July 31, 2006
A Culture of Ambivalence and Allusion
Language: Learning to speak American, by Marion McKeone
We Irish just can’t say yes. Or no. It’s not in our genes. In Irish Gaelic, we don’t even have a word for them. The closest is “Is ea,” which means “It is so.” And “Ni hea,” which means “It is not so.” There are, however, about 50 different approximations that indicate various degrees of equivocation.
Our genetic inability to call a spade a spade and our compulsion to say no when we mean yes, and vice versa, are but surface manifestations of a deeply ingrained reflex to subvert, invert and pervert the English language. In Ireland, the words must fit the rhythm, often at the expense of logic or clarity.
Cat: | Time: 10:27 am (utc+8)
