In French, when you want to refer to a sit-in, you have to resort to “un sit-in”. (It sounds even wimpier in French -- “uhn seet-eeeen”.) In German it’s ein Sit-in.
In English, sit-in is all right -- part of the genius of the language that produced teach-in, bake-off, freakout, and much else. But it does sound pretty passive.
Arabic, by contrast, has a particular verb for “to sit in”, i`taSam; a noun, ‘sit-in’, i`tiSaam; and a participle mu`taSim, plural mu`taSimiin: which is the title of the third and final song we shall link to, from that memorable evening in Taghyir Square:
Arabic is a strong and forceful language; Yemeni, a dialect capable of especially warrior-like expression; and the root `-S-m is one of signal strength: both phonetically, with its quintessentially Arabic `ayn, its emphatic (pharyngealized) Sâd, and finally the mîm -- in itself a soft letter, but in closing out the defiant word mu`taSim, it is like a powerful jaw, champing down and not letting go; and semantically, surrounded as it is with a corona of splendid paronyms: `iSâmî ‘noble’, `âSim ‘guardian’, and ma`Sûm ‘sacrosanct’.
Where the first piece was in jog-trot treble-time, in keeping with its elfin satire -- now we have the rhythm of the anvil beneath the smith.
So let us join the democracy demonstrators in this pile-driver of a chant.
[Update 1 April 2011]
"a narrative of Shakespearean proportions":
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/yemens-future-hinges-on-its-two-most-powerful-men/2011/03/29/AFLxOnCC_story.html
[update 5 April 2011]
An even-handed survey:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/04/11/110411fa_fact_filkins
More protest-wit:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/04/syria-red-card-youre-out.html
So let us join the democracy demonstrators in this pile-driver of a chant.
[More here.]
~ ~ ~
Updates:
At Sahat Taghyir, they keep coming back for more:
Notice the Korans on the chests of the dead.
"a narrative of Shakespearean proportions":
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/yemens-future-hinges-on-its-two-most-powerful-men/2011/03/29/AFLxOnCC_story.html
[update 5 April 2011]
An even-handed survey:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/04/11/110411fa_fact_filkins
More protest-wit:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/04/syria-red-card-youre-out.html
[update 30 April 2011] After the GCC initiative, hardline rejectionists were quoted as demanding "a departure, not an initiative" -- hardly winged words. But in Arabic, it rhymes (mughâdarah…mubâdarah).
[update 1 May 2011]
When the GCC put forward its moderate and face-saving initiative, and Saleh publically embraced it, many of us breathed a sigh of relief. Enough of the street stuff -- now on to the real task of rebuilding the nation. A guarantee of immunity from prosecution for the ex-(to-be)-Prexy is a small price to pay, and maybe even a benefit: the nation does not need a show trial or other spectacular distractions. The crisis of water resources should be front and center now. So when much of the opposition hooted the initiative down, it seemed impractically maximalist; le mieux est l’ennemi du bien. But by golly, b’gum, b’dad, turns out they were right to distrust him: the old eel has some wriggles in him yet:
Saleh refused to sign the accord yesterday in his capacity as president, saying he would only ratify it as chairman of the ruling General People’s Congress.
A baffling semantic nicety without the explanation:
“If he signs as chairman of the party and the party says it rejects his decision, he will remain president.”
That sort of ploy has long been in evidence among tyrants, from Napoleon on down.
(http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-01/yemen-accord-signing-has-been-postponed-gulf-official-says-2-.html)
