Language and culture

 On something else…

Some out there will remember, maybe fondly, maybe painfully, reading Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” at some time in the past. Here is what is probably the most poetic passage in the play, the moment when Caliban, the “savage,” complains about his treatment by Prospero.

The passage is followed by my translation in my native language, western Friulian, a language so little known, and used, as to be virtually nonexistent outside Friuli. Yet within Friuli it does exist and it has a lot of value. If it ceased to exist, Friuli would lose a significant part of its culture. I’d hate to see that happen. That explains my translation of “The Tempest” in Friulian, as it explains why I have done, and am doing a lot of other translation work.

I should add this: that my valuing Friulian a lot, doesn’t mean that I value Italian or English any less. Pretty darned hard to beat Shakespeare at his own game; pretty hard to beat Ariosto or Dante at their own game. But Friulian is not so bad either.

And by the way, I have just asked ChatGPT to translate this same passage in an indigenous language of British Columbia. The result can be seen below. Admittedly, I have no idea of how good the translation of Shakespeare’s passage is in the Salish language, but that hardly mattters: what matters is that this language is part of the Salish culture and it should be valued as such. This, though, does not mean that the Salish language should replace the English language, any more that the Friulian language should replace the Italian language in Friuli. Both can, and should, coexist. Losing either one would be a loss for everyone.

Caliban. 

“This island’s mine by Sycorax, my mother,

 Which thou tak’st from me. When thou cam’st first,

 Thou strok’st me and made much of me, wouldst

 give me

Water with berries in ’t, and teach me how

 To name the bigger light and how the less,

 That burn by day and night. And then I loved thee,

 And showed thee all the qualities o’ th’ isle,

 The fresh springs, brine pits, barren place and

fertile.

 Cursed be I that did so! All the charms

 Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you,

 For I am all the subjects that you have,

 Which first was mine own king; and here you sty me

In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me

 The rest o’ th’ island.”

Caliban. 

 “Chista išula a è me, par via di Sycorax, me mari,

 che tu ti mi às partàt via. Cuant ch'i ti èris apena rivàt,

 ti mi caresàvis e cocolàvis, ti mi dèvis aga che dentri

 fràulis a veva, e i ti mi insegnàvis coma clamà

 la lus pì granda, e chè mancu granda,

 ch'a lùšin dì e nòt; e alora ben i ti volevi

 e jodi i ti fevi ducju i aspiès da l'išula,

 bieli sorgìvis, bušaròs di aga salada, postùs

 fèrtils e stèrils: magari cussì no, maladèt ch'i soj.

 Che ducju i striamìns di Sycorax a ti còlin tal cjaf!

 Che jò i soj il ùnic sùdit ch'i ti às,

 che na volta i eri jò il re di me stes: e chì sieràt

 ti mi tens, coma ta un pursitàr, in ta sta cjera dura,

 al stes timp che lontàn ti mi tèns

 dal rest da l'išula.”

Me. Great! Can you translate this passage in any indigenous language of British Columbia?

GPT. Certainly! Let's use Hul'q'umi'num', a language spoken by some Coast Salish peoples in British Columbia, Canada, for the translation:

"Haycəm̓əʔ naχʷulh kʷaʔ miʔ ʔi sxʷəy̓əm̓,

Iʔ wəlh hwəʔ yiʔ ʔəmiʔ. T'at'ulh 'ul' kwəs skwəl'ʷul'wə,

Hayuχum̓əm̓ ʔəməʔ 'iʔ sxʷəy̓əm̓, naʔ ʔutʔul',

C'ulhkʷulhkʷət'ən̓əm̓ qʷay̓ət'ulhkʷət'ən̓əm̓, siʔəḥəc',

ʔəmiʔ ʔəlmət, ts'əl'umət, kwəxʷum̓ət ʔəlʔuw̓ənəx̣ʷ.

Cəčəl' uɬq̓ʷuʔ n'əntsiʔ ʔəməʔ! Sxʷəy̓əm̓ ʔi naʔəst,

N'əntsiʔ ʔəməʔ! ƛ̓aʔatʔaʔ naχʷulh Sycorax,

ʔi xʷəʔaʔi, ƛ̓aʔatʔaʔ iʔ naχʷulh, x̣əʔ yə

 ʔi ʔiʔ sxʷəy̓əm̓. ʔi kʷaʔ ʔəmiʔ pən̓ ʔəməʔ

Saχʷəy̓əm̓ ʔi ʔəlmət. Hwuch tiʔiʔ ƛ̓aʔatʔaʔ ʔi

N'əntsiʔ ʔəməʔ, 'uʔiʔ kwət'ələm̓ ʔi ʔəməʔ

ʔuʔ k'ʷaʔiʔuʔt, q'ʷaʔuʔt k'ʷaʔiʔuʔt ʔiʔ t'at'ulh."

Keep in mind that Hul'q'umi'num' is just one of the many Indigenous languages in British Columbia, and translations can vary across dialects.

Christianity at thebroot of all rust?

 Dear Editors

The January 2024 Sci-Am article “Rusting Rivers” is both informative and scary, the scary part being the risk posed by rusting water not just to human and animal life way up north in Alaska but worldwide. 

The article forcefully sugggests that this leaching of iron and sulphuric acid is caused by rising temperatures and the thawing of permafrost. It states, too, that local villagers are suffering from the effects of this thawing because of spoiled water, crumbling structures, and so forth. Then quite suddenly, and in a blatant non sequitur, the plight of the native villagers is blamed on a whole host of factors, including devastation of the whales, epidemics and  Christianization. “Christianization”? I turn to the cover of the magazine I am reading, and sure enough it says “Scientific American.” Ergo, being Scientific American and not National Inquirer, it must know what it's talking about. And maybe, just maybe, it is privy to a little known ritual involving some devout priest sprinkling “poisoned” blessed water in the local creeks. But if so it would surely tell us instead of leaving us totally mystified as we try our hardest to see the connection between rusted rivers and Christianity.

And incidentally, if global warming is really at the root of this rusting, then Sci-Am would do well to remind itself that the parts of the world that are most responsible for global warming are anything but Christian.

Ermes Culos

(who firmly believes that not even Sci-Am is beyond redemption)

Techno Italia

 Letter to La Repubblica, etc. 

Caro direttore

Nelle settimane recenti ho accumulato alcuni termini inglesi apparsi sulle pagine dei maggiori quotidiani italiani. Oggi ho chiesto a ChatGPT di comporre una ode alla società italiana odierna usando termini tratti esclusivamente da questa lista. Il risultato:

Fast beauty, fast fashion, a tech delight

by GPT

Oh, the marvels of modern tech, a wild mix like a Halloween rave,

From smartphone whispers to influencer's wave.

In the realm of tweets and memes, a social underdog can find fame,

A sexy match, a cash punk, all playing the game.

In the city of bits and code, a leader rises, a top, not a flop,

Navigating the landscape, like a skater on a digital slope.

Serial killers of boredom, restyling the norm,

Escalation of trends, a fast-paced storm.

Big tech titans, a Twitter chatter,

In the realm of fake news, a climate changer.

Under 30, over 50, a diverse cast,

Queerness, gender, catching reactions fast.

Startup whispers and summit shouts,

A roadmap paved with tweets and doubts.

From voucher dreams to fiscal drag,

Tech's jolly del look, a body in the tag.

Stalking gadgets, a pusher's shock,

Beauty in bytes, a virtual rock.

From sex toys' mix to a manager's role,

In this techno era, we find our soul.

A quiet quitting shopping spree,

Dress code debates and app esprit.

Body shaming whispers, a downburst's spree,

Yet, tech weaves a diverse tapestry.

A trek through the emotional green,

YouTube stars and Suv sheen.

Rumors flutter like a camping breeze,

In the digital era, we find our ease.

Intelligence reports and fringe benefits,

Bird strikes and antistress hits.

Tech week's breakdance, beautiful minds' peek,

Leaking whispers, the fast-paced streak.

Bosses juggle baby games,

Wuiz shows and pop lives' flames.

A king's speech in a flash-mob's light,

Fast beauty, fast fashion, a tech delight.

In this tech symphony, a tabu's song,

Street food tastes, a bluff prolong.

Fringe benefits and aging's quest,

Tech's evolution, we're put to the test.

Live guards on the rail of progress,

Overbooking life, a quiz-game's finesse.

From derby races to green economies,

In the tech whirlwind, we find our harmonies.

Ermes Culos

Ashcroft BC Can

Der Friseur und der Nazi

 Just read this book, and a couple of reviews of the book. Am puzzled by why the reviewers overlook the paragrh on massmurderers on this page: 

Furlanament

 Momèns fà i stevi voltànt par furlàn un sonèt di Heinrich Heine, e i mi eri incjampàt su chista fraše: “Doch liebe Mutter, offen will ich's sagen…” La tradusiòn taliana di “offen will ich sagen” a è “dirò apertamente,” e chè ingleša a è “I will say openly.” Benòn. Ma jò i volevi vej na tradusiòn furlana di “apertamente,” e i ài volùt alora consultà il Grant Dizionari Furlan che par “apertamente” a mi à ufrìt—cun na volubilitàt da no crodi—dùtis li alternatìvis ch'i podìn jodi in ta la foto. Par “apertamente” i ài a la fin sielzùt “in maniera direta”; ma il bièl al è chistu, che par curiošitàt i ài volùt savej coma che la espresiòn “dirò apertamente” (o “offen will ich sagen”) a vegnarès tradušuda in furlàn dal ChatGPT (o da la inteligensa artificjàl), e il ChatGPT—sensa la minimisima ešitasiòn a mi l'à tradušuda cussì: “o voli dîllo furlanament.” Sì, pròpit cussì:  “o voli dîllo furlanament”! Alora, buna zent, s'i volìn èsi dal dut onescj’ o sincèrs in tal esprìmisi i vìn da dìšilu in maniera furlana—o furlanamènt. 

Editorial response

 Hi…

About your view of John Rustad’ s October 3 Legislature speech:

I really don’t think you need to be cynical to suggest that Rustad was making the point that if some expressions are not permissible in the Legislature, then they should not be permitted in an elementary school setting either. This is not cynicism; this is stating a truth, albeit a truth that may or may not be universally accepted. Rusted’s point may or may not be valid: true.

What, to me, is more to the point, is that in the rest of your article you seem to suggest that since kids are exposed to far more suggestive and explicit concepts and language outside the school setting (mainly through the Internet)—which is undeniably the case—, then we should not be critical of schools for doing the same, even if in milder doses. This argument seems to be based on the lesser of two evils principle. The principle is certainly fair when we have to choose between two evils, in which case most of us would agree that choosing the lesser one is morally the better choice. But in this case we are hardly faced with two evils. We are faced with the Internet, which by its very nature contains much that is of questionable value; and with schools, which, if they contain questionable matters, they contain them only because teachers and administrators allow this to happen. 

So the two evils principle doesn’t apply in this case. This means, really, that the Internet has little to do with this whole question. What is at the heart of it is whether or not schools should be involved at all with issues such as sexual orientation, with all that that implies. Without taking a position on this issue, I do wonder where parents generally stand.

No, please

 Letter to Squamish Mayor and Van Sun

Dear Mayor and Council.
I feel for the Squamish nation—as I feel for indigenous people everywhere—for the many ways in which they were harmed in the past at the hands of the colonial powers. I think I also undestand the hurt they must feel at being confronted in today’s environment by names of streets and towns and rivers and mountains that unavoidably remind them of those unpleasant historical events.
But historical events they are, and no amount of name changing is going to erase them. Sure, remove the names and many of us, indigenous or non-indigenous, will in time forget that these events ever happened. But is that a good thing? Do we really want future generations to go through life ignorant of the past—of what in effect made us what we are? (And, let’s face it, the list of—for some—undesirable names is long, and includes Vancouver, Fraser River, Juan de Fuca, Victoria, Prince George and many others, including, of course, Mt. Garibaldi as well as British Columbia itself, all of which in a very real sense define our province.)
Having said this, I personally, would welcome seeing existing names accompanying indigenous names. That would actually enrich our sense of history. So by all means, dear Mayor and Council members, go for it. Just—please!—don’t cancel the names we have all lived with for as long as we have been in this province. And as for Mt. Garibaldi, by getting rid of it you would simply make an awful lot Garibaldi hikers unhappy, which would really not be in keeping with the spirit of reconciliation, nor would it be a nice thing to do to those who see in Garibaldi a very interesting and positive historical figure.
Yours truly,
Ermes Culos