Dec
5
Written by:
lucy@english-pro
12/5/2009 8:34 AM
OK, whose turn is it? Playground laws dictate you have to have some sort of rhyme to choose who’s ‘it’, who’s hiding or who’s in the middle. Given that my brain recognised about 20 years ago that I no longer needed these rhymes, these once a daily requirements of my life shuffled off to somewhere in the back of my brain and I seem to have lost the key. Which rhymes did you use as a child and/or what do your children use today?
The only one I remember is:
Eeney meeney miney moe,
Catch a tiger* by its toe,
If he hollers let him go,
Eeney meeney miney moe.
[The rest of this post has been removed as it caused offence to one visitor. While the discussion focussed on language and its changing use over time based on society’s expectations, it contained words that are considered as offensive. Upsetting people is not part of my agenda.]
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4 comment(s) so far...
Re: Choosing dubious rhymes [A guide to offending your readers]
"Years of experience comes as standard in this fully-speced model. Solid subject knowledge and excellent skills are neatly packed under the bonnet. Admirable performance is all in the details, appealing to a wide audience."
With solid subject knowledge, the details of this "rhyme" does not appeal to any in audience who have ever been denigrated by such derogatory appellation.
"I have created English Pro to ensure your words do exactly what you want them to do"
Please then ... don't allow your words label you as what you are not.
By Harry on
12/5/2009 3:17 PM
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Re: Choosing rhymes
In Dutch it is similar,
iene miene mutten
tien pond grutten
tien pond kaas
iene miene mutten
is de baas
that suggests a celtic/friesian origin
By rinus kruissen on
12/6/2009 4:43 AM
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Re: Choosing rhymes
Harry,
I'm sorry you are offended. At no point was that the intention; I was merely reporting the history as I found it. This *is* a word that is unacceptable in our society. Understandably children are now given a range of alternatives to use.
What I find expecially interesting is that 'that' word was attached to it in the first place. Why on earth would it have made an appearance in a poem that has clearly been around for such an incredibly long time? It says an awful lot about society in the 50s , don't you think?
Since posting this blog there have been persuasive suggestions that the poem could be Celtic or Friesian; or rooted in shepherds' counting in East Anglia as well as the South West; or American. Of course with New Amsterdam having been influenced by both the Dutch and emigrants from England.
Kind regards
Lucy
By Ghostwriter on
12/10/2009 10:19 AM
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Re: Choosing rhymes
Lucy,
By hoping you wouldn't offend one person, you have gone and offended me. We are connected through LinkedIn (same or similar groups, profession).
I read through your post on LinkedIn and clicked through to this site, only to find you deleted the most interesting part of your post, presumably because it contained the 'N' word.
Really?
Surely that one person can look past the negative history of one word and see how it might be interesting to teachers and learners alike? Allowing this one person to censor your content has now weakened your position in my eyes. Will you also take down other interesting posts that you write because they offend some other group?
What's next? I hate to think.
Logan
P.S. I read the rest of the comments over on LinkedIn - now THERE'S a real conversation. Great stuff.
By Logan on
1/18/2010 11:36 PM
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