Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Mind Like a Grasshopper.

The weather's turned again. Cold, windy and wet today. Shame. For the past week or so we've been enjoying an Indian Summer (at least here in England. Scotland hasn't been so lucky). Cloudless blue skies, brilliant sunshine. Temperatures of 27 to 29c (80 to 84f according to the online converter - although that sounds a bit high to me. But then I know what 27c feels like. I haven't a clue what 84f should feel like any more). Whatever the correct range - it's been hot. Too hot really. Digging up tree roots with spade and mattock in 28 degrees in not fun.

Then I started thinking. (My uncle always said I had a mind like a grasshopper. It jumps from subject to subject, link to link, chasing whatever facts take my fancy, much as a grasshopper jumps from blade of grass to blade of grass, seemingly at random.) Back on topic - thinking. About that expression, "Indian Summer". I used in a fair bit in conversation recently and I started wondering, "Indian" as in the indigenous peoples of The Americas, or "Indian" as in the peoples of the Indian sub-continent - south-west Asia?? Then I started hoping that it wasn't actually a racist comment. That there wasn't some deeply offensive but long-forgotten insult behind the saying. I have friends in both those communities and I would hate to say (or do) anything offensive to them.

So I started checking. It seems nobody quite knows why we say it, or what the origins definitely were, though there are many different theories. Most people are in agreement as to what an Indian Summer is now. The time of year/type of weather is recognised in most places. And most of the terms in other European languages seem to be sexist!! A considerable number of them referring to old wives or old women!! Sources said "Indian Summer" is a US English term, and only arrived in the UK in the 20th century. So definitely First Nations peoples and not south Asians. And, depending on which vague suggestion on origins you fancy, it might be racist or it might not. I decided that it probably wasn't racist, but since it might be then perhaps I would stop using it.

The original term in the UK was a St Martin's Summer. (After the saint's feast day which occurs in early November). I thought about that one. Nope. I might be fierce in my love of my country, its language, its history, but I couldn't see myself using that. Firstly no-one would have a clue what I was talking about and secondly I'd sound even more of a pretentious prat than even I could stand!! *g*

Maybe I'll call it "Last-Gasp Summer" or maybe just "bloody hot for Autumn" because it certainly was that!!

Enjoy your updates, See you next week. Goodnight and may your God/s go with you.

Ze

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm Indian (sub-continent) and so what if 'Indian summer' had racist etymological origins? The way it's used today by people is almost exclusively to describe unseasonably hot weather. Revisionist excision of history won't change anything about it's current innocent usage. I think getting hung up about the possibility of offending someone and trying to change something as innocuous as a term for hot weather can be just as divisive as out and out racism. Don't stop using it on my account, language is rich and varied and words can have all sorts of negative origins but all that matters is the intention of their usage today.

3:38 AM

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