REVEALED: the nation that dare not speak its name

The British Broadcasting Corporation has decided, that "Brit­ish" is an offensive word. The corporation, whose own motto has for more than 65 years been "Nation shall speak peace unto nation", now also deems the word "nation" to be insulting.

Top BBC news presenters and correspondents were informed last week which words and phrases can be used as devolution takes hold, and those that are forbidden.

At a series of seminars, they were instructed that "British" can no longer be used to describe the generality of people living the British Isles because it might cause offence among the Scots and Welsh.

"When we talk about things affecting the "whole nation" ... those phrases can mean different things to our audiences in En­gland, Scotland, Wales and Ireland", explains a style book, called "Changing UK", which was issued at the seminar. In place of "nation", it urges presenters to use United Kingdom.

The use of the word "British" is acceptable only in estab­lished commercial contexts, such as British Broadcasting Cor­poration and in description of "British" forces — even if they include Scots and Welsh.

The word "welsh" when used in the context of "welshing on an agreement", is out. The Welsh are also very touchy about their image as simpletons.

BBC executives insist the Scots are upset that football hooli­gans are often called "British hooligans" on news bulletins. There are only "English" hooligans, according to the style book.

Several senior BBC journalists regard the changes — brain­child of Philip Harding, controller of editorial policy — as "po­litical correctness run amok". It is, one said, the revenge of the Scots and Welsh for not being given their own Six O' Clock News.

Exercise 5

Define the following terms used in the article. Use an English- English dictionary if necessary. Find the Russian equivalents.

MOTTO, DEVOLUTION, IMAGE, BRAINCHILD, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, REVENGE

Exercise 6

Suggest the Russian translation for the following English phrases.

1) to cause offence; 2) to affect a nation; 3) to issue a book; 4) to welsh on an agreement; 5) to run amok

Exercise 1

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate phrase from exercises 5and 6.

1. If public spending _____ our money will lose its value.
2. The press secretary considered _____ a press re­lease about the border incident.
3. Will the strike _____ the price of oil?
4. The publication of photographs of wounded soldiers _____ to their relatives.
5. The ministry had to conceal plans to _____ gov­ernment bonds.
6. When their team lost the match the fans _____.
7. Unfortunately, the new government policy will hardly  _____ smugglers.
8. The visit of the dictator is likely to _____ to many people.
9. Charismatic leaders have a tendency to _____ delivering speeches at political rallies.
10. The government is expected to _____ a statement about the crisis.
11. A remark, that is considered humourous in one culture, can  _____ in another.
12. Taken by surprise by the paparazzi, the President really _____ with his body-guards.
13. It is easier now to see the ways in which computers _____ our lives.
14. The BBC received a number of complaints about the remark made during the interview that _____ to the listen­ers.

Exercise 8

Fill in the gaps with the English phrases instead of the Russian ones, given in brackets.

1. The party think-tank should have envisaged that the new (лозунг) would (нанесет оскорбление) to the party loyal supporters.

2. (Передача) of power to regional assemblies is sure to (по­влиять на) the whole country.

3. As was to be expected, once he started speaking on his (за­мысел) he immediately (стал как одержимый).

4. On the eve of the elections a book was (выпущена). It pro­moted a completely new (образ) of the party leader.

5. No amount of (политкорректности) can conceal the (ос­корбление) to patriots that was (нанесено) by the permis­sion for the neo-nazis to hold a rally in the centre of the town (выданное) by the local authorities.

6. It was the unusual (лозунг) of the insurance company that had helped them to (надуть) their clients.

7. The (месть) was too unexpected for them to give proper re­sistance.

Exercise 9

Render the following passage into the English language, using the following words and phrases in the correct forms.

self-identification          to taint

common                         to register

collapse                          to cause offence

vulnerable                      to retain

to take smth for granted resilient

Можно бесконечно иронизировать над политической кор­ректностью, изобличая ее лицемерность или указывая на очевидную комичность профессиональных борцов с hate- speech. Но сколь бы уязвимой для критики политкорректность ни была, она принесла очевидные плоды и оказалась устойчивым понятием. Быть заподозренным в расистских предрассудках — значит запятнать репутацию.

Национальность у нас часто определяется не по культу­ре и не по самосознанию, а по крови. Нация в расхожем понимании — это не гражданское, а именно кровнородствен­ное сообщество. Клише расистского мышления настолько распространены в наших средствах массовой информации, что их просто перестают замечать, когда телекомментаторы и репортеры не понимают, что наносят оскорбление своему народу, когда делят противоборствующие стороны на «на­ших» и «чужих».

После краха советской идеологии многие русские почув­ствовали себя «обворованными», лишенными этнической идентичности, единственным народом, всерьез поверившим в возможность советской идентичности и поэтому оставшим­ся ни с чем, тогда как их нерусские сограждане сохранили свою идентичность и в результате оказались в выигрыше.

As a group discuss the following questions:

1. How did people come to think of themselves as British (Britons) rather than Englishmen, Scotsmen, or Welshmen? Americans rather than Indians, Italians, or Irishmen? Soviet rather than Russian, Ukrainian, or Georgian?

2. Did those processes differ from nation to nation or did they follow a pattern?

3. What holds multinational states together?

In the article below Don Carleton talks to Linda Colley about what constitutes "Britishness".

Read the introduction to the article to understand what pro­voked Linda '$ interest in " Britishness ".

            FORGING THE NATION

Linda Colley at first sight looks like an establishment figure, she is Leverhulme Research Professor at the European Institute, London School of Economics. She was previously a Professor at Yale University; she was the first female Fellow at Christ's College Cambridge; and she became a best-selling author (of Britons, about how the British came to think of themselves as British). She has just delivered two of the most prestigious series of lec­tures in her field.

"I began by looking at what patriotism meant in the 18th century. It soon became clear to me that patriotism was not enough. It was too confining. There was something else going on. I began to be struck by the number of times terms like "Britishness" and "Briton" were mentioned. I asked myself: how did people come to see themselves as "Britons" rather than English­men, Scotsmen, Welshmen and, to a lesser extent, Irishmen? It took me ten years to find and publish the answers".

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