"Yo, yo yo!"

     Language is a pliable, constantly changing thing. For example, the English of 100 years ago is not exactly the same as the English of today, see my earlier article on the ampersand. While English made the change with the ampersand many years ago, a similar change seems to be happening to the Russian language.   

     The symbol to the left is the Russian symbol for the sound "yo". This symbol was added to the language in the 18th century and later was championed by Stalin and mandated in schools and in the Communist party's official newspaper. Recently, ë seems to have fallen out of favor with many modern speakers, as well as some Russian language purists who point to the relatively late addition of the letter to the Cyrillic alphabet as a good reason for it's removal. 

     However, a small group of people have been fighting back in favor of the ë, going so far as to write books in its defense, programming computers to be able to use it, and even going as far as getting monuments placed in two small towns in it's honor. These people call themselves yofikators, champions of the letter ë. Their opponents call them amateurs and sticklers to artificial rules. However some yofikators believe that ë has an opponent from outside of Russia. In December of 2012, one yofikators interview led the CIA to come out and officially deny that they have been working to take the ë out of the Russian language.

     In an interview in November of 2012, shortly before his death at the age of 80, Viktor Chumakov, who called himself the "Chief Yofikator", was interviewed about his fight to keep the letter ë in the Russian language. Mr. Chumakov stated several reasons for the decline of the letters use, Russian laziness since Stalin's death, opposition by government officials, and lastly,that it was an assault by the CIA. Mr. Chumakov claimed that the CIA was working covertly in the Russian Language Institute, a state run language organization, to bring about the downfall of ë and weaken Russia. "In any country, the alphabet is an instrument to bring order," and "If it isn't respected, everything falls to pieces."

     Conspiracy theories are not a new thing. New ones seem to pop up everyday. However what makes Mr. Chumakov's claim different, is that it resulted in an official comment from the CIA, denying any such involvement. According to the CIA, “There is absolutely no truth to this allegation. The Agency supports the practice of good grammar and pronunciation in any language.”

     Whether or not the CIA is attempting to remove ë from the Russian language, the cause to keep the letter recently gained an important ally. After receiving a complaint letter about not being able to use the ë on a government form, Education Minister Dmitry Livanov unexpectedly joined the fight to keep the letter. "We absolutely have to fix this problem," Livanov said, "Millions are suffering." While Livanov hasn't announced exactly how he plans to do it, it seems like the ë may have a future in the Russian language.








1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/17/cia-officially-denies-that-it-is-trying-to-erase-a-letter-from-the-russian-alphabet/
2. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324784404578144972339592016.html

   

   

"What's in a name...?"

     While a many of the posts on this website are dedicated to the times when people have language fails, I love being able to post a language win.

     The picture above comes from the twitter account of Peter Sagal, the host of Wait wait... don't tell me, a comedic radio program that airs on NPR. The mind behind the ad clearly has a masterful grasp of  navigating the treacherous waters of copyright law. While they would have gotten in trouble for just calling it "The Super Bowl party in a box", as the term "Super Bowl" is heavily copyrighted and defended, the restaurant cleverly insulated itself from the wrath of the NFL by just adding the phrase, "big internationally televised professional football" in between "Super" and "Bowl". One can only hope that more people take note and learn from this example.

"You can't handle the truth!"

     Like a lot of people, my wife and I like to keep magazines in the bathroom so that we can read while we take care of business. Last year, my wife bought me a subscription to Popular Mechanics, and since then, it has become one of our bathroom staples. The ads usually go unnoticed by either of us, however,the back cover add of the most recent issue caught my eye.

     The top of the ad is as normal as any other:

     Notice the tag line, "Tellin' it like it is". It puts forth the aura of machismo just by the spelling. It's so manly it doesn't need a "g". It's also suggests that if you are manly enough, you will tell the truth no matter how hard or bad it may be. And it is with that frame of mind that I noticed what is on the bottom of the ad:

     I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I read that. The testosterone fueled message, that being manly enough to fix your own car and solve any mental or emotional problems you may have on your own, all the while chewing on some Grizzly long cut snuff, loses some of it's impact when, with in 6 inches of it, there is a huge warning message. At least the add is "Tellin' you like it is" enough to let you know that the product being advertised can cause the bottom half your face to fall off.

     Here is a full picture of the add, so you can see it in all its glory.

"Intercourse the penguin!"

     There f-word is one of the most popular and most offensive words in the English language. In the video to the left, the comedy troupe Monty Python  manage to sneak across a reference to it by using one of the more clinical synonyms for the f-word. English, however, is not the only language to have a slang word or phrase like the f-word. Recently, a number of North Koreans have been using their version to strike a small blow for freedom against their new leader, Kim Jong-un.

     January 8th is the 30th birthday of Kim Jong-un and as often happens in dictatorial regimes, the citizens of North Korea are being forced to take part in celebrations and other activities to commemorate his birth. While in most cases there is nothing odd or funny about the date of January 8th, according to NKNews.org: "January 8th is pronounced in Korean as ‘ilpal’ (one-eight). But the Korean word for eighteen, ‘sippal’, happens to be a homophone of the swear-word ‘f**king’. Pyongyang residents have decided to take advantage of this pun. They are referring to Kim Jong-un’s birthday as the ‘f**king birthday celebrations’, and compulsory apple-picking days as ‘f**king Apple-Picking Days’." While these jokes are only whispered among close friends, those who really trust those who they are talking to have been using more direct terms to air their grievances. They have been calling Kim Jong-un, " ‘f**king comrade’, ‘f**king Marshal or ‘f**king Kim the Third’." 

     While we may laugh or cringe at such vulgar language, the mere fact that they are willing to make these jokes is a huge step forward for the North Korean people, even if they aren't willing to make them publicly  In the past, Kim's father and grandfather were given an almost god like reverence. It was considered culturally and criminally a big crime to make fun of them. And while many wish the North Koreans would rise up and pursue freedom, those who do may just have to be satisfied with the small baby steps like this for now.




1. http://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jong-uns-birthday-prompts-pun-2013-1?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+businessinsider+%28Business+Insider%29
2. http://gawker.com/5974144/incredibly-brave-north-koreans-are-mocking-kim-jong+un-on-his-birthday
3. http://www.nknews.org/2013/01/happy-fking-birthday-kid-warrior-lots-of-love-the-people-of-north-korea/