Liberty and freedom: US cultural imports

Philip Resnik is not convinced that there was any “tradition of valuing other cultures as successive waves of immigrants settled in the United States”:

I beg to differ: in the first case, a German word is replaced by a Franco-Brit compound, and (English) freedom and (Romance) fries also arrived on boats. Prone to exaggeration, I would also ask whether we are really sure we know what Philemon Holland was on about when he wrote in his Suetonius of those who “died for the Libertie and Free-dome of their Cittie.”

PS: A Leeuwarder gentleman of my acquaintance persists in pronouncing fries to rhyme with niece. Were this to be widely adopted in Republican circles then the political repercussions in Friesland, Holland could be quite considerable.

Trevor @ 12 July 2004 1:23 AM

Categories

Related posts

• Just chicken
• Tranny Franco
• Neologology
• What about my religion?
• En pelota

Previous/next post

Comments

1. John Smith
   2:10 AM on 12 July 2004

   I’m afraid Libertie sandwiches and Free-dome fries arrived in Rome with Macdonalds.

2. Trevor
   2:23 AM on 12 July 2004

   I’ll bet the Romans fried parsnips, and this page describes how to make an authentic Roman burger. If you look at it that way, what have the Americans ever done for us?

3. John Smith
   2:32 AM on 12 July 2004

   Ketchup, that’s what, although the OED will probably betray me.

4. Trevor
   2:50 AM on 12 July 2004

   Do not fear: people tend to betray their sauces rather than vice versa.

5. Trevor
   2:51 AM on 12 July 2004

   It might ketchup with you, tho.

Feeds: RSS2 · Atom

Trackback link.

Tell me if the spam dragon gives you a hard time. Log in if you want to be really foul.