September 2008 - The Senior Times

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Linguistic chauvinism reigns supreme The French hate the Germans, The Germans hate the Poles. Italians hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch, And I don’t like anybody very much! –The Merry Minuet, Kingston Trio, circa 1960 One of the less attractive qualities of ethnic and linguistic identity is its association with intolerance towards outsiders. Many languages designate those who are mutually intelligible as “speakers” or “people” — Those who speak a language deemed incomprehensible are labeled as the “others,” or “babblers.” A few examples are in order. The Ancient Greeks used the onomatopoeic term barbaroi (“babblers”) to mock anyone whom they deemed incomprehensible, i.e. anyone who used a language other than Greek. This word came into Latin as barbarus, with the same meaning, and bequeathed to us the words “barbarous”and“barbarian.”The Chinese bestowed on the Miao and Moso tribes of South China the name “southern barbarians” and “miserable ones” 10 THE SENIOR TIMES September 2008 The Word Nerd Howard Richler because they did not understand their speech. The Slavs conferred the name Nemet (“mute” or “dumb”) on their German neighbours. The view that one’s own language is superior to others is widespread, and many reasons are supplied in defense of this chauvinistic hypothesis. A language might be viewed the oldest, the most logical, the most phonetic, or the language of the gods. Some of the claims have been particularly preposterous. Sixteenth-century German writer J.G. Becanus argued that German was superior because it was the language Adam spoke in Eden. Luckily, he claimed, it was not affected by the later Babel debacle because the early Germans (the Cimbrians) did not participate in the tower construction. Becanus informs us that the Almighty later caused the Old Testament to be translated from an original but now defunct German into Hebrew. Languages are prone to attribute negative qualities to foreign influences. In the English language we refer to an unauthorized absence as taking “French leave.”The French retaliate by taking“English leave,” (filer à l’anglais). Norwegians and Italians join the French in also taking “English leave.” Foreign idioms referencing English provide a snapshot of attitudes towards those in the Englishspeaking world and it would appear that the honesty of anglophones is questionable. In French to “fleece somebody” is to anglaiser quelqu’un and CREATION AVEC FLAIR Beauty Salon for Men & Women Happy New Year! 514-481-9123 7340 Côte St. Luc Rd. both the French and the Italians refer to con games as the “American swindle.” In Serbo-Croatian the expression praviti se Englez translates as “to act like an Englishman,” i.e. to act as if nothing is wrong in the hope that a situation will sort itself out. One humourous French idiom that references the English is les Anglais ont debarqué which is used as a euphemism for “I have my period.” Outsiders are liable to be blamed for vice and immorality in our midst. No example better exemplifies this than the disease syphilis. The Italians attributed it to the French and called it Mal francesse. The French turned the tables and called it Mal de Naples. The Germans also targeted the French and labeled it Franzosen böse Blattern (“French bad blisters”). The English called it ”French pox,” or the “French disease” and referred to the baldness that syphilis produced as a “French crown.” To be “Frenchified”meant to have a venereal infection and a “French pig” was a venereal sore. The Russians blamed it on the Poles, who in turn called it the “German Disease.” To the Dutch, it was Spaensche Pokken (“Spanish pox”). Once the disease was transmitted eastward to India, Japan and China, it emerged as the “Portuguese disease” and not surprisingly, Turks held Christians responsible. Finally, in the 16 th century it received the designation “syphilis” which seemed to have universal appeal. The name derives from the name of a fabled syphilitic shepherd in the poem Syphilis, sive Morbus Gallicus by Italian poet Girolamo Fracastoro. This fable relates the story of the shepherd Syphilis whose blasphemy so angered the Sun God that he saddled poor Syphilis with an eponymous new disease. Linguistic chauvinism dictates that not only is one’s mother tongue “infected” by foreign influences, but that the alien languages are even responsible for the infections. Howard Richler’s latest book is Can I Have a Word With You? He can be reached at howard@ theseniortimes.com.
Biden or Palin: who’s really pro-life? When Republican nominee John McCain chose the little-known Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin, 44, to be his running mate, he obviously saw three things she would bring to the ticket: she’s a woman, she’s young and she’s pro-life. Questions about Palin’s experience, or lack of it, become more acute when you compare her to Barack Obama’s choice of running mate. There is no question that Joe Biden adds heft to the Democratic ticket. He’s a Roman Catholic from a blue collar background, two constituencies in which Obama is weak. He has a solid background in foreign affairs and military policy, after six terms in the Senate, where he chairs the foreign relations committee. He recently returned from Georgia where he was consulted by the Georgian government. As the conservative pundit Andrew Sullivan put it, “he’s a senator who doesn’t just call foreign leaders – they call him.” The scrappy Biden will also do for Obama what James Carville did for Bill Clinton – act as an attack dog. The Globe and Mail calls his selection a sign of “a welcome determination to take the fight to the Republicans on their home turf of national security.” One element of the Obama-Biden ticket will come more to the fore now that Sarah Palin’s prolife credentials are so high-profile. Both Democrats are pro-choice, despite Biden’s Catholicism. Does this mean Democrats will lose the pro-life vote? Not necessarily. Democrats have made a significant shift in their abortion policy. Besides the commitment to choice, their platform explicitly states that there should be a reduction in the number of abortions. Obama and Biden have statistics to rally in their favour in appealing to social conservatives. For MOVING & WAREHOUSING Pit Stop Neil McKenty H O U S E O F T R AV E L Special prices for SENIORS! Cruise Specialist on All Major Cruise Companies Special accompanied groups on different departures Certified specialist from Switzerland. Go nearly anywhere with Swiss Air and stop a few days in the Swiss mountains. Very special rates! For your travel arrangements, call us first or last and save! Royal Caribbean is Explorer of the Sea Super ship, 135,000 tons. Ask for brochure. Cruises with bus transfer included from 12 Days Montreal to New York from $1550. SUPER LAST MINUTE SPECIAL 09 NOV. $1300 Call Alex anytime 514-282-1022 Permis du Quebec openers, most data now show the pro-choice approach to be more effective at achieving ostensibly pro-life goals: reducing both the number of lateterm abortions and the number of abortions overall. Key to the issue is preventing unwanted pregnancies. Pro-choice figures like Obama are the ones who champion wider access to birth control, and it’s been pro-choice elected officials who’ve fought for insurance coverage of the procedure and the introduction of new and more effective contraceptives. Only 11% of sexually active American women forego contraception, and this 11% account for half of the abortions in the US. Obama and Biden support the comprehensive sex-ed programs that have been proven to work. McCain and Palin support no-sex-until-marriage programs which have been proven to fail. Abortion won’t be the major issue in November, the economy will. But Obama and Biden will need votes wherever they can get them, and the pro-life faction may take another look at the Democratic ticket if they realize it’s the real pro-life ticket. Certified professional groomer for dogs and cats Home Service Sandra 514 767-2800 Alzheimer Groupe (A.G.I.) Inc. offers ongoing SUPPORT GROUPS for spouses and PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL GROUPS for adult children, ACTIVITY PROGRAMS, ART THERAPY and MUSIC PROGRAM for individuals in the early to mid-stages of Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders. TRAINING for professionals and caregivers. For further details, please call 514-485-7233 • OCULARIUM • OPTOMETRISTS Harold Bergman & Associates OPEN MON. –FRI. 9 AM – 6 PM Since 1956 Dr. H. Bergman is well known for his thorough eye exam and personal approach. • Laboratory on Site • Great Choice • Personalized Service 514-488-6391 Villa Maria 5510 Monkland (at Girouard) Robert Jones Motivational Speaker Addiction Conflict Intervention “What have you done today to better your life?” 514-806-9307 recoveryandhealing@hotmail.com www.recoveryandhealing.info Free initial consultation 514-369-2185 877-878-6676 AVAILABLE MEDIUM WIDE, XXX WIDE Lynda Pitt-Taylor BSW Geriatric consultant - Seniors’ accommodations - Home care - Palliative care - Case management - Alzheimer’s expertise connectionsservicesforseniors.com ONE STORE IN VERDUN 501 DE L’ÉGLISE AVE. 514 768-0642 VERDUN 10. 00 C O N N E C T I O N S S E R V I C E S F O R S E N I O R S MÉTRO DE L’ÉGLISE 3 MIN. WALK $ $ DISCOUNT ON REGULAR PRICE VALID UNTIL DEC. 30/08 September 2008 THE SENIOR TIMES 11
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Page 39 and 40: For Mr. Fraser, it was more than a

September 2008 - The Senior Times

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