Anger Campaign in Britain, 1940

goose1

I'm currently doing some research on British propaganda during World War II and its effectiveness. I saw on wikipedia (I know) a mention of an 'anger campaign', undertaken by the Ministry of Information, which attempted to turn the average British citizen against the average German citizen. Unfortunately, aside from this wiki article I am unable to find even a mention of this specific campaign. Anyone got any details?? Did this 'anger campaign' even exist?

Coles

Here's a reference for you. Some good information.

tac foley

Although my Aunt Ruby was married to a Polish pilot, Victor W, at the beginning of WW2, and coming as we all do, from a Jewish family, nothing stopped her from marrying a badly-wounded German POW at the end of the war. Her first husband had failed to return from a sortie over the Irish Sea in 1941.

Uncle Micky was a great personality and very funny, and I miss him every day.

Obviously the 'anger campaign' meant nothing to her, personally.

tac

pedroeibar1

Coles wrote: »

Here's a reference for you. Some good information.

Slogan. One of the few Irish-root words in the English language. Bracken - the son of an Irish Fenian and a founder member of the GAA. Where would the Brits be without us? ;-)

Snickers Man

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

Slogan. One of the few Irish-root words in the English language.

You reckon?

CAn I recommend a book to you called "How the Irish invented slang" which makes a convincing case for numerous words in the English/American vernacular with clear roots in Irish.

That might put the kybosh on your notion.

tac foley

The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm (sluagh "army", "host" + gairm "cry/shout").

tac

nuac

tac foley wrote: »

The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm (sluagh "army", "host" + gairm "cry/shout").

tac

I always believe slua ghairm was Irish rather than Scots' Gaelic

tac foley

nuac wrote: »

I always believe slua ghairm was Irish rather than Scots' Gaelic

The Scottish Gaelic speakers say it's Scottish Gaelic, and the Irish Irish speakers say it's Irish.

I'm happy to accept that is has its root in either of the Goidelic language variants.

tac

pedroeibar1

Snickers Man wrote: »

You reckon?

CAn I recommend a book to you called "How the Irish invented slang" which makes a convincing case for numerous words in the English/American vernacular with clear roots in Irish.

That might put the kybosh on your notion.

I recall when that book was published it was the subject of much negative comment by several respected etymologists. There was a suggestion that the writer was speaking (through his) Erse.

pedroeibar1

It's straying off-topic but FWIW there's an interesting blog by an etymologist / dictionary editor (OUP, McGraw Hill) ripping into that book http://grantbarrett.com/humdinger-of-a-bad-irish-scholar

goose1

I cannot thank enough the poster who gave me that amazing book link......soorrrry your name escapes me right now but I will thank your post?
Thanks to everyone else too I guess...although I didn't reall understand the Aunt Ruby post and guess it's some in joke? and the rest...well....you got my hopes up!! haha...thank you again though mr first person

tac foley

Uh, goose1 - NOT an in-joke, but a true story. YOU talked about an anti-German campaign of promoting hatred of the Germans, and I told you about an instance where a Jewish British woman, far from HATING a German, actually married him.

Is that more clear?

tac

Snickers Man

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

I recall when that book was published it was the subject of much negative comment by several respected etymologists. There was a suggestion that the writer was speaking (through his) Erse.

It's a deadly book! And very convincing in parts. I think some of the criticism of it was unfair. Probably not the best idea to hijack this thread to discuss it. But it could be worthy of a thread of its own.