Ed Kavanagh’s The Confessions of Nipper Mooney

1. Ed Kavanagh’s The Confessions of Nipper Mooney Presented by: Tara Whelan, Stephanie Farrell, Adam Strangemore and Amy Puckering

2. Introduction to Language • In the novel, vernacular language adds character and originality to the adventures and experiences of Nipper Mooney. • Vernacular language is the native language of an area; the local language as opposed to the linguae francae. • From reciting arithmetic at St. Brigid’s to sharing stories with Brenden, to the chain-saw voice of Monsignor Murphy, language plays a variety of roles in the novel, all shaping the character of Nipper Mooney.

3. Examples of Language in Nipper Mooney • “God love ‘im Roy Driscoll” (pg 25). • Poor Roy Driscoll, he was older than everyone one else in Nipper’s class and his numbers and letters were always backwards - the residents of Kildura called him “simple.” • “Can I go to the bat’room, Missus?” (pg 26). • “God love ‘im” made the whole class laugh when he asked Sister Bernadette that question. Sister Bernadette simply smiled and asked to be called “Sister”. However “simple” Roy was thought to be, his pronouncation of bathroom and calling a woman “missus” was not out of the ordinary if you grew up in Newfoundland.

4. Examples of Language in Nipper Mooney • “Our little Nipper” (pg 9). • When “little Nipper” is born prematurely his father calls him Nipper because he is so small. • “Burr” (pg 171). • When Nipper goes into St. John’s he is taught by the Brothers of the Church. Nipper quickly finds out that they don’t call them Brothers but “Burr”.

5. Examples of Language in Nipper Mooney • In the novel, when Nipper is reading the “Big Red Enid Blyton Book” he comes across words like treacle, hols and torch. He discovers that these words have the same meaning as everyday words he uses. It puzzles him because the words are foreign to him. It shows the difference between his language and other languages.

6. Examples of Language in Nipper Mooney • Nipper’s friends were under the impression that because his father had died, he was now an orphan, or “half-orphan.” This led to the kids deciding the Brendan was “half-cracked” (pg 111).

7. Examples of Language in Nipper Mooney • “Confessions make you sick?” (pg 57). • Brigid prepared Nipper for the confessional by giving him guidelines to help him make it through without getting sick. • There were six guidelines (pg 58).

8. Examples of Language in Nipper Mooney • Even though the novel is based on a fictional character and a fictional chain of events, each event seems very real. Kavanagh portrays Newfoundland people and language very well, creating a great amount of imagery and humour that relate to Newfoundland culture. • “Oh go lie down out of it, you little jackatar” (pg 27). • “They puts me in mind of a line of turrs perched on a cliff” (pg 22).

9. Examples of Language in Nipper Mooney • The language in this novel is crude at times, with the use of profanity, often in comedic instances, or in conflicting situations which Nipper and his friends seem to endlessly be involved in. • “You fucking prick” (pg 283).

10. Examples of Language in Nipper Mooney • There is also a language barrier that exists between the social status of the Nuns at St. Brigid’s, the Brothers at All Angels, and the students in general. There is not a great deal of successful communication between the teacher and students, due to the militant instruction. There is an obvious generation gap, but the instilment of fear imposed by mainly the Brothers on the students keeps them obedient, to some extent. • Examples of the Brother’s cruel teaching practices include the painful “White Bomber” and “Black Doctor.”

11. Examples of Language in Nipper Mooney • The novel helps in the understanding of Newfoundland language by allowing the reader to be submerged into the life of a young Newfoundland boy and experience his passage from childhood to that of manhood. Nipper Mooney provides an insight into Newfoundland culture and allows the reader to visualize first hand, the culture, experiences and language.

12. Importance of Language in Nipper Mooney • The language used in speech between the characters is a clear indication of the novel’s setting. There are very few other locations in the world, outside of Newfoundland, where people speak amongst each other using such words and pronunciations as those used in Nipper Mooney. • In the novel, language is used to educate Nipper. The Sisters prayed with him, Brenden shared his wisdom with him, and his Uncle Phonse told him he had to be the man of the house on the day his father died.

13. Importance of Language in Nipper Mooney • The dialect and language present in the novel help the reader understand the uniqueness of Newfoundland and the intriguing culture of any outport Newfoundland community.

14. Importance of Language in Nipper Mooney • “The English spoken in Newfoundland and Labrador contains many non-standard linguistic features--in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, meanings, and expressions. Some of these features are the preservation of non-standard regional and social variants from parts of the British Isles” (Clarke, Paddock, MacKenzie, MUN, 1999).

15. Importance of Language in Nipper Mooney • “The rather high degree of non-standard usage of English in this province is not surprising. Newfoundland and Labrador remained outside the mainstream of social, political, and economic development in North America throughout most of their history. By the time we joined Canada in 1949, a number of local linguistic subsystems were allowed to become well established, especially in pronunciation and grammar” (Clarke, Paddock, MacKenzie, MUN, 1999).

16. Importance of Language in Nipper Mooney • The language used by Nipper and the other children in the novel creates an atmosphere of innocence. The strong presence of innocence which extends from so many young characters also leads to the novel’s adult characters regulating their speech for the children’s understanding. The adults would simplify their speech in order for the children to easily understand. An example of an adult simplifying their speech for one of the young characters occurs on page 145 when Sister Bernadette is tells Nipper “… tell Mr. Flynn I said it’s very commendable he’s taken such an interest in our patron saint.”

17. Newfoundland Folklife • Ed Kavanagh’s description of everything from the landscape, when Nipper was hiking with Brenden at Damsel’s Eye, to the strong concentration placed on religious beliefs through the novel’s characters, leave the reader with a deep understanding of Newfoundland folklife. • Kavanagh begins the novel with Nipper wandering to a field, not far from his house, on the day his dad died. When Nipper wakes up, hours have passed, his supper has gotten cold, and his family was worried because he had been gone such a long time. • When he mentions this strange event to Brenden, he responds quite calmly that the fairies must have taken Nipper. The belief in fairies was very popular in Newfoundland folklife, especially in outport communities, and is still prominent today in places such as Bell Island.

18. Newfoundland Folklife • Religion plays an important role in Nipper Mooney, as it did in many Newfoundland communities in the 1960s. Kavanagh writes about Nipper’s daily recitation of the Rosary with Sharon and perhaps his Aunt Mona. Also, church services on Sundays, and any church related events, such as the garden party, are very important in the lives of Kildura’s citizens.

19. Folklife • Personal tradition is also very prominent in everyday folklife. In the novel, Brendan takes daily walks to Damsel’s Eye where he goes fishing. Up until the day he dies he takes these walks. It is such an important part of his life that he leaves the seniors home just before he dies and, as far as we know, he goes to Damsel’s Eye. We are led to believe that Brenden dies at Damsel’s Eye because that is where Nipper finds Brenden’s St. Bridget's medal.

20. Conclusion • Without the colourful vernacular language of Kildura, Kavanagh’s novel would be lacking the culture, character, and charm that has always been a vital component in Newfoundland’s people and communities for generations. • Nipper Mooney gave us a better understanding of life in outport communities in our province. Kavanagh’s descriptive writing allowed an insight into the history of the 1960s through the eyes of a child, creating an interesting read with many adventures.

21. Works Cited • Society and Culture: Language. 1999. Clarke, S., Paddock, H., MacKenzie, M., Memorial University. September 25, 2007 (http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/language.html)