“A vast cultural chasm separates us from our madre patria the UK”
And it's not just the British, either - this is the front page of an American newspaper
The comment I have reproduced below was posted by H. P. Baxxter this morning.
It sums up the reason why, though my actual readership is pretty huge, my real readership – as in those who speak the same language, and by this I don’t mean the language proper – is actually pretty small.
The fact is that even many of those Maltese who speak English as a first language (or their only language) are unable to get to grips with the many nuances of British English because the cultural values from which the language emerged are totally alien to Maltese culture and society.
I suggested to one fastidious person that he Google the magic words ‘may he rot in hell’ and look at the results.
Sometimes, I feel as though I am teaching English as a foreign language.
Splendid British Expressions and Terms of Abuse, and Contextual Usage.
Lesson Two: ‘May you rot in hell’, a classic expression of scorn which has been used for centuries.
When even those who speak English well are culturally alien to the language, imagine how great the gulf is with Super One reporters and loud admirers of Dom Mintoff.
We grew up on the same tiny island, in a population the size of a small town, and we might as well be from different countries.
———-
H. P Baxxter
“Saying that somebody should rot in hell might be a novel experience for Maltese society sucked into the vortex of duttrina and Catholic forgiveness, but believe me, it is nowhere near an unusual thing in the Anglo-Saxon world.”
May Daphne’s soul be raised to the heavens for such clarity of thought.
English, or rather British English, for the puritanical Yanks are but Maltese with better genes, has a whole arsenal of expressions involving the devil, hell, the soul, and the various unpleasant things that can be done to it.
The devil with you.
To hell with you.
Blast your soul to bloody hell.
Hell and damnation, he’s the devil incarnate.
May the devil take the hindmost.
Now try translating them into Maltese. What happened with “may God rot his soul” was the usual mental translation from English to Maltese meaning. Or word-value. Or whatever it’s called.
It goes to show what a vast cultural chasm separates us from our madre patria the UK (this should keep the thread going for another 800 posts).
It’s EXACTLY this mental translation which triggered the national outpouring of indignation at the simple, honest, British words “Fuck off” captured on a Super One camera at the university four years ago.
Because how would you translate that into Maltese? Fuck is ‘tahxi’. Ergo ‘mur inhexa’, they probably thought. Wrong. “Hallini bi kwieti” is probably the most faithful translation.
It becomes hilariously evident during Saturday-night fights between Maltese and foreigners, where the lingua franca is English. You get things like: “Fuck your mother!” Then there’s the epic: “Rubber jolly. Ewrosfakkers.”
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“Rubber jolly. Ewrosfakkers.”
Now that was a classic.
Good point.
Telling someone you disagree with to “go to hell” in the UK is quite common and not at all as offensive as some other expressions.
It’s like saying “get lost” or “get stuffed”.
‘Il-lingwa tal-kcina’.
If I may, and I say this out of conviction, Maltese was the prime victim of Mintoff’s design. He was able to, given the vacuum left by the eradication of Latin culture and its language.
He knew ful well that the Protestant ethic, allergic to tradition, couldn’t permeate the fabric of a rural Catholic network of small towns and villages.
By elbowing his way into meaning and appropriating Catholicism and tradition, he managed to make of himself a dogma of the faith. The instrument he used was Maltese.
The ones who could see this happening, having been put aside, were ignored. It is imperative that Fenech Adami’s reconcilation be complete.
The problem is that some are so tied to a word-to-word translation of what they read that they make the most hilarious mistake of missing the whole point.
This explains all that spate of pseudo-piety (it seemed like a MUSEUM/Catholic Action/Charismatic/Neocathecumenal/Legion of Mary charade) on the other article by Daphne… and also demonstrates, alas, that the levels of English are quickly sliding into to a greater mire of that hideous code-switching mixed-Maltese-internet-so-called-English.
I’m sure you also noticed that a great number of those who contributed to the blog can’t write Maltese, let alone English, hence their difficulty in understanding the whole point.
There is a huge difference between “May GOD rot his soul” and the much less virulent “may you/he rot in hell”, “get stuffed” or “go to hell”.
The first version is blashemous and saddles God with a failing that is usually associated with frail angry human beings only, not with the God of Christianity.
Any “teacher of English as a foreign language” should be able to appreciate the difference, and be able to teach that difference to his/her students, without the need for any elaboration from “fastidious persons”.
[Daphne – Yes, there is a difference. My choice of words is more effective and meaningful. The question of blasphemy does not arise, and your understanding that it does is an illustration of the cultural differences we are talking about here. A Maltese person might consider ‘God damn you’ to be blasphemous, but it’s par for the course in Britain, the United States and Canada, one of the most common curses you could possibly encounter.]
“May God rot his soul” is as blasphemous as the Maltese “Irraħ Alla joqtlok” often said in anger. Were it blasphemous as you say, we’ll all be burning in hell then (if there is one).
Dr Saliba, have you ever said “Imnalla” or “Jekk Alla jrid” or “Kemm qieghed tajjeb, allajbierek”? Is that blasphemy?
How about we assume the god who Daphne is referring to is some powerful Norse deity? Odin.
Problem solved.
Isle of MTV? Peshawar or Jerusalem, more like.
Maltese have no reason to be scandalised by English curses. One of the most common Maltese expletives is not ‘God damn you’ but ‘damn God’ and I can’t think of any English curse which comes anywhere near (southern Italians do have one).
Many who use ‘aqqanna’ with every other sentence forget what they’re really saying.
There are not many opportunities in Malta to develop a sense of humour, particularly poking fun at ‘authority’ figures, satire etc.
I have two examples.
This is a joke I use to see if a man has a sense of humour. I stopped telling it to Maltese men becasue they are mostly offended. “Do you have any photographs of your wife in the nude?” Answers “no”. I say “would you like to buy some?”
I they laugh or smile then I know I can joke with them.
[Daphne – It’s actually a really old joke, and a terrible one. I’m surprised anyone laughs at all, quite frankly. Get a new take on it: start asking women whether they’ve got any nude photos of their husband and whether they’d like to buy some. Then you might get some fresh laughs (or strange looks).]
Secondly, the religious upbringing stifles a lot of healthy thoughts.
Consider this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster
If you laugh at this then I suggest you have a good sense of humour. How many Maltese would find this funny?
I don’t know much Dutch, but here’s an interesting and fun insight on how the Dutch sometimes express themselves.
http://stuffdutchpeoplelike.com/2011/07/26/dutch-swears-with-diseases/
And please don’t tell me that the Mintoffians are going to teach the Dutch who the liberals truly are.
[Daphne – It’s actually a really old joke, and a terrible one. I’m surprised anyone laughs at all, quite frankly. Get a new take on it: start asking women whether they’ve got any nude photos of their husband and whether they’d like to buy some. Then you might get some fresh laughs (or strange looks).]
Yes dear. I will look into it. Actually I don’t meet many new faces since retiring.
@Ms DCG;
I am just imaginging the scandalized media outcry and countless anti- Daphne petitions that will circulate on Facebook, had you the temerity to write an article where you tell Joseph Muscat in no uncertain terms to “break a leg” or “in bocca al lupo”.
But they keep telling him to “keep it up”.
Miskin,
No wonder he is balding so rapidly.
I agree with Izzie that “May God rot his soul” is not any more blasphemous than the Maltese “Irraħ Alla joqtlok”.
Similar intemperate expletives involving the deity are just as objectionable in Maltese, English English, USA English, Canadian English or any other language. I simply do not think that these expletives render any comment ” more effective and meaningful”.
There’s no use in you explaining Daph, the idiots will never manage to get their peabrains around it.
Why do you refer to me as fastidious? I only said I wouldn’t use it!
Our madre patria, the UK. Dio salvi la regina!
I used those words on purpose, to rile the deluded Italian irredentist nostalgics.
@ H P Baxxter.
“Imnalla” “Jekk Alla jrid” and “Alla jbierek” are respectful, not deprecatory, references to God. In my humble opinion, they are not blasphemous towards the Almighty as is the arrogant demand that God should comply with our intemperate imprecations (not matter how excusable) and that He should confine our enemies “rot in hell”.
When you mention god in those phrases, you are not invoking god. For god’s sake. Godforsaken. Does that mean god forsakes?
I don’t expect to convince you though.
In any case, there are no universal terms of reference for god, and some gods are full-on gods of vengeance, doom, destruction and of course, war.
No, Baxxter, you do not convince me.
I still believe that using foul language and calling the name of God in vain do not contribute anything to the intrinsic value of any comment and that does not render any comment “more effective and more meaningful”.
The filthy language adopted by the critics of Daphne Caruana Galizia, unfortunately, is the norm to be expected from their squalid political and educational environment. There is no need for the very intelligent blogger herself to prove that she can dish out the same treatment when provoked.
If that sentiment indicates that I come from a different culture (I do not think so) – so be it.
Isn’t it strange how people ascribe unto God human imotions such as anger, happiness, a sense of justice, etc, but not a sense of humour.
Perhaps it’s because humans generally project their own attributes on their God.
I cannot understand the importance we are all affording to old Mintoff. The condensed conclusion is : Mintoff was “Traditur” now, because Muscat NEEDS votes, he has brought it about to rename him is-Salvatur.
Political expediency.
By recalling Mintoff’s obscenities, we are again hurting those who have been hurt by him. So let’s put him in Muscat’s skip where he deserves to be.
Put religion and superstitions aside, I can’t see the (UK) Times or The Guardian using that language. That is tabloid jargon.