Latest news with #Anglophones
Mint
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Pronouns have become extremely divisive
Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words. By John McWhorter. Avery; 240 pages; $28 One of the most effective television ads last year during Donald Trump's campaign for president warned voters: 'Kamala is for they/them, not you." Less than two weeks after taking office in January, Mr Trump ordered federal employees to remove their preferred pronouns from their email signatures. Videos of lawmakers deliberately addressing their peers with the wrong pronouns subsequently went viral. Parts of speech that used to star mainly in grammar lessons have become controversial political lightning rods. A new book gives a timely and engaging tour of an overlooked patch of linguistic history. John McWhorter, the author, is a linguist at Columbia University, columnist for the New York Times and author of more than 20 books on language and culture. This book's title, along with Mr McWhorter's heterodox views and pugnacity (he is an old-school liberal and has been outspoken on the excesses of the woke left), might lead readers to expect some culture-war bomb-throwing. Instead, he delivers an erudite jaunt in five chapters, one each for: 'I", 'you", 'we", 'he/she/it" and 'they". These words carry a heavy load. Other languages, for instance, have separate words for 'me and you", 'me and them" and 'me and those three"; English has just 'we". Unlike many other languages, English has no second-person plural. Words such as 'y'all", 'youse" or the lovely western Pennsylvania 'yinz" remain spoken and informal. 'You" was once plural, but with the decline of 'thou", once the second-person singular, it now assumes both roles. Mr McWhorter is no stickler for propriety—a linguist, in his view, describes rather than prescribes—and he delights in slaying sacred cows. He argues, for instance, that the prohibition against saying 'Joe and me went to lunch" is 'English's fakest rule", because pronouns do not split into subjects and objects as neatly as rule-makers believe. Consider the answer to 'Who left the door open?" It might sound odd to say 'I" rather than 'Me", even though 'I" is the subject pronoun. He also revels in pointing out the randomness of linguistic development. The familiar 'she" could have just as easily been 'hoo", 'oo", 'sho" or 'shoo" had English gone down a slightly different path. Dominant languages tend to simplify as they absorb speakers of other languages—a process doubtless helped by the de facto standardisation imposed by film, television and other forms of mass communication—but superficial simplicity can mask subtlety. The first-person plural in 'We're going out tonight", said to a friend, is not the same thing as a waiter asking, 'And what will we be having tonight?" The former is warm and inclusive, the latter faux-friendly and cloying. Unlike nouns and verbs, pronouns usually evolve glacially. Anglophones have been using their tidy little set for centuries. But change is not impossible. In Sweden 'hen", a gender-neutral pronoun, jumped from academic circles to general use around ten years ago. Near the end of the book, Mr McWhorter breaks his own rule against prescription and argues staunchly in favour of adopting the singular, gender-neutral 'they". He points out that it has been around for centuries: Geoffrey Chaucer used it, as did Jane Austen. The context is new; the usage is old. Some may grumble at the change, but some grumbled at the loss of 'thou" several centuries back, and people eventually got used to it. The most enjoyable part of reading this romp through tiny words is the obvious joy Mr McWhorter takes in telling it. In discussing the most staid words in English, he touches on music and wine. In asides, footnotes and parentheses, he is informal and catty: the effect is of listening to a delightful dinner-party guest. As for his subject, he reminds readers at the end that the story of pronouns, and of language more broadly, is never complete: 'Pronouns are the latest stage in something always changing…Our job is to adjust to the inevitable awkwardness of change, in our pronouns as in ourselves." For more on the latest books, films, TV shows, albums and controversies, sign up to Plot Twist, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter
The Guardian
10-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Alice Zaslavsky's crisp-topped tuna niçoise mornay (tuna pasta bake)
How often do you stray from tradition when it comes to recipes? Would you say you're a rule follower or a riffer? Cooking is all about clocking up time in the kitchen. Just as a pilot will chart well-mapped courses as they're learning to spread their wings, following tried and true recipes to the letter is a safe and effective way to build up confidence before you spread yours. But if you're a long-time follower who's ready to take to the sky, the best place to start is somewhere familiar, then whack on a twist, because even the recipes you thought were canonical often started with a riff. Take tuna mornay, for example. If you grew up in Australia, you'll probably be surprised to learn that tuna mornay is only a 'thing' for us – and only for the last 80-odd years. For the French, sauce mornay – bechamel with grated cheese – is usually reserved for slathering over seafood such as lobster. In Italy, birthplace of pasta, seafood and cheese are an unholy union. It's the anglophones who seem to be cool with pairing creamy sauce and canned fish. Tuna pasta bakes and casseroles, which are tuna mornay by a less fancy-schmancy name, are common in North America and the UK. One advantage of being down under is we're far enough away from the European culinary cannon to play a little faster and looser with the classics. Of both Cucina Australiana – or elsewhere. So why not riff on a riff? Bring the best bits of a mornay – creamy, comforting, fuss-free – then eliminate the margin of gluggy error by replacing the bechamel with a crème fraiche, add zip and zest with my very versatile PGAL (a paste of parsley, garlic, anchovy and lemon that you're going to want to spread and stir through everything) and freshen it further by incorporating the accoutrement from another traditional tuna dish: the niçoise. Usually a niçoise is bulked out with spuds; instead the crunchy top here is none other than crushed-up potato crisps! I got the inspiration for this from a reader called Sue, who emailed to ask if I'd tried it. Dear reader, once you've tried this, it's pretty hard to go back to plain old panko. Serves 4-6 1 can (425g) tuna in olive oil, drained, reserving the oil50g black olives, pitted and roughly chopped 1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained (I used lilliput in salt, but any will do)80g gruyere, grated 200ml crème fraiche 500g dried short pasta (shells always work well here)200g green beans, topped and chopped to pea size For the PGAL (parsley, garlic, anchovy and lemon) paste1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, washed and stems trimmed3 cloves garlic, peeled3-4 good-quality anchovies, including the oil1 lemon, zest and juiceReserved tuna oil ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper For the chippie crumb 100g packet potato chips/crisps of your choice 50g butter, room temp 50g gruyere, grated Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil and preheat the oven to 160C fan (180C conventional). To make the PGAL paste, pop all of the ingredients into a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste. Leave in the food processor until needed. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the tuna, olives, capers, grated cheese, crème fraiche and mix to combine, breaking up the tuna into chunks. Check for seasoning and adjust if needed. To make the crumb topping, pop chippies (crisps), butter and cheese into another bowl and squish together with your fingers to break up the chips, rubbing in the butter and cheese to form a crumb texture. Once the pasta water is at the boil, add the pasta to the pot, stir about for the first minute or so to keep it from clumping, then cook for one minute less than the packet's instructions. Before draining the pasta, pop your green beans in the bottom of a colander. Drain the pasta over the beans (this will give them a swift blanch to take the squeaky edge off) and toss both pasta and beans back in the pot, along with all of the tuna ingredients and PGAL paste. Stir everything together well and check for seasoning. Pour into a baking dish and top with the chippie crumb. Place in the oven for 10 minutes until golden and bubbly. The dish will be super-hot, so take care when getting it out of the oven. Serve immediately with a simple salad on the side.
CBC
29-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Quebec cuts all funding to Montreal organization that helps young Anglos find work
A Montreal community organization that assists young Anglophones in their job search will no longer receive financial support from the Quebec government starting in June — a loss representing about a fifth of the group's total funding. Two of Youth Employment Service (YES)'s core programs — Youth on the Rise and Services d'aide à l'emploi — will end due to this funding gap. These two programs, one ending in March and the other in June, help young Anglophones secure their first job and provide personalized career counselling. YES' services are all offered free of charge. The group says it will maintain other services. Andrew Desrochers, a Montrealer who's been using the organization's services for over a month, says they've had a "great experience" and benefited from their counsellor's action plan, which holds them accountable for their progress. But when they found out the program they're involved in will be discontinued at the end of March, Desrochers admitted to feeling a "bit of fury," though they say they were not surprised. "It was absolutely not lost on me that an English language program is being cut by the provincial government," said Desrochers. "I don't think making those things harder for [Quebec's English-speaking population] endears anybody to the French language." In a statement, Quebec's Employment Ministry explained that the reductions stem from a $145 million cut in funding by the federal government. "The executive management of Services Québec de Montréal has decided to regroup services for young people in the Carrefours jeunesse-emploi, and it's important to mention that there will be no interruption of services," read the statement, highlighting that these groups offer bilingual services for youth. Desrochers argues that this move by Quebec does not represent an investment in the population, adding that reducing funding to programs that help individuals find employment increases the likelihood they will eventually require more social assistance. "You're going to have to pay out that money in social assistance, versus collecting it from people paying taxes because they have gainful employment," said Desrochers. "You're shooting yourself in the foot." 'Worst timing possible,' says employment counsellor YES employment counsellor Annalise Iten says she was "completely shocked" when she heard about the scale of the cuts, which impact the counselling program — a cornerstone of YES for over 20 years. Iten notes that many of her clients reached out to her after they heard the news, concerned about their well-being. Many of them, she adds, don't have family in the country or parents who are financially able to support them. She also works with recent graduates and individuals with higher education. "In many ways, we're a safe haven for our clients who come to us because they need the support," said Iten. "They don't feel comfortable necessarily going to other organizations who are bilingual where they might not be received in what they perceive as the same way." She believes the news comes at the "worst timing possible." Quebec recently estimated that up to 160,000 jobs could be jeopardized by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. "It's very likely that we're going to see a huge increase of people going on [employment insurance] and social assistance," said Iten. Iten also worries that these cuts will saturate the health and social services sectors. "I believe that we are a preventative measure for our clients, our population, our English-speaking population," she said. Despite these challenges, the organization says it will continue to offer services and will rely more on private funding and donations. "We're still here, we're still there to support you," said Iten.
Local Italy
29-03-2025
- Local Italy
La Bella Vita: Italy's best walking holiday destinations and what to do in Rome in April
La Bella Vita is our regular look at the real culture of Italy – from language to cuisine, manners to art. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences in 'My Account' or following the instructions in the newsletter box below. When thinking of Italy, the country's famed art capitals may be the first thing to come to mind. But, beyond Rome, Florence and Venice, there's a world of sweeping vistas and green valleys waiting to be discovered by those willing to put on their walking boots and work up some sweat. Whether you're a seasoned hiker or just getting started, here are five Italian walking holiday destinations that are perfect for spring. If you're visiting Rome this April - or are lucky enough to live in the Eternal City year-round - you'll have no shortage of things to see and do in the coming weeks, as the city's cultural calendar fills up with exciting events. From Easter celebrations and a festival honouring the 'Romanesco' artichoke to a special art exhibition and the blossoming of the city's gardens, here's what to look out for next month. It's undeniably exciting to realise you're finally gaining mastery of Italian – but you probably weren't bargaining on it messing with your native tongue. Anglophones learning Italian are sometimes surprised to find phrases like "I'll make a photo" escaping from their lips as the language seeps into their English. But there are some undeniable advantages to multilingualism - not least gaining access to a whole new set of Italian swear words.
