Part 52 (1/2)
”Yes.”
”So language varies by educational level and geographical region. You can also throw in age, gender, social group, and just about every other demographic feature imaginable.”
”Language demonstrates what group you belong to.”
”You've got it. So the first thing I tried with your poems was linguistic demographic profiling. What does the language tell about the writer? Then I used microa.n.a.lytic techniques to discern in each set of poems an individualized language pattern, what we call an idiolect. Based on all this, I was able to do the authors.h.i.+p a.n.a.lysis you requested, and answer the question: Did the same person write both sets of poetry?”
”Did she?”
”Let me go on. This a.n.a.lysis was especially interesting, since the K K poems were composed by a French native speaker writing in English. As any foreign language teacher knows, you try to speak a second language using the linguistic system you already know, your native tongue. Until you get good, your native language bleeds through into your acquired one.” poems were composed by a French native speaker writing in English. As any foreign language teacher knows, you try to speak a second language using the linguistic system you already know, your native tongue. Until you get good, your native language bleeds through into your acquired one.”
I thought of my own use of French. ”That's why we have accents. And funny sentence structure. And word choice.”
”Exactly. For your a.n.a.lysis, as I worked through all the poems, when I spotted interesting pa.s.sages, I put them up for split-screen comparison. On one side, I placed the poems as they are. On the other side, I altered the poems to reflect what a French speaker may have been trying to communicate in English, but failing because she was incorrectly translating from French, her first language, and using false cognates. If the overall coherence of the poem improved due to my changes, I took that as evidence the writer was perhaps Francophone. Do you want me to take you through some examples?”
”Bottom line.”
”It's pretty obvious that both the K K and and Q Q poems were written by a native French speaker with limited formal schooling in English.” poems were written by a native French speaker with limited formal schooling in English.”
I felt a hum of excitement.
”Next, I looked for idiosyncratic rhetorical devices common to both the K K and the and the Q Q poetry, and any statistically significant skewing of vocabulary or grammar. You with me?” poetry, and any statistically significant skewing of vocabulary or grammar. You with me?”
”So far.”
”Listen to these lines from a K K poem: poem:
”Late in the morning I'm walking in suns.h.i.+ne, awake and aware like I have not been before. A warm glow envelops me and tells all around, 'Now I am love!' I can laugh at the univers for he is all mine.”
The words rising from my past caused a constriction in my chest. I let Rob go on.
”Now listen to these lines from a Q Q poem: poem:
”Lost in the univers, hiding in shadow, the woman, once young, looks Into the mirror and watches young bones returning to dust.
”In both the K K and the and the Q, Q, the author meters in dactylic hexameter.” the author meters in dactylic hexameter.”
”The same device Longfellow used for 'Evangeline.' My friend loved that poem.”
”Dactylic hexameter is common in epic poetry. So in itself the similar metering is not particularly meaningful. But of great interest is that throughout these two K K and and Q Q samples, similar samples, similar mistakes mistakes appear consistently. And throughout both, the word 'universe' lacks the final appear consistently. And throughout both, the word 'universe' lacks the final e. e.”
”Univers. The French spelling.” The French spelling.”
”Oui. Now let's go back to geography. Your friend was Acadian from New Brunswick. She spent time in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Listen to the t.i.tle poem from the Now let's go back to geography. Your friend was Acadian from New Brunswick. She spent time in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Listen to the t.i.tle poem from the Q Q book, book, Bones to Ashes. Bones to Ashes.”
”What am I listening for?”
”Regional dialect. This Q Q poem contains the motherlode.” poem contains the motherlode.”
Rob read slowly.
”Laughing, three maidens walk carelessly, making their way to the river.
Hiding behind a great hemlock, one smiles as others pa.s.s unknowing Then with a jump and a cry and a laugh and a hug the girls put their Surprise behind them. The party moves on through the forest primeval In a bright summer they think lasts forever. But not the one ailing.
She travels alone and glides through the shadows; others can not see her.
Her hair the amber of late autumn oak leaves, eyes the pale purple of dayclean.
Mouth a red cherry. Cheeks ruby roses. Young bones going to ashes.”
”Same metering,” I said.
”What about vocabulary? You've spent time in New Brunswick and South Carolina?”
”The phrase 'forest primeval' is straight out of Longfellow.”
”And refers to Acadia. At least in 'Evangeline.' What else?”
I looked at my jottings. ”'Dayclean' is a Gullah term for dawn. And in the South, 'ailing' is colloquial for being ill.”
”Exactly. So these two together point to South Carolina.”
A poet with ties to Acadia and South Carolina. A poet influenced by Longfellow's ”Evangeline.” A Francophone writing in English. Talk about a linguistic fingerprint.
Sweet Jesus. Harry was right. Bones to Ashes Bones to Ashes was written by Evangeline. was written by Evangeline.
A flash fire of anger seared through my brain. Another lie. Or at best an evasion. I couldn't wait to confront Obeline.
Rob spoke again.
His words sent ice roaring through my veins.
38.
”W AIT.” AIT.” I I SPOKE WHEN MY LIPS COULD AGAIN FORM WORDS. SPOKE WHEN MY LIPS COULD AGAIN FORM WORDS. ”Back up.” ”Back up.”