LL-L "Language politics" 2010.04.07 (03) [EN-FR]

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*L O W L A N D S - L - 07 April 2010 - Volume 03*
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From: Hellinckx Luc <luc.hellinckx at gmail.com>

Subject: LL-L "Language politics"



Beste Marcus,



You wrote:



I guess that's in the same category as the German ban on "Heil Hitler" and
other Nazi slogans. Assuming the court decision is correct. I have no
personal opinion because I cannot judge a statement in a language I know
nothing about.

Previously you called word bans "ridiculous". I guess word bans on hate
speech (or supposed hate speech) do not fall under this, or am I wrong?



Personally, I would never ban any words, even if they are intended to
express hatred. Why?

   - I find it very difficult, nigh impossible, to enforce such a law. The
   meanings of different combinations of words can vary so wildly that it's
   technically impossible to draw a semantically objective line. I consider it
   undesirable that the slightest malign intent is taken to court.
   - First a person may feel hatred. Then there's words, which may serve to
   fuel the hatred. If you make the words illegal, the hatred is not going to
   vanish suddenly. Let's say I'm in love with somebody, and I can't stop
   talking about my beloved one. Suppose a distant uncle doesn't like her, and
   forbids me to ever use her name again in his presence. Do you think this
   will stop me from thinking about her?
   - Uttered words can reveal intent of some sort. Intent borders fantasy,
   and is therefore essentially not an act of crime in my opinion.


We're talking about a "Grauzone" here (
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grauzone_(Recht)<http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grauzone_%28Recht%29>).
The tongue is also sharper than the sword, that's why I would never fight a
word with a sword (read "court"). I know we used to distinguish between
libel and slander, defamation and vilification. Or even calumniation. Now
that society is becoming more and more horizontal, it's time to update the
criminal code as well.



Besides, if some words are forbidden, the action easily shifts to other
areas.



Speaking of "shifting"...you can take this literally these days in Brussels,
where some youngsters play cat and mouse games with coppers. First they put
something on fire, then they pour oil on the streets leading to the square.
Policecars rushing to the scene all go into a skid and bump into other cars,
while the guys are watching from a distance, laughing their hats off. What
about imitating officers or other people? Humor? Irony? Also blacklisted?



Like I wrote earlier on, I'm also skeptic about banning gestures.
Apparently, the nazi-salute is illegal in Germany, but not when used in an
artistic context. Mmm...what if actors of extreme-right affiliation want to
bring some irony into their play? Or are artists by definition lefties? ;=)



Kind greetings,



Luc Hellinckx, Halle, Belgium



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From: Howard Scott <howliosta at gmail.com>

Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2010.03.30 (03) [EN-FR]



2010/3/30 Lowlands-L List <lowlands.list at gmail.com>:
 >
> Parlez français : ne dites plus « buzz », dites « ramdam »
>
> Les « francomots » choisis ont été dévoilés hier à Paris : « bolidage »
pour
> « tuning », « éblabla » et « tchatche » ex-aequo pour « chat », « ramdam »
> pour « buzz », « infolettre », sagement, pour « newsletter », et « débat »
> pour « talk ». Deux mots inventés pour quatre existants.

This article sounds like a hoax (or perhaps very bad journalism). For
example, there has been a word in French for "chat" for a long time:
"bavardage," which was invented in Quebec (as was "courriel"
("courrier électronique") for "e-mail," and which slowly seems to be
making inroads in the rest of the French-speaking world).

According to http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messagerie_instantan%C3%A9e,
 the term was first proposed by the Office québécois de la langue
française in October 1997 and it entered the Petit Larousse in 2004.
Why reinvent the wheel?

(Another great Quebec invention is "baladodiffusion" for "podcasting.")

Yes, there are restrictions on languages other than French are
commercial signs in Quebec, but persuasion and developing usable terms
have been much effective in promotion the use of French.

(The "language police" someone mentioned is a fabrication. Yes, there
are bureaucrats who investigate complaints, but they are no more
"language police" than the people who check your income tax return are
"tax police.")

Howard Scott
Montréal, Québec

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