[Ads-l] When America sneezes

Wed Jul 27 07:17:09 UTC 2022

There's also a related set of sayings of the form "When X takes
snuff/tobacco, Y sneezes." While there are various examples (in French and
English) with France taking snuff and Europe sneezing, the earliest example
I've found, from Nikolai Gogol in Russian, has France doing the sneezing.

---
Nikolai Gogol, "Diary of a Madman" (1835)
(Russian: Записки сумасшедшего)
Это уже известно всему свету, что когда Англия нюхает табак, то Франция
чихает.
[translation: The whole world knows that when England takes snuff, France
sneezes.]
---

Gogol's short story was translated into French in 1845, so perhaps it
inspired variations on the "sneezing" theme at that point.

---
https://books.google.com/books?id=o1UqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA209
Nikolai Gogol, _Nouvelles russes_, tr. by Louis Viardot, 1845, p. 209
Le monde entier sait que quand l'Angleterre prend du tabac, c'est la France
qui éternue.
---

--bgz

On Tue, Jul 26, 2022 at 8:31 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Two corrections. I should have said “Great work, Ben”. Also the year
> of the citation was 1849 not 1949.
>
> Great work, Ben. Following your lead I looked in Gallica and found a
> slightly earlier citation. M. de Humboldt received credit.
>
> Date: October 30, 1849
> Title : Le Corsaire : journal des spectacles, de la littérature, des
> arts, des moeurs et des modes
> Publisher : Au bureau du journal (Paris)
> Database: Gallica BNF
>
>
> https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k46854590/f2.image.r=%22enrhum%C3%A9e%22?rk=515024;0
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Un de nos amis , qui arrive de Berlin, a pu y causer une heure avec
> l'illustre savant, M. de Humboldt.
>
> — Monsieur, lui a dit le puits de science, tâchez que votre patrie se
> porte bien. Quand la France est enrhumée du cerveau, toute l'Europe
> éternue.
> [End excerpt]
>
> [Translation attempt]
> A friend of ours, who has just arrived from Berlin, was able to talk
> there for an hour with the illustrious scholar, M. de Humboldt.
>
> Monsieur, said the well of science to him, try to make sure your
> country is well. When France has a head cold, all of Europe sneezes.
> [End translation attempt]
>
> Garson
>
> On Tue, Jul 26, 2022 at 7:50 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Greta work, Ben. Following your lead I looked in Gallica and found a
> > slightly earlier citation. M. de Humboldt received credit.
> >
> > Date: October 30, 1949
> > Title : Le Corsaire : journal des spectacles, de la littérature, des
> > arts, des moeurs et des modes
> > Publisher : Au bureau du journal (Paris)
> > Database: Gallica BNF
> >
> >
> https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k46854590/f2.image.r=%22enrhum%C3%A9e%22?rk=515024;0
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > Un de nos amis , qui arrive de Berlin, a pu y causer une heure avec
> > l'illustre savant, M. de Humboldt.
> >
> > — Monsieur, lui a dit le puits de science, tâchez que votre patrie se
> > porte bien. Quand la France est enrhumée du cerveau, toute l'Europe
> > éternue.
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > [Translation attempt]
> > A friend of ours, who has just arrived from Berlin, was able to talk
> > there for an hour with the illustrious scholar, M. de Humboldt.
> >
> > Monsieur, said the fount of knowledge to him, try to make sure your
> > country is well. When France has a head cold, all of Europe sneezes.
> > [End translation attempt]
> >
> > Garson
> >
> > On Tue, Jul 26, 2022 at 4:24 AM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > The "M. de Humboldt" in Garson's 1851 cite appears to be Alexander von
> > > Humboldt (1769-1859), younger brother of philosopher / linguist /
> diplomat
> > > Wilhelm.
> > >
> > > ---
> > > https://books.google.com/books?id=MnFPAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA150
> > > "The Present European Crisis" (review of Michel Chevalier's "La Guerre
> et
> > > la Crisis Européenne"), London Quarterly Review, Vol. 27, Oct.
> 1866/Jan.
> > > 1867, p. 150
> > > Time was when it could be said, with Napoleon III at Bordeaux, "when
> France
> > > is satisfied Europe is quiet," or, to borrow Alexander Humboldt's way
> of
> > > putting the matter, "when France has a cold in her head all Europe
> sneezes."
> > > ---
> > >
> > > (Wikipedia says "between 1830 and 1848 [Alexander von] Humboldt was
> > > frequently employed in diplomatic missions to the court of King Louis
> > > Philippe of France, with whom he always maintained the most cordial
> > > personal relations.")
> > >
> > > Looking at French sources, I see Metternich features in a slightly
> earlier
> > > version, in an 1851 journal.
> > >
> > > ---
> > > https://books.google.com/books?id=oug-AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA248
> > > _Mémoires de l'Académie des sciences, belles-lettres et arts de Lyon:
> > > Classe des lettres, Vol. 1_, 1851, p. 248
> > > M. de Metternich a dit : « Quand la France est enrhumée, toute l'Europe
> > > éternue. »
> > > [translation: "M. de Metternich said: 'When France has a cold, all of
> > > Europe sneezes.'"]
> > > ---
> > >
> > > Here's Humboldt getting the attribution in 1858 (Google Books misdates
> this
> > > elsewhere as 1851):
> > >
> > > Jean-Pierre Gallavardin, _L'enseignement clinique en Allemagne,
> > > particulièrement à Vienne_, 1858, p. 137
> > > https://books.google.com/books?id=8Ep4s0i84o4C&pg=RA1-PA137
> > > M. de Humboldt exprimait ce fait d'une manière piquante, quand il
> disait à
> > > un Français, prenant congé de lui, quelques années après 1848 : «
> Faites
> > > donc en sorte de bien vous porter dans votre pays. » Pourquoi donc ? --
> > > C'est que, lorsque la France est enrhumée, toute l'Europe éternue. »
> > > [translation: "M. de Humboldt expressed this fact in a piquant way,
> when he
> > > said to a Frenchman, taking leave of him, a few years after 1848: 'Take
> > > care, therefore, that you are well in your country.' 'Why is that?'
> 'It's
> > > because when France has a cold, all of Europe sneezes.'"
> > >
> > > Interesting that these early versions have France catching a cold and
> > > Europe sneezing rather than vice versa.
> > >
> > > --bgz
> > >
> > > On Tue, Jul 26, 2022 at 2:20 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <
> adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Excellent topic, Benjamin and Ben. You performed great work locating
> > > > intriguing citations and attributions,
> > > >
> > > > The mention of France, Metternich, and Talleyrand indicate that a
> > > > thorough search would require generating and using multiple
> > > > translations into French, German, and perhaps other languages.
> > > >
> > > > Instead, I performed a preliminary search restricted to English. Here
> > > > is a fun instance in 1852 attributed to “M. de Humboldt”. Talleyrand
> > > > died in 1838. Metternich died in 1859. So earlier instances are
> > > > certainly possible.
> > > >
> > > > Date: April 1852
> > > > Periodical: Brownson's Quarterly Review
> > > > Article 3: Austria and Hungary: Review of Les Saints Lieux.
> Pèlerinage
> > > > à Jérusalem, en passant par l'Autriche, la Hongrie, la Slavonie, les
> > > > Provinces Danubiennes, Constantinople, l'Archipel, le Liban, la
> Syrie,
> > > > Alexandrie, Malte, la Sicile, et Marseille
> > > > Start Page 195, Quote Page 201
> > > > Publisher: Benjamin H. Greene, Boston, Massachusetts
> > > > Database: Google Books Full View
> > > >
> > > >
> https://books.google.com/books?id=GeN9NyyJr9kC&q=%22to+sneeze%22#v=snippet&
> > > >
> > > > [Begin excerpt - double-check for errors]
> > > > It is the servility with which all that is done in France is copied
> in
> > > > Germany, that led M. de Humboldt to say to a French gentleman who was
> > > > taking his leave of him to return to Paris, ‘See to it that your
> > > > country keeps herself well, for when France gets a cold in her head
> > > > all Europe is obliged to sneeze.’ I do not know whether this is a
> > > > great honor for France or not, but surely it is very little for the
> > > > rest of Europe.
> > > > [End excerpt]
> > > >
> > > > Garson
> > > >
> > > > On Fri, Jul 22, 2022 at 1:12 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Looks like a job for Quote Investigator. There are various
> versions of
> > > > > "When France sneezes, (the rest of / all of) Europe catches a cold
> /
> > > > blows
> > > > > its nose / holds its breath," attributed to Metternich,
> Talleyrand, and
> > > > no
> > > > > doubt others.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > On Fri, Jul 22, 2022 at 11:20 AM Barretts Mail <
> mail.barretts at gmail.com>
> > > > > wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > John Spain (
> > > > > >
> https://www.irishcentral.com/when-america-sneezes-col2619-41051922 <
> > > > > >
> https://www.irishcentral.com/when-america-sneezes-col2619-41051922>)
> > > > says
> > > > > > “When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches the cold”
> > > > originated
> > > > > > in 1929 due to the Wall Street stock market crash.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I learned it around 1990 as Japan catching a cold. Misako Onoda (
> > > > > >
> > > >
> https://japanintercultural.com/about-us/news/president-obamas-bow-to-the-emperor/
> > > > > > <
> > > > > >
> > > >
> https://japanintercultural.com/about-us/news/president-obamas-bow-to-the-emperor/
> > > > >)
> > > > > > has an article that includes this.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > On July 21, Argentine President Alberto Fernández said (
> > > > > >
> > > >
> https://es-us.finanzas.yahoo.com/noticias/video-alberto-fern%C3%A1ndez-alguien-estornuda-175600794.html
> > > > > > <
> > > > > >
> > > >
> https://es-us.finanzas.yahoo.com/noticias/video-alberto-fern%C3%A1ndez-alguien-estornuda-175600794.html
> > > > >)
> > > > > > "Cuando alguien estornuda en Moscú un argentino se resfría”.”
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org