SALONIKA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11685, 29 April 1916, Page 8

SALONIKA.

AMUSING SIDELIGHTS. Salonika is one of the most polvgot of the world's-cities (says G. Renwick, special correspondent of the "Dally Oiron«le.»> Here, if you < have a , mmd to, you can leam Spanish and | -Portuguese (though of the time of Columbus), Hebrew (and you now write your Spanish in Hebrew characters when corresponding with more than halt the population of the city), Greek, rkl^ 1 ' S u rblan .V B «lgarian, 'ltalian and French New-Salonika is busy painfully adding English to that list. ■Recently a card' of an "English professor" fell into my hands; He undertakes, according to the information, on it to teach Lnghsch to all persons either at home or m their own places." The other day I was introduced to a wealthy merchant here: he was evidently under the influence of the first-men-tioned school. "Waal," he said as I was leaving, "so long, mister! A'm glaad t haave met yer, an' gues a'll see yer again. Naw, .'re gotter go to—— A friend of his, another contractor over the way, manages to mix Juiglish, Greek-American, German, arid French on a signboard, the legend on which he. regards as i-n the purest English—' Contractor forter (i.e., for the) Jl/nghsh Armee." " KOMIOAL AND DRAME."

So much of the English one has to put up -with m . Salonika is literally translated from the French. The other day I was surprised to learn from the English newspaper that the Allied military authorities had "removed the needles from the railway " at a certain point near the frontier. The explanation? Well, that journal's telegrams reach it in French, and "aiguilles" certainly means needles; hut it also means " points!" But it is the kinematograph programme which provides the most amusing examples of Salonika English. . For the benefit of the city's cosmopolitan population, the programmes are printed in Spanish (in Hebrew characters), Greek, French—-to none of which grammatical exception can be taken—and '•'English." The films are called "mooring pictures"; they are not "shown,' but are always <! in projection." A drama is always a " dram©,''' and a humorous picture is a "comicol" or " komical," qualified as joyous, lovely, fine, or amusing, according to the taste of the programme writer. "NOT ROSE WITHOUT PINS." The other night a French film, entitled " Pas de Poses sans Epines," was called in the new English: '' Not Rose Without Pins'"! On the same programme the translation of the French word " veille," which means "Avatches" and "eve," led to such translations as "Christmas Watches" and "Love Eve,*' instead of "Christmas Eve '"' and " Love Watches."

English signs became, on the arrival of the English soldier, vtry necessary things. The barbers put up in great letters on their windows, " Shave, Sir?" One more dignified establishment lias "Shave, Sire?" All sorts of bars, too. have sprung into existence, and finding names for them all was a difficult matter. The first certainly scored with "Scots AVho Have: or the Manchester Bar." while another was christened, " The Londonderry or Westminster Grand Bar and Grill." And that, despite the fact that the nearest approach to anything grilled to be found on its menu is a stewed veal cutlet, termed a " mutton-shopp."