Now I know most people have already seen this hilarious rendition of Mariah Carey’s “Ken Lee” by Valentina Hasan during the Bulgarian Idol auditions. But how many actually knew that she was singing in an actual language? No seriously. There is a language that is spelled exactly the way it’s pronounced- Anglic. It was proposed in 1930 by a distinguished Swedish philologist, Professor R. E. Zachrisson, and received much influential support. A fund of $20,000 was even given to aid in spreading knowledge of it as well as promoting its acceptance. However, World War II put an end to this and the death of Professor Zachrisson in 1937 left it without a leader. Here's an excerpt of how Lincoln's speech would look like in Anglic.
Lincoln's Gettysburg AddressForscor and seven years ago ouer fathers brort forth on this continent a nu nation, conseaved in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men ar created equal.
Now we ar engajed in a grate sivil wor, testing wether that nation, or eny nation so conseaved and so dedicated can long endure. We ar met on a grate batle-feld of that wor. We hav cum to dedicate a portion of that feld as a final resting plase for those who hear gave there lives that that nation mite liv. It is orltogether fiting and proper that we shood doo this.
But in a larjer sens, we cannot dedicate - we cannot consicrate - we cannot halo - this ground. The brave men, living and ded, who strugled hear, hav consecrated it far abuv ouer poor power to ad or ditract. The world wil lital note, nor long rimember wot we say hear, but it can never forget wot thay did hear. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated hear to the unfinished werc wich thay who fort hear hav thus far so nobly advansed. It is rather for us to be dedicated to the grate tasc rimaning before us - that from theas onored ded we tace increased divotion to that cors for wich thay gave the last ful mesure of divotion; that we hear hyly risolv that theas ded shal not hav died in vane; that this nation, under God, shal hav a nu berth of fredom; and that guvement of the pepal, by the pepal, for the pepal, shal not perish from the erth.
Note that “can” is spelled as “kan” here. So, “can’t” + heavy Bulgarian accent would make “ken” wouldn’t it...? ;)
So she WAS singing in an actual language albeit tinged by her strong Bulgarian accent. She just got the name wrong.
