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Retour au n°14 Sommaire/ Back to #14 Index Vers la recension html "Au coeur de la tourmente"
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. | The polls predicted a great future for her. Her parents had the time to nourish wishes of happiness for her, at a time when they would have already disintegrated. Upon arriving at the age when love touches hearts, she will meet her prince. Who was he? Did he have parents? What did he want? The Senora de la Competencia and her husband Herr Protokoll were announced for 20 hours on the new television channel. They were going to present the programme Al-phabet. All those, who were desirous of keeping their job were asked to learn the new language. The lesson began. Luminous letters appeared on the screen situated behind the couple. Each time the Senora pronounced a word it clicked. Today the lesson began with the suffix de- : One can decipher slowly 16 items: decharlatinise, defunctionalise, delitaraturise, deculturize, decompatibilize, de-name, de-attend, de-efficacize, de-initiativize, desocialise, destandardise, deuniveritize, detherarpize. Then came the list of uses of the new vocabulary set up by the new academicians. One has lost the memory of the language. The Academy, founded by Richelieu, has closed its doors. Its tenants, seduced by a new Circe, have let Epidemia enter. She has explained to them the foundations of the new science « lay epidemiology », and has convinced them that they will never manage to catch up with their backwardness if they do not stop courting the old sorceress Etymologia on the spot. It will be the turn of Herr Protokoll to speak up. Next to him, the garbage can for de-shaking up a knowledge which rustles like a beehive. One senses an impatience. The voice of Herr Protokoll declines, in the tone of a good little boy, some simple instructions, supposedly understood by all: the first transitory measure, he said, concerns to learn how to fill in the obligatory notebook with crosses which should not be larger than 1.35cm. Second transitory measure, concerns a three year long specialization in the study of abbreviations and acronyms (the examples are not that simple to remember). Third, is to follow, step by step, the modalities of accession to a professional title in the category programmed according to your intention. At first hearing it was easy, one no longer needs to submit to those horrible IQ tests (of intelligence) which have poisoned our past. Herr Protokoll continues his explanation; at the same time extracting from the beehive of knowledge, as if from the magician‚s hat, the three objectives of the new science inscribed on three banners where one reads elimination of the routines of tradition, refoundation of language, fabrication of new savoir-faires. The Senora of Competencia, modest but internally jubilant, gets hold of the banners and starts plaiting them. What was unreadable appears: ÉLIROTRARELAFANEWSAFAI. Negligently, she rolls the plait around her shoulders, and turns to the audience. She holds her husband by the hand to announce the engagement of Epidemia, their daughter, with Pseudo. Their happiness has been successfully evaluated. Year 1 of the new calendar has been accomplished. The following sequence announced that the ancient barbarianism has been eradicated: the Belgian affair, the story of hatless, the march of the emigrants, the delocalization of problems, the downs of democracy, and many others. The era of foreveryone has begun • Y.G./ R. W. Translation |
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