Crime on the Canals

A few will be aware I have been known to speak on various subjects over the years. Fundamentally these all revolve around my favourite subject of etymology. Have always enjoyed bringing this fascinating subject to others. It’s not for me to say whether the audiences have, although many have asked me to return.

Thought it might be worthwhile sharing a snippet or two from these etymological presentations, continuing with Crime on the Canals. A look at over two centuries of murder, theft, criminal damage, health and safety, and even truancy. Until the coming of the railways these waterways were the main arterial routes in the country and, as such, proved a temptation to every rogue, rotter and ne'er-do-well. Not just the macabre here but also the mysterious the hapless and more than a little humour. There is a PowerPoint presentation to accompany this talk if required.

Throughout our islands' history we find tales of thieves, smugglers, thugs and murderers. Books have been written retelling tales of bandits, footpads, highwaymen, et al, attacking the lone traveller, the horseman, the coachman, shipping line, locomotive engineer, lorry or van driver and even pilot. Yet for almost two centuries the majority of goods travelled on Britain's famed canal network. This also attracted felons of all kinds and yet these many tales had been ignored, until now.

Here all manner of crimes are covered. From murders to muggings, parental problems to pilfering, arson, assault, smugglers, counterfeiters and even road rage (albeit canal-style). But it is not all morbid and misery, humour also plays a significant part in these tales. Why would a hungry man steal the inedible? Follow the policeman on foot chasing down a thief on board the narrowboat. Discover what really does lie beneath the waters of the canal. Learn canal etiquette, the hardships, the kindness and the cruelty.

If you think you know someone who would like to hear me speak on this subject, drop me a line andf if you want to buy the book, contact me or try Amazon where it is also available as an ebook.

Nonverbal Language

For writers nonverbal communication allows them to reveal a character’s thoughts and emotions without lengthy descriptions. Such also means drawing the reader into the story, top feel as the character does. But I wondered just where these originate. Are they learned or evolutionary?

Chemical communications may be associated with animals, but humans still pick up such olfactory messages. Scientists disagree as to the extent which humans can detect messages, and some maintain these abilities to detect pheromones fade and even vanish as an individual matures, which explains the high divorce rate.

Gestures may possibly predate verbal communication. Certainly apes do get a message across in this manner.

Universal expressions come next. The sort of things which communicate emotions such as anger, disgust, fear, happiness, surprise, and sadness – all of which are seemingly involuntary and thus suggesting these are evolutionary. Eyebrows are particularly helpful.

Facial expressions are possibly also evolutionary, but there is the idea that some of these – puzzlement, for example – are as much learned as involuntary.

There are also learned cues, the nod being the most obvious. I tried nodding for ‘no’ and shaking me head for ‘yes’ and found it more difficult than writing with my non-dominant hand. So isn’t it evolutionary? It can’t be – for while nodded affirmatives are well-nigh universal, there are several parts of the world where the reverse is the case. Bulgaria and Albania are two examples, while Greece and Turkey employs a quick backward jerk of the head to indicate ‘no’.

Body language – posture, stance, eye contact (or lack of it) – are all learned from out cultural and social experiences.

Vocalisations might seem to fit in the non-verbal group – but we all make sounds which convey a message, but are not words and are understood across verbal language barriers. “Ah”, “hmm”, “huh” for example.

And finally there are proxemics – which if you don’t know (and I didn’t) refers to how we have learned to communicate through the use of personal space. (Sociable and welcoming into that space; or the reverse like me.)

As a writer I have never considered I could communicate the miserable misanthrope through the use of body language in a passage. But the idea is intriguing and well worth investigating.