[dmulligan]

I grew up in Greater Manchester, a heavily-industrialised part of the UK, where locally the main industries were at one time coal mining and cotton milling. Members of my family worked in cotton mills, and the machines were so deafening that normal communication was impossible. Consequently, mill workers invented their own forms of communication, which mixed hand signals, exaggerated lip movement, and shouting, which was locally called "meemawing". This communication form was specific to each mill, and workers moving between mills would have to relearn the mill-specific dialect to be able to meemaw with their colleagues.

[college_physics]

This is fascinating (and depressing of course from a quality of worker life perspective). I can imagine that if it would be somehow integrated in a theatrical play it would make for a very moving / haunting experience.