One More Reason to Deplore Brexit
https://youtu.be/O6Gxb3H26Jw
Let's begin with a quote from John Oliver's show:
"Brexit — I believe, is short for 'brain exit,' the official word for when everything that makes sense goes out of the window and everyone is just stupid all the time."
While I do appreciate all the good things coming from the European Union, its language quite often seems to be a mixture of legalese and officialese. The Brits, the only EU nation for which the English language is truly native, often were the only beacons of style and taste in the dark sea of bureaucracy. This is especially true for their diplomats, lawyers, government officials, military officers, scientists, etc. — the educated folks, I mean. If Brexit entails the loss of this style, EU, I'm afraid, will be left devoid of the major part of its charm, its gravity and grace. I wonder why this huge peril is often overlooked or, at best, deemed an afterthought in discussions about Brexit.
To see the British magic in practice, let's take one example: a lawyer elaborating on some EU legislation changes. It's not a well-known speaker, not some popular video — the only reason I discovered it was getting ready for an event. But man, was it worth it!
It's not just about the accent. Take a look at the little tidbits of language the lawyer inserts here and there throughout her presentation:
lo and behold
fair few of you
music to one's ears
to get out of jail free
to vary wildly
borne out in practice
[annexes] sitting there in the back
of a kind
earlier on
a little caveat
...
Also, the video contains a cute slip of the tongue. There are two expressions in English: "dry as dust" and "dull as ditchwater." At some point the speaker accidentally mixes the two together, and says "dry as ditchwater," — which is absolutely hilarious — yet quickly corrects herself.
And one more little gem. For years my friends and I admired the figurative word "пробуксовывать" in Falaleyev's translations from English into Russian. OK, but what's the beautiful word to translate this concept back into English? Now I know: slippage. Thank you, Claire Dwyer.
https://youtu.be/O6Gxb3H26Jw
Let's begin with a quote from John Oliver's show:
"Brexit — I believe, is short for 'brain exit,' the official word for when everything that makes sense goes out of the window and everyone is just stupid all the time."
While I do appreciate all the good things coming from the European Union, its language quite often seems to be a mixture of legalese and officialese. The Brits, the only EU nation for which the English language is truly native, often were the only beacons of style and taste in the dark sea of bureaucracy. This is especially true for their diplomats, lawyers, government officials, military officers, scientists, etc. — the educated folks, I mean. If Brexit entails the loss of this style, EU, I'm afraid, will be left devoid of the major part of its charm, its gravity and grace. I wonder why this huge peril is often overlooked or, at best, deemed an afterthought in discussions about Brexit.
To see the British magic in practice, let's take one example: a lawyer elaborating on some EU legislation changes. It's not a well-known speaker, not some popular video — the only reason I discovered it was getting ready for an event. But man, was it worth it!
It's not just about the accent. Take a look at the little tidbits of language the lawyer inserts here and there throughout her presentation:
lo and behold
fair few of you
music to one's ears
to get out of jail free
to vary wildly
borne out in practice
[annexes] sitting there in the back
of a kind
earlier on
a little caveat
...
Also, the video contains a cute slip of the tongue. There are two expressions in English: "dry as dust" and "dull as ditchwater." At some point the speaker accidentally mixes the two together, and says "dry as ditchwater," — which is absolutely hilarious — yet quickly corrects herself.
And one more little gem. For years my friends and I admired the figurative word "пробуксовывать" in Falaleyev's translations from English into Russian. OK, but what's the beautiful word to translate this concept back into English? Now I know: slippage. Thank you, Claire Dwyer.