CROATIA-L Archives
Archiver > CROATIA > 2000-04 > 0955383654
From:
Subject: Re: [CROATIA-L] Re: CROATIA-D Digest V00 #58
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 09:20:54 -0700
References: <3.0.5.32.20000407184643.0080e810@pop.seanet.com> <002901bfa104$b28a1c40$3242173f@d6b8o5>
Your line of thought is familiar to me! I read an article once on the
peculiar Croatian language adopted by Croatians in America. It was
precisely that which I grew up hearing. This is one where English words
often have "..ica" (itsa) attached to the end of them. There are other
variations, as well, but that once comes to mind. Some 43 years ago when I
accompanied my grandmother back to her homeland, we were in a social
setting. One of the Croatian ladies bent to me and asked in Croatian, "What
is she saying," referring to my grandmother. I was astounded and replied,
that I had no clue, and that I thought she was speaking their language! We
had a good laugh. It was the first time that I was aware of the American
Croatian way of speaking.
By the way, Kum and Kuma were liberally used in the world in which I grew
up. I saw it as a special title given to those deserving of esteem as often
as being used for godparents. It was used for both.
Bee
----- Original Message -----
From: Dr. A. Nixon <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, April 07, 2000 7:46 PM
Subject: Re: [CROATIA-L] Re: CROATIA-D Digest V00 #58
> As a boy growing up in the Pittsburgh area (all four grandparents had
> immigrated - 3 from Croatia and one from Bosnia) we often were required
to
> refer to esteemed friends and family as Kum and Kuma. I'm sure we did not
> have that many Godparents. Rather, I think it was the colloquialization of
> the language. Remember, many of our immigrant relatives had been peasants
in
> the old country and were likely not literate in English or Croatian. Often
> the communities were melting pots with Italians, Slovaks, and other
> nationalities. The common language at work and on the streets was often
> pidgen and perhaps the second generation used many of the pidgen words
> thinking they were speaking Croatian.
>
> An old joke goes that a third generation Italian who spoke only English
> wished to travel to Italy to do genealogy. So her found a second
generation
> Italian-American who purportedly spoke the language and paid his way to be
> the translator. When the boat docked in Italy the host decided to test
his
> translator's skills so he pointed to a fellow on the docks and said, "Go
ask
> that man in Italian what his name is."
>
> The second generation walked up to the native and said, "Hey buddy, wassa
> you name?"
>
> A. Nixon in Las Vegas
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "C. Allen" <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Friday, April 07, 2000 6:46 PM
> Subject: [CROATIA-L] Re: CROATIA-D Digest V00 #58
>
>
> >
> > when I was a girl we called my grandma's next door neighbor Kuma
> (Kovatich)
This thread: