[Ads-l] Off-topic: Cyrillic vs. Roman Writing

[Jonathan Lighter]

I doubt it stands for Zorro..."who makes the sign of the Z."

JL

On Sun, Mar 20, 2022 at 7:40 AM Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:

> On 3/20/22 00:00, ADS-L automatic digest system wrote:
> > Date:    Sat, 19 Mar 2022 15:17:37 +0000
> > From:    Geoffrey Nathan<geoffnathan at WAYNE.EDU>
> > Subject: Off-topic: Cyrillic vs. Roman Writing
> >
> > Not really in our bailiwick, but on a political posting on Facebook
> > by a pro-Ukraine friend there's a picture of a pro-Russian banner.
> > It reads Zа Путина: [za putina] 'For Putin'. Now, for those
> > who don't read Cyrillic, the first letter isn't Cyrillic but Roman,
> > so this is (sort of) code-switched. And, for those following
> > the unpleasantness in Ukraine, the 'z' letter has become a rallying
> > symbol for the Russian troops (painted on their military
> > vehicles and aircraft). According to the Wikipedia entry on this
> > use of 'Z' (yes, there is one...) it's become quite common in
> > Russian pro-war propaganda.
>
>
> Thank you for this. I've been seeing the "Z" use in political cartoons,
> and I haven't been understanding the use or significance or origin.
>
> It's going to be in bailiwick soon enough as it gets picked up and
> appropriated.
>
> ---Amy West
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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