End of ADS-L Digest - 27 May 1998 to 28 May 1998
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<br>There are 27 messages totalling 801 lines in this issue.
<br>
<br>Topics of the day:
<br>
<br>  1. Regional distribution -- 100 Bottles of Beer.... (2)
<br>  2. O. K.  (1780?); O. P. H.
<br>  3. pundent (2)
<br>  4. regional distribution
<br>  5. regional distribution?
<br>  6. Fred Cassidy
<br>  7. pundent -Reply (2)
<br>  8. Request for help with Ozark sources
<br>  9. oops, blast, and various obscenities (2)
<br> 10. bottles of beer
<br> 11. "pulkes"? (4)
<br> 12. reader needed
<br> 13. go with (7)
<br> 14. Yiddish?
<br>
<br>----------------------------------------------------------------------
<br>
<br>Date:    Mon, 4 May 1998 23:43:25 -0500
<br>From:    Dan Goodman <dsgood[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]VISI.COM>
<br>Subject: Regional distribution -- 100 Bottles of Beer....
<br>
<br>On ADS-L (the American Dialect Society list), a discussion of regional
<br>variation in "100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" has started up.
<br>
<br>The version I recall (1950's, Ulster County NY -- 10-15 miles west of
<br>the Hudson River, about 100 miles north of New York City):
<br>
<br>Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall,
<br>Ninety-nine bottles of beer.
<br>And if one of those bottles should happen to fall
<br>There'd be ninety-eight bottles of beer on the wall.
<br>
<br>I believe the English version begins with "Ten green bottles".
<br>
<br>And then there's the one which begins:
<br>
<br>Aleph-null bottles of beer on the wall,
<br>Aleph-null bottles of beer.
<br>And if one of those bottles should happen to fall,
<br>There'd be aleph-null bottles of beer on the wall.
<br>
<br>(Explanation:  Aleph-null is the lowest possible infinite number; and
<br>one from an infinite number leaves the same infinite number.  For an
<br>explanation of how there can be more than one infinite number, consult
<br>your friendly neighborhood mathematician.)
<br>
<br>Has anyone done studies of the relationship between dialect areas and
<br>song versions?
<br>
<br>Dan Goodman
<br>dsgood[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]visi.com
<br>http://www.visi.com/~dsgood/index.html
<br>Whatever you wish for me, may you have twice as much.
<br>