russian? Could be, but I think it's more likely that they're all semi-imitations of the hissing sound cats sometimes make. That would also make some sense for the English "puss", "pussy", or "pussycat", though the connection there seems more distant. But that's just a "reasonable" guess, and I don't know for sure. I wonder if linguists are any more certain.

 

I know that my great-great grandfather's name was actually the Finnish word for 'Sweden.' ... So, though we here in USA have only known our relatives as Wiinikka, they all started out as being from someone called, basically, 'John Sweden.' Something like ''Ruotsi"....

Yep. "Ruotsi" is Finnish for "Sweden", while "Ruotsalainen" means "Swede" (person from Sweden). I was always amused by the fact that Reijo Ruotsalainen, who played hockey for both US and Canadian teams, was a Finn whose name meant "the Swede".

[m3838]

Hm.

Actually I disagree that case endings and various tences are even distantly important for Russian Language. Bulgarian is basically Russian, only without those. Easily understood by Russians. It just sounds kind of funny.

To me the phraze "Pa swenska tak?" was an eye opening. Because Russian equivalent phraze would sound like "Po russki tolkuesh?", where "tak" and "Tolk" are of the same meaning. Endings and order of words is of no importance.

The wery word "Russki" is swedish sounding and the translator gives me "a bunch of twigs". Proper nickname for rural butt naked savages of the time.

[JimLucas]

Actually I disagree that case endings and various tences are even distantly important for Russian Language.

For what aspect of Russian language? Understanding? They're certainly important to tracing the ancestry and evolution of the language.

 

But people with more experience than either of us -- e.g., professional linguists -- are probably more competent to draw conclusions about the importance of various details.

 

Bulgarian is basically Russian, only without those. Easily understood by Russians. It just sounds kind of funny.

Do you have frequent conversations with Bulgarians, with little or no misunderstanding? My own limited experience with both languages leaves me with the impression that many words are similar, but many aren't, and there are grammatical concepts in each language which don't even exist in the other. (Russian has no definite articles, but Bulgarian does. Bulgarian has no verb infinitives, but Russian does.) Simple conversation may work reasonably well, but many subtleties will almost certainly be misunderstood or missed entirely by a person familiar with the one language and not the other.

 

To me the phraze "Pa swenska tak?" was an eye opening. Because Russian equivalent phraze would sound like "Po russki tolkuesh?", where "tak" and "Tolk" are of the same meaning.

Actually, they're not. I think this is getting way too far from concertinas, but I can't let you spout such hogwash unchallenged. "Tack" in Swedish means "thanks" in English. Swedish "tak" means "roof". I should check with my Swedish friends to be sure, but I don't think either has the meaning of "tolk" (which to my ear doesn't sound the same, either), which in Swedish (and Danish) means "interpreter". Well, that also seems to be one of the meanings of the root "tolk-" in Russian, but not the only one. And you seem to be ignoring the evidence of all the words that either have similar meanings and completely different sounds in the two different languages, or similar sounds and completely different meanings.

 

Endings and order of words is of no importance.

Importance words and order no of endings is of? Gimme a break!!

 

The wery word "Russki" is swedish sounding and the translator gives me "a bunch of twigs".

I think I should check with my Swedish friends whether they think it's "Swedish-sounding".

 

Proper nickname for rural butt naked savages of the time.

In Swedish, or in Russian? And who are you suggesting were savages of "the time" (what time?)... Russians, Swedes, or both?

[m3838]

Ah, Jim, please.

Let's not be catching fleas.

The word Culture comes from Torah, but I don't suggest English is rooted in Hebrew.

Russian-Bulgarian similarity goes way beyond nicks and crannies of modern slang.

Russian has changed dramatically over 400 years. 90% of changes were in the order of words, dropping of one past time, dropping of "I am", suffixes and endings. The roots haven't chaned much.

We have inter-borrowing, but they sound foreign, and usually have more ancient synonims. Then there are very ancient words, like "Life", "Water", "Food", "Concertina" (just kidding), that precede formation of modern languages and went into many.

I don't speak Swedish, but the "Swenska" and "Ruska" and "Ryska" are too similar to bypass. Another would be "Moska".

Sure more Swedish words are found in English, for obvious reasons, but I find it interesting that there are many more connections between Scandinavian and Russian Cultures, than usually is thought to be.

I'd be most interested in opinion of your Swedish friends.

As for linguists, they are subject to politics and fear. Many sources will easily bypass obvious similarity and insist on some vague argumentation, just not to accept inconvinient findings. Russian - Swedish argument is ridden with shovinistic patriotism, for example.

I checked some Russian Sources for words: Kultura (culture), Kolbasa (sausage), Horovod (circle dance), Bazar (Market) - and few of the sources pointed at Hebrew origin of those words.

I think Moscovites were pretty much savages to Swedes, as well as to Northern Russian States. It's only with the help of Mongols Ivan the Terrible "unified" Russia and basically destroyed it as European nation.

But I'm not sure this is of interest to majority here.

My apologies.

[Stephen Chambers]

Let's not be catching fleas.

I think we can probably leave that to the cats...

 

Though these three kittens look far too well groomed to have any:

 

[Chris Timson]

Though these three kittens look far too well groomed to have any:

I'll have the one on the left.

 

Chris

 

Edited to add PS: this appears to be post no. 2002 of mine on this forum. I don't know which is more deppressing, that I spend that much time yattering on or that I still have an awfully long way to go before I become one o'they ineluckty thingies.

Edited June 8, 2007 by Chris Timson

[Dirge]

'Flying Spaghetti monster', Chris???

 

 

And why on earth would we want to go near it? It sounds quite unpleasant.

[Stephen Chambers]

'Flying Spaghetti monster', Chris???

Maybe a relation of the Dreaded Batter-Pudding Hurler Of Bexhill-on-Sea?

[Stephen Chambers]

Though these three kittens look far too well groomed to have any:

I'll have the one on the left.

Chris,

 

I wouldn't be too sure about that one, it seems to be taking a bit too much interest in the concertina. It could all end in tears yet, like these two dachshunds who've been playing "Christmas crackers" with a melodeon :

 

 

Edited to add PS: this appears to be post no. 2002 of mine on this forum. I don't know which is more deppressing, that I spend that much time yattering on or that I still have an awfully long way to go before I become one o'they ineluckty thingies.

You think you've got problems, I overtook you (again) a while back and this will be my 2052nd post. I knew getting a computer was a mistake!

[Chris Timson]

'Flying Spaghetti monster', Chris???

 

And why on earth would we want to go near it? It sounds quite unpleasant.

Enquire within for understanding: Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I am but a recent convert to Pastafarianism, so I apologise if my zeal offends.

 

Chris

Edited June 9, 2007 by Chris Timson

[JimLucas]

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

A most interesting litany liturgy.

And I have been considering adopting a new religion when I turn 80.

 

I doubt that that will be it, though.

I think becoming a Presbyterian, Rastafarian, or even Pastafarian would be too common. I'll be an Octogenarian, of course, but I won't have much choice about that. However, that's a denomination (or enumeration) that allows for other beliefs at the same time, so I think I may become Devonian. No, not an ancient fish, but living (and of course, believing) in Devon(shire). Among the benefits, it would put me closer (well, closer than Denmark) to Colin Dipper, who may be finishing my own Dipper concertina around that time. (I've decided on a very special instrument, so I don't expect to reach the top of his queue any time soon.)

[Guest Old Leaky]

I recently bought a Saltarelle one-row melodeon from eBay and the hard case stank of cat pee! The seller never responded to my email asking if he had a cat which would have confirmed my suspicions. Thankfully, the instrument was not contaminated. Not that I'm suggesting that could happen here of course ...

[Peter Brook]

so I think I may become Devonian. No, not an ancient fish, but living (and of course, believing) in Devon(shire).

 

Presumably the consumption of large amounts ot rice pudding, custard and clotted cream are all essential elements.

 

It's the food of the God's you know

 

Well the stuff made by Ambrosia is

[Chris Timson]

t's the food of the God's you know

Posibly, but in my religion pasta is the food the Gods are made of!

 

Chris

[Dieppe]

I recently bought a Saltarelle one-row melodeon from eBay and the hard case stank of cat pee! The seller never responded to my email asking if he had a cat which would have confirmed my suspicions. Thankfully, the instrument was not contaminated. Not that I'm suggesting that could happen here of course ...

 

I've a PA with a old hard case, and the one time I saw my cat in the empty case sniffing around---I yelled loudly and chased him away from it. I keep the case closed now whenever I'm playing the PA.

 

I mean think about it.. it's this large, soft, velvety, cushiony litter-box. Just perfect for the cat on the, uh, go.

 

[Hooves]

What's a foot bass and why does it LOOK like a cat's bed?

 

Hello Dirge,

 

This is what it looks like and here you can listen to it (it´s from the concertina connection site).

 

Actually I don´t know whether it´s a Dutch or Belgian thing - I never came across an instrument in this country...

 

Christian

 

 

What a funny song!

 

That foot bass is a bit intriguing, I will have to keep my eye out for one.