MCLC: stream of consciousness blather

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: stream of consciousness blather
***********************************************************

Source: Language Log (4/4/12): http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=3883

Stream of consciousness blather
Filed by Victor Mair

Lately I've been trying to explain to my friends who don't know Chinese
what fèihuà 废话 means.  Basically it is composed of the two morphemes
"waste / useless / abandoned / ruined / maimed" and "talk", i.e.,
"nonsense".  To give a sense of its implications, here is a longer list of
English definitions:  nonsense, rubbish, garbage, bullshit, bunkum,
buncombe, claptrap, blah, stuff, bunk, trash, guff, twaddle, tripe, bull,
poppycock, inanity, piffle, yap, absurdity, empty talk, balderdash,
yackety-yak, yak, yack, tootle, blab, haver, codswallop, prattle, gab,
blabber, fiddlestick, fiddle-faddle, overtalk, babble, blather.

Fèihuà has become an important term in contemporary Chinese discourse for
several reasons.  The main reason for the centrality of fèihuà in current
critiques of language usage is that the pronouncements of Chinese
politicians and officials are perceived by large segments of the
population as consisting almost entirely of this species of speech.  This
has resulted in two literary manifestations that satirize this type of
vain, pompous posturing.

The most recent genre to hit the cultural scene is what is known as
fèihuàshī 废话诗 ("nonsense poetry").  The hottest exponent of this genre is
a poet called Wūqīng 烏青. Here's an example of his verse:

《一种梨》我吃了一种梨
然后在超市里看到这种梨
我看见它就想说
这种梨很好吃
过了几天
超市里的这种梨打折了
我又看见它，我想说
这种梨很便宜

"A Kind of Pear"
I ate a kind of pear
Later I saw this kind of pear in a supermarket
When I saw it, what I thought of saying is that
This kind of pear is really delicious
After a few days
This kind of pear was on sale in the supermarket
Seeing it once more, what I thought of saying is that
This kind of pear is really cheap.


China's netizens have enthusiastically joined in by adapting and parodying
Wuqing's verse.  But the visceral disenchantment with fèihuà had already
begun over two decades ago with the "hooligan" author Wáng Shuò
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Shuo>.

Wáng Shuò mercilessly satirized the Party fèihuà bullshit in his Qiānwàn
bié bǎ wǒ dāng rén 千万别把我当人 (Please Don't Call Me Human [1989]) — here
is a 
scene in which a neighborhood committee official, overwhelmed by the
august Party official visiting the main character's humble hutong (alley),
delivers an insane stream-of-consciousness speech consisting almost
entirely of the cliches of Party hackery (as usual, I present pinyin
transcription, Chinese characters, and English rendering; this was done
very quickly, so I cannot vouch for all of the tones, orthography, and
translation, but I hope that at least it gives an idea of what the Chinese
is like):

敬爱的英明的亲爱的导师领袖舵手引路人先驱者设计师明灯火炬照妖镜打狗棍爹妈爷爷
奶奶老祖老猿猴太上老君玉皇大帝观音菩萨总司令，您日理万机千辛万苦积重 难返
积劳成疾积习成癖肩挑重担腾云驾雾天马行空扶危济贫匡扶正义去恶除邪祛风湿祛虚寒
壮阳补肾补脑补体养肝调胃解痛镇咳通大便百忙，却还亲身亲自亲临莅临 降临光临
视察观察纠察检察巡察探察侦察查访访问询问慰问我们胡同，这是对我们的巨大关怀巨大
鼓舞巨大鞭策巨大安慰巨大信任巨大体贴巨大抬举。我们这些小民 草民贱民儿子
孙子小草小狗小猫群氓愚众大众百姓感到十分幸福十分激动十分不安十分惭愧十分快乐
十分雀跃十分受宠若惊十分感恩不尽十分热泪盈眶十分心潮澎湃 十分不知说什么
好，千言万语千歌万曲千山万水千呻万吟千嘟万哝千词万字都汇成一句响彻云霄声嘶力竭
声震环宇绕梁三日振聋发聩惊天动地悦耳动听美妙无比令人 心醉令人沉醉令人三
日不知肉味的时代的最强音：万岁万岁万万岁万岁万岁万万岁!

Revered beloved eminent wise dear mentor teacher leader helmsman guide
pioneer designer bright torch shining on vampires stick-to-beat-dogs
daddymommy gramp-gram old-ancestor  old-ape-monkey great high venerable
lord Jade Emperor great king Boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara commander in
chief,  you daily order ten thousand affairs ten thousand hardships ten
thousand pains accumulating heavy difficulties accumulating exertions
producing illness accumulating habit producing obsession with duty
shoulder bearing heavy burdens bounding-over-clouds-steering-mists
heavenly-horse-coursing-through-space supporting the weak succoring the
poor righting rightness bolstering justice eliminating evil eradicating
deviance expelling wind-wet expelling weakness-cold fortifying the yang
strengthening the kidney fortifying the brain repairing the body nurturing
the liver adjusting the stomach dissolving pain suppressing cough
unblocking bowel movement busy with a hundred things, extending great
concern  great encouragement  great spur and whip great comfort great
faith and trust great solicitude great regard.  We these little folk like
grass humble folk sons grandsons little grasses little dogs little cats
hoi polloi stupid masses multitude citizens feel quite blessed quite moved
quite discomforted quite undeserving quite happy quite like sparrows
hopping with joy quite beside ourselves with attention quite endlessly
thankful quite eyes filled with tears quite heart welling with emotion
quite not knowing what to say, a thousand words ten thousand expressions a
thousand songs ten thousand melodies a thousand mountains ten thousand
rivers a thousand groans ten thousand sighs a thousand mutterings ten
thousand grumblings a thousand phrases ten thousand words all gathered
into one resounding through the clouds and mists voice crying strength
exhausted voice thundering round the universe circling the beams three
days stunning the deaf rousing the unhearing startling heaven shaking
earth beautiful marvelous without compare intoxicating the mind three days
insensible to the taste of meat the loudest sound of the age: may you long
live long live long long live long live long live long long live !



(With thanks to Brendan O'Kane and Julie Wei)