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April 30, 2005
Wrong Historical Reference
One of the first things my English 12 teacher taught us was the difference between denotation and connotation. With that in mind, it seems that the Taipei Times may be an English-language newspaper, but they obviously have no clue as to actually use the language with any real dexterity. Consider, for example, their recent tirade against Lien Chan on his visit to the mainland (via Danwei):
Lien's latest betrayal can only have us wondering how long it will be before Taiwanese decide his antics must be stopped. English King Henry II once asked of Archbishop Thomas Becket, "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" We ask: Will no one rid Taiwan of this treacherous Lien Chan?
The mention of Saint Thomas á Becket is a weird one, to say the least. No one over at the Taipei Times evidently know anything about the history of the man:
Is it really appropriate for the Taipei Times to cite what was interpreted as a request for an assassination after the insane brawl at CKS airport?
Saint Thomas á Becket became a martyr after his murder, and was canonized three years after his death. Henry II, who (probably unintentionally) called for his death, became ostracized throughout Christendom and had to publicly do penance at Becket's tomb during a revolt by his sons. Does the Taipei Times want to see Lien martyrized and globally venerated?
My guess is that the writer just grabbed the quote from a quotations book without finding out more about it, but it goes to show that writing in English and knowing English are very different things.
Posted by Kelvin at April 30, 2005 2:48 AM
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