| Username |
Post |
| GP |
Posted
on 24-Sep-01 11:46 PM
RAfs sorry state leaves airhostesses grounded at home
By Ranjana Pradhan.
(the topic of article by Rajan Pradhan in TKP).
Rajan Pradhan seems to be one leading reporter or
writer (as TKP does not like to introduce its writers, so I have
to use my own judgements).
Few years back, when I used the word AirHostess to mean
female flight attendants in a common forum, someone jumped
on me to clarify the current naming of old profession, "Air Hostess".
I did not know that it was changed to Flight attendant or Air Steward
.. . . ., thanks to the guy, and after almost a decade later,
I am reading an article from our leading newspaper where the
"Hostess" was used probably unknowingly and it will surely
be objectionable who knows what really HOSTESS means.
I suggest TKP peoples to use the new and descent names
"Steward" or "Flight Attendant" to the old profession.
The name certainly is not big issue, but, the new names
to this profession will surely enhance the public image of
female flight attendants and attract much better professionally
motivated females in the Air. The RNA flight attendants are
not less than offering better stewardship to its crews and
passengers. Their intelligence has also gone quite high in my
personal experience. Though, many peoples might take it
other way, but, I usually find time to talk with the male as
well as female flight attendants especially, whenever I
travel in Royal Nepal Airlines. I can feel neither their profession
is of hostess quality, nor these persons. So, its a descent
profession, and they are not hostess, as we usually take it
granted when we hear the word hostess.
As I am also one of the editor of a learned journal with
monthly circualtion of 40,000 copies, I can see how we inside
our editorial board value our readers comments on single word
to caption of pictures to color and size of pictures. We do
reply to these readers that we are hearing you, and improve
the next issues. Why TKP can not hear us? It seems their
pride hinges on negelecting the readers comments, as
we can observe in Nepali government offices, where officers
say "Bholi aunus, aaj busy chhou", and its counterpart in
my experience in Japan, "you reach to a govt. office 1 second
before the deadline, they do care you, will finish your job
or will precisely give you the date of getting result or your work
done". Can not TKP become one model NEWSPAPER.
TKP peoples' pride should not be listening through one
ear and draining it out from opposite end. It will surely
pay you. May be I am expecting too much.
Hey, TKP peoples are you listening to your readers? I do not
find any readers column, except the buttering section "letter to
the editor" where only one letter is published once a day. Why
not you have a transparent Internet version of letters to the editor
in your official website. I guess many world reknowned magagine
and newspapers have a extended readers comments. Frankly, your
weekly discussion forum is louzy because its selection criteria is
dumb, and does not include wide spectrum, I mean it does not allow
to review whole internet version of daily TKP. It will surely
move your daily to new level of quality and Rajan Pradhan could
have already avoided the "OLD NAME" of a DESCENT PROFESSION.
GP
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| Ratata... |
Posted
on 25-Sep-01 03:39 AM
Why the big fuss about the single word "hostess" maan. It is still the more popular word used in the country rather than Flight attendant or Air Steward. If going by your reasonings than why call the Nepalese goverment a government at all just because it can't "govern" at all...Why call the lawmakers so just because they don't know how to make proper laws (they only know how to break them)??? etc, etc... Anyway, I appreciate the use of local "English language" in the Nepalis press. Speaking or writing proper English doesn't mean that you have to speak exactly in the accent of a Amrican or a Brit! Look at some of the words, Himal Media uses: Tarai (as going by its Nepali pronunciation) than Terai, as per the Oxford dictionary which evolved from the Indian pronunciation. Likewise, Tabala instead of Tabla and so on.
popular used
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| Ratata... |
Posted
on 25-Sep-01 03:39 AM
Why the big fuss about the single word "hostess" maan. It is still the more popular word used in the country rather than Flight attendant or Air Steward. If going by your reasonings than why call the Nepalese goverment a government at all just because it can't "govern" at all...Why call the lawmakers so just because they don't know how to make proper laws (they only know how to break them)??? etc, etc... Anyway, I appreciate the use of local "English language" in the Nepalis press. Speaking or writing proper English doesn't mean that you have to speak exactly in the accent of a Amrican or a Brit! Look at some of the words, Himal Media uses: Tarai (as going by its Nepali pronunciation) than Terai, as per the Oxford dictionary which evolved from the Indian pronunciation. Likewise, Tabala instead of Tabla and so on.
popular used
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| GP |
Posted
on 25-Sep-01 04:41 AM
Ratatata:
Are you trying to show your EGO or you are honestly defending
the Ranjana with good motive.
Whether you believe it or not, there are many English phrases that
we use in Nepal some time mean opposite. One Unique example,
is the use of word TYPICAL and UNIQUE.
When someone is Unique in character/behavior: You
will find common Nepalis (even very educated) pointing him
KASTO --TYPICAL--- MANCHE RAHICHA?
In fact they wanted to mark him /her as a UNIQUE MANCHE? Aru sanga
khasai usko bani behora namilne manche.
Well, Tarai over Terai is probably because of the exact translation
of original word in Nepali, and similarly Nepali vs Nepalese ... . ..
But, you will surprise if you come to Japan, what is the naturalization
of English words into Japanese? They call TERRORISTS in Jap.
as TERO (they swallowed RISTS part), Department Store
is naturalized to DEPATO .. 1000s of English words are naturalized
into Japanese, but, when one Japanese writes some article
in English s/he does not write DEPATO, he writes at least in
written english as correctly as possible. So, if you want to go with
your EGO, and prove anything anyway you like, you have freedom.
I don't want to snatch this freedom proofing anything in any direction,
its your choice, but, hopefully I am not forced to BUY your idea or
article.
You might like the proverb "MERO GORUKO BARHAI TAKKA".
Thanks.
GP
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| Ratata... |
Posted
on 25-Sep-01 05:53 AM
There you go again Mr. GP (or should I call you "Mr/Sir Editor of a learned journal with monthly circualtion of 40,000 copies")...I think I should now be asking you the same "showing ego question" back to you again. I just hope I have not hurt your certain years of editorial experiences with my personal views placed purely in favour of Ranjana's article. But at least if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be shaken by an opposing view and put up the "ego question" just to defend oneself.
Here, my point is: English is an international language that keeps changing according to region and people. One of the main resons it has been accepted as an "international language" is because it is more adaptable to people from different countries than any other language. Hence, i believe that there is nothing wrong in the use of the word "air hostess" in the present context of Nepal. People still call them air hostess rather than Flight Attendant or Air Steward, as you have pointed out.
Furthermore, I don't see the point in any other country speaking English if it keeps "stritly following" to the rules established by the Brits and the Amrikans. It has to change, adapt. Hence, I see no harm in TKP using the word as it is one of Nepal's national daily (not national daily of US or UK).
As you might have seen, many new words belonging to other languages have been borrowed and added in English. Even grammar rules are slowly changing and becoming more easy for many to whom English is a second language.
But really, I agree, usage of English has become really debatable. You may keep on insisting on your views with proper reasonings whereas I will keep on doing so on my part. However, I do respect all your credible reasons.
But really, maybe even a time will come when even Amrican or Brit readers will understand what the Japs are referring to when they use the words like "Tero" "Depato" or whatever that appears on their daily papers.
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| Nobody |
Posted
on 25-Sep-01 11:10 AM
English is, no doubt, the international language and it does change accrording to region and people, but that is colloqiail English. Formal English does not change. Nor is the grammar getting easier. It still is the same, except people tend to avoid harder rules by avoiding constructs to which those rules applied. Found this out while trying to get thesis approved...
It was mentioned earlier how "unique" was replaced with "typical" in some cases. So when you read that sentence, what should your inference be? Maybe check the author, "He's Nepali so typical=unique." "yacht" is often spelt incorrectly, so do we make "yatch" the norm? Words are borrowed to and from English, but not to replace existing words. And TRN and TKP should follow, or try to, all the rules. If everything is OK (since we are out to define our own rules) what kind of English will people be learning from them? I remember reading TOI just to improve my English...
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