Regional Dialect?

Today I was thinking (yes, that is a scary thought) about a comment made by the local Iraqi Police Chief at one of our meetings yesterday. Background first – the majority of the Iraqi Army are Shia and the local population is Sunni. The majority of the Government of Iraq is Shia … the discourse between the two is well documented. The reality of it all, at least in Fallujah, is that particular argument has lost its charm. The age of miracles is upon us --- with minimum profanity --- the IA and IP are getting along and making the city a better place. At any rate, the IP Chief was talking about the increased cooperation between the two sides; however, his biggest complaint about this whole process is that he can’t understand the regional dialects of the IA. In layman’s terms it is the whole tomato vs. tomat-toe, potato vs. patat-toe, ant vs. aunt discussion. The reason I chuckle is because one of the higher up staff officers – made a side comment about how it all sounded like gibberish to him. I guess it’s the fact that he lives in a cocoon or has never left suburbia. Yet, after he smoked yet another non-filtered cigarette, he talked about how all American’s understand one another. Guess he’s never been to a NASCAR race. So that whole North vs South thing, or Boston vs. New York or just Texas in general thing didn’t register. Notice I didn’t even comment on his complete lack of comprehension of the Arabic language – a bridge too far.

So now that the keystone has been laid I’ll get back to whatever point I was originally making: Word/Sentence Construction – it is an amazing thing. Combine that statement with the fact that I am in the Navy serving with a Marine Unit … I have been exposed to some very interesting colloquialism’s and/or clichés … whatever you want to call them. Among my favorites:

1) Yut - Yes
2) Roger – Ok
3) Oh – rah – At a loss for words
4) Arah – rah (very manly deep Oh – rah) – Motivated way of saying ok
5) Err – think more along the lines of telling someone to go pack sand
6) Devil Dog – discreet way to call a Marine an a – hole. Along the same lines of calling a fellow Sailor a Shipmate.

Now this is not just a military centric idea of having retarded words that make perfect sense - take for example of my very own personal favorites for everyday use:

1) I smell what you are cooking - and I like it
2) I like where you head’s at (courtesy of Ben)
3) Yay - sa (Yes - courtesy of Colleen – must say that conjunction w/ a very high voice)
4) Foolio (I've since been corrected - Colleen gets the credit for this one)
5) `Dres – Padres, Friars, aka “the best team in Baseball” or the team that Tony Built
6) Put that rudder amidships (slow your roll cowboy – relax)

Some honorable mention phrases:

1) Permission granted to go to Condition 1 (round chambered – meaning go get some)
2) Don’t make me pull my bolt to the rear (another weapons condition related phrase – basically, you pull the bolt to rear which seats the round and makes it ready to fire (once the weapon is off safe).
3) Cry my baby eyes out ... Colleen again off the top rope

The power of prose is amazing – this little ditty is nothing like I envisioned when I first took fingers to keyboard. Writers block or is it a lack of talent form the writer to convey a message – who really knows?

P.S. You can't support the troops and not support the mission