Collins' way with words miffs Mafia stronghold
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The citizens of Reggio Calabria are furious, and all because of the Collins English Dictionary. Anyone thinking of visiting the city, on the tip of the Italian boot, would do well to keep any copies of the offending publication out of sight for fear of a lynching. Misinformed, malicious, sneaky, virulently racist - such are some of the milder words being used about HarperCollins these days.
The reason? Collins put out a press release listing a few of the new words and phrases they have come across in recent research and will now consider for inclusion in the next edition. One phrase was "Reggio Calabria Syndrome", to define the mysterious symptoms affecting gangsters and others living in Mafia-controlled areas.
The term was picked up from Channel 4's Europe Express and referred to research by Francesco Aragona, a professor at the University of Messina who has examined the corpses of mafia victims in the Reggio area and discovered their organs show the sort of stress levels more commonly associated with 70-year-old stroke or heart-attack victims.
Sticking the label "Reggio Calabria Syndrome" on to this phenomenon might seem harmless enough but does not take into account the touchiness of Italians when it comes to the judgement, or perceived judgement, of foreigners. "This is a piece of pseudo-culture that ...presumes to make judgements that have no relationship to reality," said the city's deputy bishop, Salvatore Nunnari.
Never mind that Reggio is regularly cited as the murder capital of Italy, or that this week its most prominent anti-Mafia magistrate said his efforts to fight organised crime were on the brink of collapse.
Much of the indignation has centred on the notion that Collins would put such a phrase in their dictionary on the basis of a mere television program-me. Some of the critics might be surprised to know that Collins feels the same way. "With only citation, we wouldn't dream of putting it in," said the dictionary's managing editor, Diana Treffry.
Which rather takes the venom out of the affair, though you would not know it from the Italian reaction. Someone had better pass the message on quickly, before the high stress levels down south mutate from Reggio Calabria Syndrome into a life-threatening case of Aggravated Collins Syndrome.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments