[Air-l] Languages on the Internet - air-l Digest, Vol 20, Issue 28

[Nancy Baym]

Monica, the Italian who has lived in Ireland, writes:

>funny... Someone should tell Carolyn Marvin that actually  Guglielmo
>Marconi's mom was Irish, not British - I am sure Irish appreciate the
>difference. Annie Jameson ...the daughter of the founder of the Whiskey
>Jameson: perhaps that helped too  !

In her defense, Marvin is quoting from publications of the time. She 
has a quote from a 1897 British journal saying he should be addressed 
as "Signor Marconi" because "he has hardly been in this country long 
enough to entitle him to be referred to as 'Mr. Marconi.'"

Then she has a quote from 1899 in the Western Electrician which 
Marvin describes as an effort "to efface the damaging accusation of 
outsider":

"Although Italian on his father's side and by birth, Marconi's mother 
was an Englishwoman, and in general appearance, complexion and manner 
the inventor is seemingly a young and clear complexioned Englishman, 
Signor Marconi is a man of medium height and slender, with blue eyes 
and clean-shaven face, except for a slight mustache. He is of a 
retiring disposition. As might be expected, he speaks English like a 
native..."

All this is on page 46 of her book, for quotophiles.

Nancy