1st Year Language: STEREOTYPES
01.10.08
STEREOTYPES
When considering stereotypes of what is British (remember what I said about Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger NOT being baronets, and about how it is not true that Anglican's do not "believe in" the Virgin Mary), you may like to consider the way in which British people considered the stereotype Italian through history. Try putting "italian/stereotypes" into your search engine (e.g. Google) and see what you find, or simply look at the entry for stereotypes on the wikipedia site.
In the 17th & 18th centuries, Italian often meant effeminate in various ways, as you can see from this MACARONI, an Englishman who has returned from a tour abroad and dresses and behaves in the Italian style.
Then later on, after poorer Italian immigrants started arriving in Britain in the 19th c., we find this cartoon from a contemporary book for children, portraying a sterotype Italian selling poisonous ice-cream to British children.
The modern stereotypes of Italians which foreigners have tend to fall into three overlapping categories:
a) the Godfather
b) the Foodie
c) the Fashionista
I shall not put the photograph of the "fashionista" on this blog, but those open-minded adults of you who are interested, may ask me for the URL.
P.S. Those of you interested in English language pejoratives for "Italian" may look at the following site: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dago . You may like to consider how British people see themselves and how foreigners see them.
STEREOTYPES
When considering stereotypes of what is British (remember what I said about Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger NOT being baronets, and about how it is not true that Anglican's do not "believe in" the Virgin Mary), you may like to consider the way in which British people considered the stereotype Italian through history. Try putting "italian/stereotypes" into your search engine (e.g. Google) and see what you find, or simply look at the entry for stereotypes on the wikipedia site.
In the 17th & 18th centuries, Italian often meant effeminate in various ways, as you can see from this MACARONI, an Englishman who has returned from a tour abroad and dresses and behaves in the Italian style.
Then later on, after poorer Italian immigrants started arriving in Britain in the 19th c., we find this cartoon from a contemporary book for children, portraying a sterotype Italian selling poisonous ice-cream to British children.
The modern stereotypes of Italians which foreigners have tend to fall into three overlapping categories:
a) the Godfather
b) the Foodie
c) the Fashionista
I shall not put the photograph of the "fashionista" on this blog, but those open-minded adults of you who are interested, may ask me for the URL.
P.S. Those of you interested in English language pejoratives for "Italian" may look at the following site: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dago . You may like to consider how British people see themselves and how foreigners see them.
posted by S W at
2:55 pm
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