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“At the moment, in Romanian, notions like ‘negrotei’, ‘cioroi’, ‘cioara’, etc. are considered degrading and shameful. The word ‘black’ does not currently belong to the same category, but that does not mean that some do not use it in a pejorative sense, ”he says.
There are also Romanians who give this term a sense of insult, discrimination, humiliation, which is categorically reprehensible. However, at this time, “black” in Romanian does not have the meaning of “nigger”, “nigga”, “crow”, “crow”) in American English. As long as the word “black” is still officially used in English to refer to an “African American”, neither we (Romanians) nor others should be outraged, “says Ioan Aurel Pop.
Let us be upset and protest also – at least for the sake of balance – when the whites are mocked and when Romanians are called, even with a disarming “tenderness”, other than Romanians. I am not saying how, because it is a forbidden word for us ”, adds the president of the Romanian Academy.
Ioan Aurel Pop’s Post:
I remember a funny incident a few years ago when a distinguished Romanian intellectual complained to me that an Italian had used, in a conversation with him, the word “morbid”, which means “morbid”, which he found deeply offensive. It is true that my interlocutor, like many other Romanians, thought that he knew Italian without having learned this language.
Fortunately, things cleared up and the incident remained benign, without consequences. The adjective “morbid” in Italian is translated into Romanian by “soft”, “fluffy”, “soft”, “delicate” and not by “morbid”, “sick”, “unhealthy”, “pathological”). In Italian, the expression “pelle morbida”, meaning “delicate skin”, “thin skin”, “thin skin”, is common and often expresses a true compliment to the fair sex.
This trivial fact shows that languages have different traps and that there are words of the same form, but with different meanings (homonyms) and even words of the same origin (with common etymology) and with different meanings in different languages.
A few days ago, I saw the following ad on the front page of CNN, which was later picked up by France 24 and other news agencies: “Biden selects retired General Lloyd Austin as First Black Pentagon Chief” (“Biden names retired General Lloyd Austin as the first black head of the Pentagon ”).
In other sources related to the same news, instead of “Negro”, I found “Afroamericano”. In Romanian, the word “black” expresses first a color and only later a race. When the races are listed, we are still called the “yellow race”, “white race”, “black race”.
Words like “Caucasian” for “white man” or “African American” for “black man” have not yet been introduced in Romanian. “Caucasian” means in our country a resident of the Caucasus region or a reality related to the Caucasus mountains.
“African American” means an American of African descent, but, as is well known, not all Africans (including those living in the United States) have black skin. However, some followers of “political correctness” believe that we should change our language and stop using notions like “race” or “black”, which are considered offensive, offensive.
This will likely happen over time and other terms will be used, because languages, like people, change. At the moment, in Romanian they are considered degrading and shameful notions such as “black”, “raven”, “raven”, etc. The word “black” does not currently fall into the same category, but that does not mean that some do not use it in a pejorative sense.
There are also Romanians who give this term a sense of insult, discrimination, humiliation, which is categorically reprehensible. However, at this time, “black” in Romanian does not have the meaning of “nigger”, “nigga”, “crow”, “crow”) in American English. As long as the word “black” is still officially used in English to refer to an “African American”, neither we (Romanians) nor others should be indignant.
Or, “black chef” can only be translated into Romanian, no matter how cautious we want to be, just for “black chef”. If the future head of the Pentagon can be called “black” in official sources or in the media, it would be desirable that others could be called that, without displeasure or without great displeasure.
Naturally, on one condition: that the address is not made with the intention of offending. If ill will is proven, then the blame comes almost of its own accord and is fully deserved.
On the other hand, a great historian from the University of Cluj, who had just escaped from communist prisons, wrote in his will that a human action must be judged not only by its results, but also by the purity of the soul of the person who generated it. . “To err is human, but to persevere in error is diabolical”, since “the recognized error is half forgiven.” Unfortunately, these are just simple proverbs.
During the communist period, when the universal brotherhood of peoples and worlds was promoted and when the “proletarians of all countries” had to unite, I learned in school a poem by Otilia Cazimir, which included the following verses: “Hijos de todos a las lands of the world – / White flowers, black flowers, yellow flowers, flowers … / Collect my love, honeycombs, / In black, in yellow and in white cuffs ”.
Therefore, the African children were “black flowers” and the Asian children were “yellow flowers”, like their same color and their “fists”. Obviously, Otilia Cazimir, approved by the communist regime and living (until 1967) under the communist regime, is no longer read or studied today, the white, black or yellow “flowers” disappearing.
Compared to these purely philological observations, I have only one more observation, although it is also related to the meaning of the words: let us be angry and protest, at least for balance, when the whites are mocked and when the Romanians are called . , even with a disarming “tenderness”, apart from the Romanians. I am not saying how, because it is a forbidden word for us.
NB: I wrote the above words, with the intention of explaining some meanings of some words, as a person, not as president of the Romanian Academy and not for the purpose of accusing or acquitting someone. Anyone who knows me knows that I strongly disapprove and condemn any manifestation of racism, xenophobia and chauvinism and that I would like all this noise to be permanently removed from the public space and from the mentality of some people. I know that some, despite what has been sincerely said and explained in detail here, will judge me and I promise you that if I have made any philological error in explaining the words, I am willing to acknowledge and correct it.
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