Stefan Persson <spe at inducks.org> wrote:
> http://coa.inducks.org/coa/c1/issue.php/0/se/KA2003-43
There is no help for me in this link at this moment, Stefan - simply beacuse
that magazine is not indexed yet. But if you have that magazine there please
tell us the Swedish title directly here.
Sigvald
Author
Topic: 200310
(424 messages)
Sigvald Grøsfjeld Jr.
Swedes and Danes, I need your help!
Message 301 -
2003-10-20 at 23:32:17
Stefan Persson
Swedes and Danes, I need your help!
Message 302 -
2003-10-20 at 23:37:45
Sigvald Gr?sfjeld jr. wrote:
> There is no help for me in this link at this moment, Stefan - simply beacuse
> that magazine is not indexed yet.
It is indexed, but it seems that COA's files are a few days old. I
guess that I should have checked the link better before posting it here.
Here's a quote from the files I have on my hard disc:
KA2003-43c D 2003-017 13 4b at DR DR DR DR DD Oskattbart skr?p
[xapp:DD,QF,US,BB] [trans:SDi]
Stefan
> There is no help for me in this link at this moment, Stefan - simply beacuse
> that magazine is not indexed yet.
It is indexed, but it seems that COA's files are a few days old. I
guess that I should have checked the link better before posting it here.
Here's a quote from the files I have on my hard disc:
KA2003-43c D 2003-017 13 4b at DR DR DR DR DD Oskattbart skr?p
[xapp:DD,QF,US,BB] [trans:SDi]
Stefan
Magnus Bark (Farbror Skojskoj, En Av De Tjocka Farbröderna)
Swedes and Danes, I need your help!
Message 303 -
2003-10-20 at 23:40:03
The Swedish title is "Oskattbart skr?p" ("Priceless junk")
From a dark and cold (-1? C) Sweden where the first snow is falling.
Magnus Bark
<bark at bofh.se>
/ Magnus Bark (Farbror Skojskoj, en av de tjocka farbr?derna)
Previous text:
>2003-10-20 22:35:
>Subject: SV: Re: Swedes and Danes, I need your help!
>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>Stefan Persson <spe at inducks.org> wrote:
>
>> http://coa.inducks.org/coa/c1/issue.php/0/se/KA2003-43
>
>
>There is no help for me in this link at this moment, Stefan - simply beacuse
>that magazine is not indexed yet. But if you have that magazine there please
>tell us the Swedish title directly here.
>
>Sigvald
>_______________________________________________
>http://stp.ling.uu.se/mailman/listinfo/dcml
>
>
> / Brevb?raren
>
From a dark and cold (-1? C) Sweden where the first snow is falling.
Magnus Bark
<bark at bofh.se>
/ Magnus Bark (Farbror Skojskoj, en av de tjocka farbr?derna)
Previous text:
>2003-10-20 22:35:
>Subject: SV: Re: Swedes and Danes, I need your help!
>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>Stefan Persson <spe at inducks.org> wrote:
>
>> http://coa.inducks.org/coa/c1/issue.php/0/se/KA2003-43
>
>
>There is no help for me in this link at this moment, Stefan - simply beacuse
>that magazine is not indexed yet. But if you have that magazine there please
>tell us the Swedish title directly here.
>
>Sigvald
>_______________________________________________
>http://stp.ling.uu.se/mailman/listinfo/dcml
>
>
> / Brevb?raren
>
Don Rosa
DCML digest Issue 42
Message 304 -
2003-10-21 at 02:31:50
> From: Olaf Solstrand <olaf at andebyonline.com>
> Subject: Dukburg
> in most cases where I've seen our friends from Duckburg,
> they have been
> talking Norwegian. In other cases, they have been talking
> English. In many
> cases, the cases where they have been talking Norwegian and the
> cases where
> they were talking English turned out to be the exact same case,
> depending on
> where in the world the publication is printed. And I'm sure
> you've seen many of
> the same stories in... German, I guess. So, Duckburg uses the language of
> Fantasy. They use all different languages at once, depending on
> who's listening.
I'm a big movie fan.
Some of my favorite movies are about ancient Rome or the Spanish invasion of
Mexico or a thousand other instances where the characters are filmed
speaking English even though the actual language spoken was something quite
different. And when these movies were changed for foreign viewers, they were
either dubbed into that language or left in English with subtitles. Does
that mean that they actually spoke a "the language of fantasy" in Rome or
Spain? Or does it mean they spoke English? No, it just means that the
stories must appear in the language of the country where they appear or they
will not make any sense to very many people. It's "artistic license". Or
it's a translation.
And of course you can guess what my firm opinion is on this. Duckburg is in
the United states because that's where it was in the original version which
is imitated in many countries. They speak English in Duckburg. But foreign
editions naturally translate that to their tongue, just as they should.
And when an American publisher lost his mind and thought he could publish
Asterix books here (thinking this benighted culture would go for such
quality) he published those comics in English. But neither that nor the fact
they were originally published in (modern) French means they spoke either of
those languages in ancient Gaul.
> Or English, I guess.
Ah. Yes, you knew it all along.
And I won't ever suppose that either Asterix or Tintin really speak the
English as in those editions in my library.
> Subject: Dukburg
> in most cases where I've seen our friends from Duckburg,
> they have been
> talking Norwegian. In other cases, they have been talking
> English. In many
> cases, the cases where they have been talking Norwegian and the
> cases where
> they were talking English turned out to be the exact same case,
> depending on
> where in the world the publication is printed. And I'm sure
> you've seen many of
> the same stories in... German, I guess. So, Duckburg uses the language of
> Fantasy. They use all different languages at once, depending on
> who's listening.
I'm a big movie fan.
Some of my favorite movies are about ancient Rome or the Spanish invasion of
Mexico or a thousand other instances where the characters are filmed
speaking English even though the actual language spoken was something quite
different. And when these movies were changed for foreign viewers, they were
either dubbed into that language or left in English with subtitles. Does
that mean that they actually spoke a "the language of fantasy" in Rome or
Spain? Or does it mean they spoke English? No, it just means that the
stories must appear in the language of the country where they appear or they
will not make any sense to very many people. It's "artistic license". Or
it's a translation.
And of course you can guess what my firm opinion is on this. Duckburg is in
the United states because that's where it was in the original version which
is imitated in many countries. They speak English in Duckburg. But foreign
editions naturally translate that to their tongue, just as they should.
And when an American publisher lost his mind and thought he could publish
Asterix books here (thinking this benighted culture would go for such
quality) he published those comics in English. But neither that nor the fact
they were originally published in (modern) French means they spoke either of
those languages in ancient Gaul.
> Or English, I guess.
Ah. Yes, you knew it all along.
And I won't ever suppose that either Asterix or Tintin really speak the
English as in those editions in my library.
Matthew Williams
Duckburg
Message 305 -
2003-10-21 at 04:00:38
I sympathize with Mr. Rosa's comments. As an American, I want to claim the
Ducks and insist that they're speaking English! (I'm picturing Donald
saluting the Statue of Liberty at the end of Der Fuehrer's Face"). I must
admit that the Life and Times of Scrooge is extra special to me because it
presents Scrooge's life as being tightly bound with the history of my
nation.
BUT: most of my fellow countrymen have cast aside my beloved ducks and mice!
I think I've said on the list before that I am VERY jealous of the fact that
Disney comics are more mainstream and appreciated in Europe. Why shouldn't
the ducks be expatriates like the great American writers of the early
twentieth century? Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, Stein, and many others felt out
of sync with the rest of the US and left for Europe. Why shouldn't Scrooge
and Donald flee to nations that realize their greatness and embrace them?
Seriously, it doesn't bother me one bit that readers imagine the ducks as
living in their country, speaking their language. It's a tribute to the
broad appeal of the comics. I really like Olaf's ideas on the subject!
Anyway, this all leads into a question I wanted to ask. I went though my
old comics yesterday and read Disney Comics' Autumn Adventures #1. In the
comic is a Chip N Dale story where the chipmunks decide that they want to go
south.to AFRICA! They even look at a map of Europe and Africa. It is clear
in the story that the chipmunks are living in Europe. What I was anxious to
discuss is this: are there many stories out there that clearly present the
Disney characters as living in a specific (actual-not Duckburg, Callisota)
geographical location? And I mean BESIDES the many, many Barks and Rosa
stories that present the Ducks as living on the west coast of the United
States. On a slightly different note, are there stories out there that are
so rooted in regional customs and politics that they are virtually
unprintable in nations outside of their nation of origin?
Just curious,
Matthew A. Williams
Ducks and insist that they're speaking English! (I'm picturing Donald
saluting the Statue of Liberty at the end of Der Fuehrer's Face"). I must
admit that the Life and Times of Scrooge is extra special to me because it
presents Scrooge's life as being tightly bound with the history of my
nation.
BUT: most of my fellow countrymen have cast aside my beloved ducks and mice!
I think I've said on the list before that I am VERY jealous of the fact that
Disney comics are more mainstream and appreciated in Europe. Why shouldn't
the ducks be expatriates like the great American writers of the early
twentieth century? Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, Stein, and many others felt out
of sync with the rest of the US and left for Europe. Why shouldn't Scrooge
and Donald flee to nations that realize their greatness and embrace them?
Seriously, it doesn't bother me one bit that readers imagine the ducks as
living in their country, speaking their language. It's a tribute to the
broad appeal of the comics. I really like Olaf's ideas on the subject!
Anyway, this all leads into a question I wanted to ask. I went though my
old comics yesterday and read Disney Comics' Autumn Adventures #1. In the
comic is a Chip N Dale story where the chipmunks decide that they want to go
south.to AFRICA! They even look at a map of Europe and Africa. It is clear
in the story that the chipmunks are living in Europe. What I was anxious to
discuss is this: are there many stories out there that clearly present the
Disney characters as living in a specific (actual-not Duckburg, Callisota)
geographical location? And I mean BESIDES the many, many Barks and Rosa
stories that present the Ducks as living on the west coast of the United
States. On a slightly different note, are there stories out there that are
so rooted in regional customs and politics that they are virtually
unprintable in nations outside of their nation of origin?
Just curious,
Matthew A. Williams
Deanmary
Age of the Nephews
Message 306 -
2003-10-21 at 08:05:35
I was wondering what list members thoughts were on this question:
When you read a Disney Duck story how old do you feel Huey, Dewey,
and Louie are? How old are they to you in your "mind's eye"?
I am sure that there may be many stories which would imply an age
for the nephews. For example, a number of weeks ago someone mentioned
a Barks story where the nephews are in kindergarten.
I myself do not see the nephews as that young. For one thing,
they can read. Not only can they read, they can read then Junior
Woodchucks manual which I doubt is at an elementary school level.
Plus, they certainly are old enough to be helpful and vital members on
so many of Donald's and Scrooge's adventures. I tend to think of the
nephews as pre-teens, say anywhere from 10 to 12 years of age.
It seems that the nephews did age from Barks' earliest stories in
the 1940's to say the 1950's. At first they seemed younger and more
childish like the nephews from the Donald Duck cartoons. As Barks
developed the characters, they seemed to have aged some, at least to
me.
What does everyone think? Just curious.
Dean Rekich
When you read a Disney Duck story how old do you feel Huey, Dewey,
and Louie are? How old are they to you in your "mind's eye"?
I am sure that there may be many stories which would imply an age
for the nephews. For example, a number of weeks ago someone mentioned
a Barks story where the nephews are in kindergarten.
I myself do not see the nephews as that young. For one thing,
they can read. Not only can they read, they can read then Junior
Woodchucks manual which I doubt is at an elementary school level.
Plus, they certainly are old enough to be helpful and vital members on
so many of Donald's and Scrooge's adventures. I tend to think of the
nephews as pre-teens, say anywhere from 10 to 12 years of age.
It seems that the nephews did age from Barks' earliest stories in
the 1940's to say the 1950's. At first they seemed younger and more
childish like the nephews from the Donald Duck cartoons. As Barks
developed the characters, they seemed to have aged some, at least to
me.
What does everyone think? Just curious.
Dean Rekich
H.W.Fluks
Make
Message 307 -
2003-10-21 at 10:14:02
Don Rosa:
> > I don't see why you think such a word joke would work in any
> > language.
> Because in English "make" has many meanings other than simply
> "manufacture". It is synonymous with "earn".
I know that. I just explained that in my reply to you.
> I knew that might not be true in other
> languages, and that's why I was asking you.
I think you *didn't* know that might not be true in other languages. Why else would you have written the following?
"but it seems like "make big money" would work in any language."
Or was that a different Don Rosa?
--Harry.
> > I don't see why you think such a word joke would work in any
> > language.
> Because in English "make" has many meanings other than simply
> "manufacture". It is synonymous with "earn".
I know that. I just explained that in my reply to you.
> I knew that might not be true in other
> languages, and that's why I was asking you.
I think you *didn't* know that might not be true in other languages. Why else would you have written the following?
"but it seems like "make big money" would work in any language."
Or was that a different Don Rosa?
--Harry.
Hans Kiesl
Making big money in German(y)
Message 308 -
2003-10-21 at 10:49:06
Soeren Schridde wrote on 20 Oct 2003 in response to Harry Fluks:
> > I don't see why you think such a word joke would work in any
> > language. Why would "manufacture a large banknote" mean
> > the same as "earn a lot of money" in any language other than
> > English (and Italian)?
>
> I must second that statement. In German, "big"(gross) won't be
> connected with money, only "much"(viel)...
Sorry to contradict you, Soeren. But we have (nearly) a literal
translation for "to make big money" in German. Never heard of "das
grosse Geld machen"? A very common idiom.
-Hans-
(who only knows that idiom from a theoretical point of view...)
> > I don't see why you think such a word joke would work in any
> > language. Why would "manufacture a large banknote" mean
> > the same as "earn a lot of money" in any language other than
> > English (and Italian)?
>
> I must second that statement. In German, "big"(gross) won't be
> connected with money, only "much"(viel)...
Sorry to contradict you, Soeren. But we have (nearly) a literal
translation for "to make big money" in German. Never heard of "das
grosse Geld machen"? A very common idiom.
-Hans-
(who only knows that idiom from a theoretical point of view...)
Cord Wiljes
AW: Duckburg
Message 309 -
2003-10-21 at 11:08:45
Matthew Williams wrote:
> I sympathize with Mr. Rosa's comments. As an American, I
> want to claim the Ducks and insist that they're speaking English!
But then we need to explain why English is spoken in every country in
every Barks' Duck story. Even in Unsteadystan and on Mars the ducks have
no problem communicating with the local population. Or do they have some
sort of universal translator built into their brains?
Olaf Solstrand wrote:
> So, Duckburg uses the language of Fantasy. They use all different
languages
> at once, depending on who's listening.
I like this idea very much. But what sounds would a tape recorder get
from a speaking duck? Would the record match a record of someone
speaking English? Or would those be completely different sounds? Spoken
language is after all just a movement of the air's molecules, so there
is a physical property which can be measured intersubjectively.
Don Rosa wrote:
> No, it just means that the stories must appear in the language
> of the country where they appear or they will not make any sense
> to very many people. It's "artistic license". Or it's a translation.
> And of course you can guess what my firm opinion is on this. Duckburg
is in
> the United states because that's where it was in the original version
which
> is imitated in many countries.
I don't remember the duck's ever speaking about themselves as
"Americans" in Barks' stories. Especially there does not seem to exist
anything called "United States of America". I rather picture their
society like ancient Greece: There are a lot of different autonomous
city-states, each with its own political system, traditions, laws and
languages.
And if artistic license allows us to have Spartacus talk in English so
he can be understood by modern moviegoers: Couldn't the same artistic
license be the reason why Duckburg is located in North-America in
stories written in the U.S.? And located in Italy in stories written in
Italy?
Cord
> I sympathize with Mr. Rosa's comments. As an American, I
> want to claim the Ducks and insist that they're speaking English!
But then we need to explain why English is spoken in every country in
every Barks' Duck story. Even in Unsteadystan and on Mars the ducks have
no problem communicating with the local population. Or do they have some
sort of universal translator built into their brains?
Olaf Solstrand wrote:
> So, Duckburg uses the language of Fantasy. They use all different
languages
> at once, depending on who's listening.
I like this idea very much. But what sounds would a tape recorder get
from a speaking duck? Would the record match a record of someone
speaking English? Or would those be completely different sounds? Spoken
language is after all just a movement of the air's molecules, so there
is a physical property which can be measured intersubjectively.
Don Rosa wrote:
> No, it just means that the stories must appear in the language
> of the country where they appear or they will not make any sense
> to very many people. It's "artistic license". Or it's a translation.
> And of course you can guess what my firm opinion is on this. Duckburg
is in
> the United states because that's where it was in the original version
which
> is imitated in many countries.
I don't remember the duck's ever speaking about themselves as
"Americans" in Barks' stories. Especially there does not seem to exist
anything called "United States of America". I rather picture their
society like ancient Greece: There are a lot of different autonomous
city-states, each with its own political system, traditions, laws and
languages.
And if artistic license allows us to have Spartacus talk in English so
he can be understood by modern moviegoers: Couldn't the same artistic
license be the reason why Duckburg is located in North-America in
stories written in the U.S.? And located in Italy in stories written in
Italy?
Cord
Hans Kiesl
Interviews with Chase Craig and Del Connell
Message 310 -
2003-10-21 at 11:23:30
Niels Houlberg Hansen asked on 9 Oct 2003:
> Does anyone know if Chase Craig or Del Connell have given any
> interviews?
There is an interview with Del Connell in a German publication (and
therefore in German, unfortunately). It was conducted in 1980 and
published in 1988 in the book "Disney von innen".
I also recommend Mark Evanier's reminiscence of Chase Craig:
http://povonline.com/cols/COL375.htm
-Hans-
> Does anyone know if Chase Craig or Del Connell have given any
> interviews?
There is an interview with Del Connell in a German publication (and
therefore in German, unfortunately). It was conducted in 1980 and
published in 1988 in the book "Disney von innen".
I also recommend Mark Evanier's reminiscence of Chase Craig:
http://povonline.com/cols/COL375.htm
-Hans-
Claudio Eckert
Big money
Message 311 -
2003-10-21 at 11:39:07
Soren wrote:
>>In German, "big"(gross) won't be connected with money, only
>>"much"(viel)...
I only partially agree. "To make big money" (= "das große Geld machen") is a
known sentence in German, too. (Though not referring to one single banknote.
But that's exactly the gag here...)
Claudio
_________________________________________________________________
Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online
http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963
>>In German, "big"(gross) won't be connected with money, only
>>"much"(viel)...
I only partially agree. "To make big money" (= "das große Geld machen") is a
known sentence in German, too. (Though not referring to one single banknote.
But that's exactly the gag here...)
Claudio
_________________________________________________________________
Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online
http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963
Kriton Kyrimis
Duckburg
Message 312 -
2003-10-21 at 11:42:36
CORD:
> I don't remember the duck's ever speaking about themselves as
> "Americans" in Barks' stories.
According to Barks, they live in a country called "H'America"! (One might
claim that this is "America", pronounced in a foreign accent, but, for the
life of me, I can't see how one could mispronounce the name in this way, so
this *must* be the actual name of the country!)
Kriton (e-mail: kyrimis at cti.gr)
-----
"A man who is never wrong is rarely right."
-----
> I don't remember the duck's ever speaking about themselves as
> "Americans" in Barks' stories.
According to Barks, they live in a country called "H'America"! (One might
claim that this is "America", pronounced in a foreign accent, but, for the
life of me, I can't see how one could mispronounce the name in this way, so
this *must* be the actual name of the country!)
Kriton (e-mail: kyrimis at cti.gr)
-----
"A man who is never wrong is rarely right."
-----
Timo Ronkainen
Interviews with Chase Craig and Del Connell
Message 313 -
2003-10-21 at 11:56:51
Per Starb?ck's old posting about the book Disney von innen:
http://stp.ling.uu.se/pipermail/dcml/1993-June/008820.html
it's currently in eBay auction:
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3559696238&category=7542
Timo
^^''*''^^
Cartoonist - writer - donaldist -
Timo Ronkainen ---------------- -
YO-kyl? 52 A 26 --------------- -
20540 Turku ------------------- -
Finland ----------------------- -
timoro at hotmail.com
timoro at sunpoint.net
?? Personal:
http://www.geocities.com/timoro2/
?? Ankkalinnan Pamaus:
http://www.perunamaa.net/ankistit/
?? Kvaak-sarjakuvaportaali:
http://www.kvaak.fi
...............................
"Rumble on, buxom bumble bee!
Go sit on a cowslip - far from me!"
_________________________________________________________________
MSN Messenger - kaikki yst?v?t klikkauksen p??ss?! Lataa t?st? ilmaiseksi.
http://www.msn.fi/viestintapalvelut/Messenger
http://stp.ling.uu.se/pipermail/dcml/1993-June/008820.html
it's currently in eBay auction:
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3559696238&category=7542
Timo
^^''*''^^
Cartoonist - writer - donaldist -
Timo Ronkainen ---------------- -
YO-kyl? 52 A 26 --------------- -
20540 Turku ------------------- -
Finland ----------------------- -
timoro at hotmail.com
timoro at sunpoint.net
?? Personal:
http://www.geocities.com/timoro2/
?? Ankkalinnan Pamaus:
http://www.perunamaa.net/ankistit/
?? Kvaak-sarjakuvaportaali:
http://www.kvaak.fi
...............................
"Rumble on, buxom bumble bee!
Go sit on a cowslip - far from me!"
_________________________________________________________________
MSN Messenger - kaikki yst?v?t klikkauksen p??ss?! Lataa t?st? ilmaiseksi.
http://www.msn.fi/viestintapalvelut/Messenger
Olaf Solstrand
Duckburg
Message 314 -
2003-10-21 at 12:24:20
Donald lives in North America, Mickey lives in Norway.
OK, maybe he doesn't anymore. But in a half-page printed in Norway in 1950
(sorry I don't have the code), it is clearly stated that Mickey's address
is "Oslo".
But hey... that's a translation, it's as easy as that.
Still... I've never doubted that Donald is an American - at least in the wider
state of the word ("American" not meaning "Unitedstatesian"). The proof for
that is the brilliant Barks story "The Golden Helmet".
I don't know if Barks ever pinpointed this to the USA, but that would seem most
likely, concidering that Barks was an American (uhm... Unitedstatesian)
himself, so was his publisher, and that he created the state name "Calisota",
an obvious pun on the American (uhm... Unitedstatesian) states California and
Minnesota.
So, I think we can say for sure that Donald lives in the United States of
America.
Thus, the most obvious seems to be him talking English. Still... As long as
I've known Donald, he's been talking perfect Norwegian. But (sigh) I guess I
just have to settle with that being a Disney Comic Translation Service existing
so that readers can understand what's going on.
I mean, it's obvious that some parts are translated. When Scrooge and the
nephews first came to Tralla La, the inhabitants spoke to Scrooge in their own
language, and Scrooge answered them in the same language. In the rest of the
story... they all spoke English (or Norwegian or German or whatever). So... did
Scrooge in the white field between the frame where they're talking Tibetan and
the frame where they're talking English, run around in the village and learn
everybody English? Did they all know English already? Or was this a translation
Barks did for us, because he figured it would be rather dull for an
Unitedstatesian to reed a whole story in Tibetan?
Based on pure logic, I want to rule out option one. Option two sounds better,
but concidering that the ducks have travelled all over the globe, and most
people everywhere has been speaking English, I don't find that very likely
either. And... the Trallalaians spoke English even when speaking to each other.
So let's face it - our comics are translated for our pleasure.
That would also mean that Donald and Mickey speaks a million languages each.
Unlike Tintin, who runs around in African towns looking for people speaking his
own language.
So, I've written two things this far, I think:
1. It seems likely to me that Duckburg is located in North America, and that
the inhabitants speak English.
2. I DON'T think all other creatures all over the world speak English - so,
their conversations must be translated by the writer for our pleasure. That
would mean that Donald, Mickey and Scrooge knows an awful lot of languages.
I just have to ask - can any of you remember cases where a language is spoken,
and the Ducks/Mouses does not understand it? I remember one case - Don
Rosa's "Attaaaaack!", where Scrooge doesn't understand Brutopian. I assume
there's others as well, but I'm happy to be reminded of them.
Best,
Olaf
OK, maybe he doesn't anymore. But in a half-page printed in Norway in 1950
(sorry I don't have the code), it is clearly stated that Mickey's address
is "Oslo".
But hey... that's a translation, it's as easy as that.
Still... I've never doubted that Donald is an American - at least in the wider
state of the word ("American" not meaning "Unitedstatesian"). The proof for
that is the brilliant Barks story "The Golden Helmet".
I don't know if Barks ever pinpointed this to the USA, but that would seem most
likely, concidering that Barks was an American (uhm... Unitedstatesian)
himself, so was his publisher, and that he created the state name "Calisota",
an obvious pun on the American (uhm... Unitedstatesian) states California and
Minnesota.
So, I think we can say for sure that Donald lives in the United States of
America.
Thus, the most obvious seems to be him talking English. Still... As long as
I've known Donald, he's been talking perfect Norwegian. But (sigh) I guess I
just have to settle with that being a Disney Comic Translation Service existing
so that readers can understand what's going on.
I mean, it's obvious that some parts are translated. When Scrooge and the
nephews first came to Tralla La, the inhabitants spoke to Scrooge in their own
language, and Scrooge answered them in the same language. In the rest of the
story... they all spoke English (or Norwegian or German or whatever). So... did
Scrooge in the white field between the frame where they're talking Tibetan and
the frame where they're talking English, run around in the village and learn
everybody English? Did they all know English already? Or was this a translation
Barks did for us, because he figured it would be rather dull for an
Unitedstatesian to reed a whole story in Tibetan?
Based on pure logic, I want to rule out option one. Option two sounds better,
but concidering that the ducks have travelled all over the globe, and most
people everywhere has been speaking English, I don't find that very likely
either. And... the Trallalaians spoke English even when speaking to each other.
So let's face it - our comics are translated for our pleasure.
That would also mean that Donald and Mickey speaks a million languages each.
Unlike Tintin, who runs around in African towns looking for people speaking his
own language.
So, I've written two things this far, I think:
1. It seems likely to me that Duckburg is located in North America, and that
the inhabitants speak English.
2. I DON'T think all other creatures all over the world speak English - so,
their conversations must be translated by the writer for our pleasure. That
would mean that Donald, Mickey and Scrooge knows an awful lot of languages.
I just have to ask - can any of you remember cases where a language is spoken,
and the Ducks/Mouses does not understand it? I remember one case - Don
Rosa's "Attaaaaack!", where Scrooge doesn't understand Brutopian. I assume
there's others as well, but I'm happy to be reminded of them.
Best,
Olaf
Dan Shane
Easily understood ducks
Message 315 -
2003-10-21 at 13:33:23
CORD WRITES:
> But then we need to explain why English is spoken in every country in
> every Barks' Duck story. Even in Unsteadystan and on Mars the ducks
have
> no problem communicating with the local population. Or do they have
some
> sort of universal translator built into their brains?
AND I REPLY:
Maybe they all have Babel fish stuck in their ears.
> But then we need to explain why English is spoken in every country in
> every Barks' Duck story. Even in Unsteadystan and on Mars the ducks
have
> no problem communicating with the local population. Or do they have
some
> sort of universal translator built into their brains?
AND I REPLY:
Maybe they all have Babel fish stuck in their ears.