Divided by a Common Language

"England and America are two countries divided by a common language."

Nobody is really quite sure who said this.  Some say it was Winston Churchill, others attribute it to Oscar Wilde.  Most sources I've found give George Bernard Shaw credit, though there's no written documentation of Shaw's having said this.  But, he could have.

While looking this morning for background material on Egypt (which will be part 3 of the CIVETS series), I found an article on the BBC entitled "Britishisms and the Britishisation of American English."  That ended up as a lost hour......

One of the points of particular interest in this article is that, when Americans (USAians ?) use specific Britishisms ((such as "colour" for "color" or "centre" for "center"), that they don't come across as sophisticated, just pretentious.

Picture from Memphis Flyer


The BBC article linked to this page (Not One-Off Britishisms).  I thought I'd read the first few entries, but got totally sucked in.  The author here also skewers the pretentiousness of some US uses of British idioms, but makes an additional point, which is that language in the US is enriched by the addition of British words and phrases for which there is no specific American equivalent.  One I am particularly fond of is the verb "to vet," meaning "to look into," with the implications of determining a person's suitability for a position and of digging for the dirt before the opposition can do so.

Example #1
Example #2

Then, there's my new favourite British news source, The Guardian.  One of their columnists decided to tackle the subject of British English vs. US English. The article is interesting, but the comments are even better.  Some people take their language very seriously.  Other commenters drifted down the byways of Spanish Spanish vs. Cuban Spanish.....

Then, just to make things Even More Complicated, remember that it's not just US English and British English.

• "Hinglish: Not same, very different" (English with a Hindi flavour)
• "G' Day mate: A guide to Australian language" (from a British source)
• "South African English" (Bring on the  vuvuzelas.  And, for evidence that there are people with entirely too much time on their hands.... )

This is enough.

CIVETS, Part 2 (South Africa)

We're not going in strict order here; South Africa is actually the last on the CIVETS list.

In general, we're all a lot more positive about Africa these days.  Article after article after article talks about Africa's vast untapped consumer market, a growing middle class (incomes between $2 and $20 per day) now able to afford more -- life insurance, Danone yogurt, basmati rice (imported from India),Heineken-brewed cassava beer and cosmetics from Avon, all paid for with mobile banking.

Some interesting reading

I ran across this today, from the (UK) Financial Times.  It's a blog dedicated to what we call "emerging markets" or "poorer countries."

Remeber that shorthand here -- BRIC, or Brazil, Russia, India and China, or the economies of the 21st century.

A few interesting posts:

Sina and Tencent: dark clouds and silver linings (microblogging in China).  Also, the Economist article on why Chinese and Japanese are such good languages for microblogging.

Filling a Gap in South Africa (clothing retailing)

China's Hu promises win-win partnership in South Africa - Yahoo! News

It appears that China has developed a deep interest in Africa. According to a news story today,

"Both sides vowed to deepen the political partnership and business cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes," said [Chinese President] Hu at a joint press conference on the sixth leg of an eight-nation tour of Africa."

Why is China interested in strengthening ties with Africa? According to some, it isn't altruism:

China is keen to tap into Africa's abundant natural resources to feed its economic growth but it has faced accusations of being too willing to turn a blind eye to the excesses of regimes, such as Sudan, as well as using Africa as a dumping ground for cheap goods, particularly textiles.

And, as pointed out in an October 2006 article in the Economist, trade with China only benefits Africa's elite, who are the ones who have control over minerals and petroleum.

Is it possible that the Chinese are sincere in their interest in Africa?

[South African President] Mbeki has previously stated that China will not "replicate the historic colonial economic relationship in terms of which Africa served as a source of raw materials and a market for goods manufactured in the countries of the colonisers."

However, that's what appears to have happened. China exports far more to Africa than it imports. On the other hand, China has forgiven debt and spent money on building roads and other infrastructure in several (oil -producing) Afriacan countries.

One throwaway comment in another Economist article caught my attention, though. China is beginning to import cotton from Africa. The only reason the US trade deficit with China isn't larger than it is -- US exports of cotton to China.

Your thoughts?

China's Hu promises win-win partnership in South Africa - Yahoo! News