Language is not a neutral vessel for conveying the ideas, beliefs, and values that constitute culture. Nor is it a mere tool for describing the world as it truly is—no language can be said to describe the world as it truly is. To use a language—any language—is to interpret the world in a particular way. It is a social construct which reflects the political and socioeconomic reality of a given time.
Language has been used to reflect the values and culture of our society. We have seen a few examples of this phenomenon in Adrian Mole's book.
Can you remember why we picked these words? Try to define them and be as thorough as possible.
BROWN-SKINNED
BOIL-IN-THE-BAG food
BOX
FILTHY COMMIE
FROG WRITER
TUG-OF-LOVE child
LATCHKEY kid/child
FROG WRITER:
ResponderEliminarAdrian´s mum reads books by French writers, who are feminist writers. Pauline was influenced by French writers, and their way of thinking. In the first part of the book Pauline worked at home but in the second part she broke the stereotypes and she began to work out.
"Frog" is a colloquial way of referring to a Frenchman, it's a derogatory term, but not vulgar. English called the French frogs because they have a typical food: frog legs, and for English people It is funny to eat frog legs.
Boil-in-the-bag meal
ResponderEliminarIt’s a kind of food which you only have to heat up because it’s already cooked. It refers to the fact that his mother left home with her lover, so as she was the one who cooked at home and in Adrian’s house they started to eat boil-in-the-bag meal. It also refers to the school dinner; because the Prime Minister, M. Thatcher, privatised public services so they had to eat cheap food in the schools.
Frog writer
Adrian’s mother was reading a feminist book called “The second Sex” written by Simone de Beauvoir, a French writer. In England, French people are called “frogs” because the usually eat frog legs. This event refers to the Feminist revolution which was taking place in UK in the 80s.
Latchkey kid
Adrian is called so because his parents work out or they go out so he has to carry the key to the main door because nobody will be waiting for him at home. This word was coined and widely used in the 1970s-1980s.
Tug-of-love child
It refers to the custody dispute between his parents, once that his mother left with Mr. Lucas. Both try to gain the love of his son, for example, by giving him money.
Filthy commie
Bert Baxter is an elderly man who lives on in his own and Adrian takes care of him to skip his Maths class. With the passage of the time, both became good friends. He and his house are a mess and he is a confessed communist, that is why Adrian calls him “filthy commie”.
BOIL-IN-THE-BAG food :
ResponderEliminarIt’s a kind of food that you only have to heat up because it’s precooked. This term is related to feminism. Why? Because back in the 80s women didn't stay at home, they didn't want to do the household chores, they wanted to be free, independent,assertive... In the book, when Adrian's mother didn't want to spend long hours in the kitchen and didn't cook. She started to make a list and Adrian had to do the house chores himself, one of which was to cook dinner.Adrian was alone, his mother left home with her boyfriend and he started to eat boil-in-the-bag food.
Adrian’s mother wanted to be free, be liberal and work out and why not? to have a satisfactory sexual life with another man. This gave her a feeling of rebelliousness, as though she were breaking away from the rules by not staying at home like a typical mother. She did this when she saw that at home , men didn't do anything, they ate and watched TV, and she had to do everything herself. Another fact is when in the school-dinner they had to eat junk food, and this was not healthy. Why this? Because the Prime Minister, M. Thatcher, privatized many public services so they had to eat cheap/fast food in the school.
FILTHY COMMIE:
ResponderEliminarAdrian takes part in the Good Samaritans programme to skip his Maths class. Because of that, he looks after Bert Baxter, an elderly man who lives alone in his house, although he has a dog called Sabre. Adrian thinks that Bert is a filthy commie because he is rude, mean and pig-headed and he often stinks. But Adrian is naïve and doesn’t really know what to be a communist means (especially at a time when the Cold War was taking place).