Lingua Ducka, mishmash of miscellany

[Mark Semich]

David.A.Gerstein at williams.edu writes:
>	First a quote from Geir's thought-provoking letter to ground
>my comments in what's been already said:
>
>* Barks language was using contemporary speech, slang, newly formed
>language structures.
>* The Disney editors want the series to be moulded from the frozen language
>of that day. The translators have to use that language - unless it is
>considered safe to use more _modern_ language.
>* Thus the emotional expressions of Donald and Scrooge are repeated, even
>though it is a small matter to invent or even use modern day expressions.

I just finished reading an extensive article by Andrew Lendacky in The
Duckburg Times #21 that illustrates how Carl Barks' duck-slang was
modelled on slang that was contemporary with his stories, and also
effectively shows that as the decades passed, the duck-slang was
constantly and considerably changing with the times.  (I'm aware of
the possible legal humbuggery, but if anyone is interested, I'd
actually consider typing the article in.) (I'd also recommend the
article for its explanation of "BopBop".)

It seems a tad silly to me to try argue that the duck language can be
"frozen" in a certain time period, as you'd be attempting to freeze it
over a constant state of flux and evolution that lasted 40 years!  In
this case, change is traditional.

>	New phrases have indeed cropped up in the ducks' jargon in
>this country.  I don't believe that the ducks said "Great Honk!"
>before Don Rosa stepped in, but it's become commonplace now, and I use
>the exclamation now and then in my own duck work.

I'd certainly say that Don Rosa and William Van Horn have demonstrated
that duck-slang is far from a dead art and are fantastically building
on the grand tradition that Carl Barks started.

Humble rumble-bumbles:
----------------------

On a somewhat unrelated topic, I'd always thought that Don Rosa
originated the state name of "Calisota", but I'm running across
references to it in old Duckburg Times issues.  Just where did this
name come from?

Also, I recently purchased my *second* old Disney, WDC&S #62, and
noticed that on the cover, Donald is colored with blue eyes, much like
what Disney Comics recently attempted to do with the ducks.  So I
guess that the idea isn't as new as I had thought it to be...

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mark a. semich                                               mas at csa.bu.edu
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