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A RED HERRING CAUGHT RED-HANDED!
Vera Payne’s use of the English expression “a red herring’’, which she translated as “ruĝa haringo’’ in her review of Refoje Sep Krimnoveloj on p. 7 of the Nov.- Dec. 94 number of ESK, necessitating a footnote by our editor for the benefit of those not familiar with English idioms, while picturesque—it might even catch on!—should act as a red light (ruĝa signalo here—normally ruĝa (trafik)lumo) to our readers against translating an idiom from any language into Esperanto without careful thought.
In none of the languages with which I am acquainted, European or Asian, is this expression used, and, I suspect, would not be understood in most cases. What is its origin?
It first appeared in the nineteenth century. A salted, smoked herring turns a reddish colour, and has a strong smell. People who were opposed to fox- hunting by the aristocracy (a peculiarly English custom?) would draw a red herring across the fox’s trail and so put the hounds off the scent. Later the expression took on the figurative meaning of diverting people’s attention away from the main point, or, in the case of a detective story, from the real culprit.
In this latter sense our editor’s falsa spuro is an apt translation (and, incidentally, reflects one rendering in German and Dutch and Italian). For other contexts Felix Woolf’s English Phrases and Expressions in Esperanto suggests erarigilo, but to me that smacks too much of an instrument, and I think erariga argumento/aserto etc. would be better.
The expression (kapti) … ĉe la freŝa faro quoted by Vera at the top of p. 8 can, of course, be translated as “catch red-handed’’ (from catching a murderer with his hands still red with the blood of his victim).
Several years ago Frank Banham, at that time editor of La Suda Kruco (the former title of the organ of the Australian Esperanto Association) used in an item the expression ruĝlitera tago for “a red-letter day’’. When I protestedthat this idiom would not be universally understood, Frank pointed out that it already existed in Esperanto—it is, in fact, in PIV; the quotation is from Kalocsay, who was a brilliant linguist.
Again, what is its origin? In the Middle Ages it became customary to mark feast days and saint’s days in red on the calendar, the others in black. These were days for celebration, and so days which had a special significance deserving of celebration for anyone at all began to be referred to as “red-letter days’’. Thus it is a Christian expression, and as such it would not be familiar to most non-Christians. Not only that, but again it is not used in its figurative sense in any of the languages of which I have any knowledge, not even the European (Christian) ones. French and Italian render that sense chiefly as a’’memorable day’’, and so I still think, in spite of PIV, that memorinda tago is preferable to ruĝlitera tago, being universally understandable.
And “red tape’’? This goes back to the 17th century, when the practice of tying official documents in bundles with red tape began. In the modern sense I think burokrataĵo or burokrata rutino is the most apt rendering.
CONVERSATION
We have all noticed how we all pause momentarily in the course of conversation to collect our thoughts, to consider what we are going to say next, but, to avoid interrupting the flow of speech, pop in expressions like “you know’’, “I mean’’, “well etc. —some people do it to a quite irritating extent!—and, responding to others when they stop for breath or effect, say “Really?’’, “Is that so?’’, “You don’t say?’’ “Well I never!’’, “No way!’’ etc.
One of the reasons many people don’t feel quite at home, or feel ill at ease, during conversation in a foreign language, and consequently let others do most of the talking, is that they just don’t know how to express these ideas in the other language. I propose, therefore, from time to time to list some common expressions that you can use to make your conversation in Esperanto sound more natural and let you yourself feel more at ease. Learn them well and use them!
Let’s start with ja. This particle is used to emphasise a word or idea, and may be rendered into English in a number of ways. Basically it means “assuredly, indeed, in fact, really, truly, to be sure’’ and so on. The position of the stress in the sentence often gives a different shade of meaning. So:
It may also indicate expostulation, remonstrance. Some examples from Butler:
Another useful particle is nu (= well! well now! Come now! And yet it must be admitted; you must know, etc.) Nu do—well then!
Butler suggests that it “gives various tones to the sentence, as suggested by context or tone of voice.
And now, here are a few useful “fillers’’:
Expressions like “Holy mackerel! Holy cow!’’ etc. take their meaning from the context, depending on whether one is surprised, incredulous, shocked etc. Try:
ŜATI
With reference to the letter from Georgo Kamaĉo in the Nov.-Dec. number of ESK, it seems that usage has finally prevailed over the Fundamento meaning of this word, as is normal in all living languages, and that there has indeed been a “drastic semantic shift’’ from the original meaning. Unlike Claude Piron, although I have travelled pretty widely, I have not yet had the pleasure of conversing with Esperantists in all five (six?) continents!1
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1 Aŭstralio, Antarktiko, Norda Ameriko, Suda Ameriko, Afriko, Eŭropo, Azio— sep kontinentoj.—Alan informas min ke li kutime kalkulas Eŭropon kaj Azion kiel unu kontinenton, kaj ofte forgesas Antarktikon. Eble simile estas rilate al la mencio pri “la kvin kontinentoj” trovebla en Take—La Domo 04 Oktobro 1994.
