Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Safire's Tautophrases, Tropism in the White House and the Greek Chorus

by Dr. Christos P. Ioannides*

In last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine (May 7, 2006), William Safire had another piece in the weekly series of his articles “On Language.” It was titled, 'Tautophrases.' Safire goes on to explain the meaning of the word as follows: ..Tautophrase, a coinage bottomed on tautology, from the Greek “redundant.”  The veteran columnist has been using his “On Language” to “educate” public officials, politicians, pundits, authors, fellow journalists, and the American public at large on the proper use of language in the public discourse. He has been doing so by pointing out the misuse and abuse of the English language. Like a good teacher, who is a master of erudite English, Safire takes issue with the tormenting of English-linguistically speaking, by public officials, politicians etc. Quite often, as in his latest article, he employs classical Greek words such as plethora, pleonasm, and epistle, to make his point. This has been especially the case in the language of politics, since Safire deals mostly with the political world. Considering that the language and concepts of “Democracy” (Demokratia) were invented in ancient Athens which gave us the word “politics” (politike), the affairs of the polis (city), Safire uses Greek words, concepts and metaphors, in order to point out the proper and correct way to carry out our political discourse.

The word tautophrase comes from tautos, to auto (same) and phrasis (expression). Tautophrase, therefore, means: the same phrase, or word. And this is the focus of Safire’s Tautophrase article: Examples of tautophrases he gives: Let bygones be bygones; or let Poland be Poland; or think before you think; or John Wayne’s (attributed to): A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.

This introduction was meant to make a point, the contemporary relevance and importance of Greek language, especially in the realm of politics. The genius of Greek political language and Greek language in general for that matter, is that it conveys through single words, meanings that are precise, conceptual and descriptive too, which are also indispensable  for scientific inquiry.

 It is not surprising then, that in the American political discourse, especially in the written form of it, words, terms and concepts originating in classical Greece, are widely used in our political lexicon as they are essential to convey Washington’s political atmosphere, and decision making process, especially as they pertain to a war in a far away land, Iraq, a war not unlike the Sicilian campaign of the Athenians (415-413 BC).

Take for instance the cataclysm of books (the New York Times calls it “floodlet of books”) that have been recently published on President Bush and the war in Iraq. I am referring to the recent New York Times  (May 1, 2006) omnibus book review “All the President’s Books.” If one examines the etymology of many of the key terms employed in this book review, he or she might discover that they are of classical Greek origin.

Referring to the Bush administration’s proclivity to chart a new course in policy development and the way decisions are made that tend to “circumventing traditional processes,” the book critic, Michiko Kakutani, writes: “It’s tropism, an instinctive reflex, that informs the Bush White House’s decision-making process, as well as its strategic and tactical thinking.” The key words and terms in this sentence are eight -- four are English: informs, decision-making, process, thinking. The other four are of Greek origin: Tropism from tropismos; instinctive from enstictodis; strategic from strategikos, tactical from taktikos. The most important concept in this sentence, is tropism: According to Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, tropism means, “1 a:  Involuntary orientation of an organism or one of its parts that involves turning or curving and is positive [toward] or negative [away] response to a source.  b: reflex reaction involving such movement. –tropism: heliotropism.”  Can we say then, that the Bush foreign policy is heliotropic, like the heliotropium flower that turns toward the direction of the sun (helios)?  For one think, several of these books make the point that this White House is too ideological, dislikes experts’ advise, shuns multilateralism and deliberation with allies and opts for unilateralism.  This is less of a heliotropic and more of an ideologically driven policy.
   
Other terms of Greek origin used in the book review refer to Francis Fukuyama as  “the apostate neoconservative.” The Random House Dictionary defines apostate as “a person who forsakes principles, cause etc.”  The word apostate comes from apostasia. This term became identified with Byzantine Emperor Julian (361-363), known as Julian the Apostate.  He was the nephew of Constantine the Great, (324-337) the founder of the Christian Byzantine Empire. Julian, who was baptized and raised as Christian, converted to paganism in 351 and when he became Emperor in 361, attempted to replace Christianity with paganism as the official religion of the Empire. For all this, he became knows as the greatest renegade, perhaps, of all ages. He was killed during his Persian campaign in June 363 after only 20 months on the imperial throne. His successor restored Christianity in the Empire that went on to produce the splendid civilization of Byzantium. Emperor Julian, however, gave historic meaning to the term “apostate.”

Then, we are told about ”…the growing emphasis not on the Bush administration’s ideology but on its practical ability to govern effectively.” Again out of eight words that are essential to comprehend this sentence there are four English: growing, administration, ability, effectively. There are also four words of Greek origin: emphasis, ideology, practical, govern. The words ideology (ideologia) and govern (kyverno) are quintessential in the definition, description and understanding of any political system.

There are many more words and terms of Greek origin that permeate this book review of the nation’s political scene. I will emphasize, however the words that led this country to the war in Iraq:”….Iraq had an arsenal of chemical-biological and possibly even nuclear weapons.” Unlike several of the Greek origin terms cited above that are quite esoteric, words such as tropism and apostate, the words chemical (chemikos) and biological (biologikos) became household names in America.

I will conclude with the book review’s final paragraph that starts as follows: “With the chorus of criticisms combined with plummeting poll numbers..” This is quite proper ending for this grand book review. ” Criticism,” from kritike, is another sine qua non term which defines democratic societies, for without criticism there is no freedom of thought and expression. Then there is the “chorus” from choros. According to Encyclopedia Britannica,  “..The chorus in classical Greek drama was a group of actors who described and commented upon the main action of the play with song, dance and recitation…While the tragic protagonists act out their defiance of the limits subscribed by the gods for man, the chorus expresses the fears, hopes, and judgment of the polity, the average citizens. Their judgment is the verdict of history.”

In Sophocles's tragedy, Oedipus Tyrannnos (Rex), the chorus witnesses the terrible punishment of the mighty king of Thebes, Oedipus, for his hubris. He had, unknowingly, killed his father and married his mother.  Catharsis came when Oedipus blinded himself with his own hands and was exiled from Thebes. As he was leaving his palace, and exiting the stage, a blind and humbled Oedipus, guided by his twin daughters Antigone and Ismini, the chorus ends the tragedy with the following verses:

Oh, citizens of Thebes, look, this is the great Oedipus.
He who solved the Sphinx’s riddle.
And was most admired and mighty in our city.
Was there any of our citizens who did not look at his glory with envy?

And now, look how low he finds himself.
So, before you say that a mortal is happy, wait to see how one’s life ends.
When he goes to his final rest free from pain and sorrow,
then you can say he had life’s  blessing.
 
A lesson for the powerful and mighty everywhere and at all times.


*Dr. Ioannides is Director of the . The views expressed above are strictly his own.

Contact Dr. Ioannides at: xpioannides@hotmail.com