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Motorways are what we'd call highways here. Specifically, they are not streets. The concept of "crossing a street being a thing to lampoon" doesn't exist in the
by romwell 7y ago
Motorways are what we'd call highways here. Specifically, they are not streets. The concept of "crossing a street being a thing to lampoon" doesn't exist in the UK.
I am not going to argue about the origins of the derogatory term anymore: the history is there.
My point is that other countries don't have a derogatory term for people crossing the street.
For Russian, that'd be like "мудак", but specifically and only applicable to people crossing the street. Like "мудоход".
We don't have "мудоход", we don't fine for "мудоходство".
That's the difference in language I am trying to highlight.
- pandaman 7y agoHave you ever been to the US? Nobody uses "jaywalker" as an insult. It's as insulting as Russian "разиня" with the exception that it's actually a word used in the law. Just imagine Russian code of law with articles for "мудоходство" or "распиздяйство"...
- romwell 7y agoI've been living in the US for over half my life now :) And yes, jaywalking is not a neutral word, and neither is "разиня" (I have exaggerated the translation, of course). Compare: Мой научный руководитель перешёл улицу в неположенном месте. Мой научный руководитель - разиня. Don't you see a difference between that two? You wouldn't say the latter within the earshot of the person in question, perhaps.
- pandaman 7y agoI never claimed it's neutral, breakin the law is not and should not be neutral in this country. So I don't see the point you are making any more and, I am sorry to say that, not interested to learn it.
- romwell 7y agoI just think that "Self-driving Uber wasn't programmed to detect people outside of crosswalks" would have been both a more precise title and more respectful to the victim. Sorry for dragging this out for so long! On the off-topic, I highly recommend Orwell's brilliant essay "Politics and the English Language"[1] It deals with the subject of how choice of words affects thought, and on the danger of canned phrases. A parallel work, in Russian, is Канцелярит[2], by Чуковский (a chapter from his book). If you've already read both, would love to hear your thoughts; if not, then hope that this would be a good thing you could get out of this conversation :) (I think you'd enjoy reading both as someone who speaks both languages) [1]https://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit https://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_poli... [2]http://vivovoco.astronet.ru/VV/BOOKS/LANG/LANG_6.HTM http://vivovoco.astronet.ru/VV/BOOKS/LANG/LANG_6.HTM