Monday, May 9, 2011

OPEN THE LIGHT! լույսը բաց!

In Marash Girl's Marashtsi extended family household, the folks used to say in Armenian, looysu patz լույսը բաց (open the light), or looysu kotseh, լույսը գոցէ (shut the light), an expression, one would assume, left from the days of yore when the light source came from the opening and closing of the shutters, the shutters that shuttered the light!  Marash Girl never spoke Armenian as a child, but in her household many folks did, and throughout her whole life, when speaking in English (her first language?), she could be heard to say, when the occasion called for it, of course, "Open the light!" and  "Close the light!"

Her friends always tease her and try to correct her:  No, Marash Girl! You must say, "Turn on the light" or "Turn off the light"! 

Now she double corrects herself and always ends up saying, "Open the light!" or "Close the light!"

I guess it's hardwired, so to speak!

2 comments:

  1. So apparently Marash Girl's American friends used to tease her about this... but she didn't mention that her daughter (as much a Marash girl as she is, if not more, genetically) regularly teases her too! However, to give some context, this is mostly because Marash Girl herself brought up her children to be very precise and correct in their use of the English language (with this small exception regarding commands related to light :))

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