TEDxHousesOfParliament
Mark Forsyth: What's a snollygoster? A short lesson in political speak
Mark Forsyth: Šta je "snollygoster"? Kratka lekcija o političkom govoru
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Većina političara pažljivo bira svoje riječi, kako bi oblikovali stvarnost koju žele stvoriti. Da li je to moguće? Etimolog Mark Forsyth govori o nekoliko zanimljivih priča o porijeklu riječi iz britanske i američke historije (na primjer, da li ste se zapitali kako je George Washington postao "predsjednik"?) i izvlači iznenađujući zaključak. (IzTEDxHousesofParliament u Londonu)
Mark Forsyth - Writer
Mark Forsyth strolls through the English language, telling stories, making connections and banishing hobgoblins. Full bio
Mark Forsyth strolls through the English language, telling stories, making connections and banishing hobgoblins. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:16
One of my favorite words in the whole of
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Jedna od mojih omiljenih riječi iz
00:18
the Oxford English Dictionary is "snollygoster."
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oksfordskog rječnika engleskog jezika je "snollygoster".
00:22
Just because it sounds so good.
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Samo zato što zvuči tako dobro.
00:23
And what snollygoster means is
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Značenje riječi snollygoster je
00:25
"a dishonest politician."
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"neiskren političar".
00:28
Although there was a 19th-century
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Iako je to bilo u 19. vijeku
00:29
newspaper editor who defined it rather better when he said,
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novinski urednik koji ga je definirao još bolje govoreći,
00:31
"A snollygoster is a fellow who seeks office
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"Snollygoster je osoba koja traži fotelju
00:34
regardless of party, platform or principle,
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bez obzira na stranku, platformu ili princip,
00:38
and who, when he wins,
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i koja, kada ju dobije,
00:39
gets there by the sheer force
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zadržava mjesto na osnovu snage
00:41
of monumental talknophical assumnancy."
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monumentalne šuplje priče". (engl. talknophical assumancy)
00:45
(Laughter)
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(smijeh)
00:47
Now I have no idea what "talknophical" is.
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Nemam pojma šta znači "talknophical".
00:49
Something to do with words, I assume.
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Pretpostavljam da ima veze sa riječima.
00:50
But it's very important that words are at the center of politics,
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Ali veoma je važno da su riječi u samom centru politike,
00:53
and all politicians know they have to try and control language.
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i da svi političari znaju da moraju pokušati kontrolirati jezik.
00:57
It wasn't until, for example, 1771
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Sve do, na primjer 1771.
01:00
that the British Parliament allowed newspapers to report
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Britanski Parlament nije dozvolio novinarima da
01:04
the exact words that were said in the debating chamber.
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izvještavaju o tačnim riječima izrečenim u debatnoj sali.
01:08
And this was actually all down to the bravery
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A zato je zaslužna hrabrost
01:10
of a guy with the extraordinary name of Brass Crosby,
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čovjeka neobičnog imena Brass Crosby,
01:13
who took on Parliament.
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koji se suprotstavio Parlamentu.
01:15
And he was thrown into the Tower of London
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On je bio bačen u tamnicu Londonske tvrđave
01:17
and imprisoned,
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i zatočen,
01:18
but he was brave enough,
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ali je bio dovoljno hrabar,
01:21
he was brave enough to take them on,
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bio je dovoljno hrabar da im se suprotstavi,
01:24
and in the end he had such popular support in London that he won.
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i na kraju je dobio takvu javnu podršku u Londonu da je pobijedio.
01:26
And it was only a few years later
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Nakon samo nekoliko godina
01:29
that we have the first recorded use of the phrase
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zabilježili smo prvu upotrebu fraze
01:31
"as bold as brass."
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"hrabar kao brass". (engl - brass = mesing)
01:34
Most people think that's down to the metal.
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Mnogi ljudi pomisle da se radi o metalu.
01:36
It's not. It's down to a campaigner
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Ali to nije slučaj. Radi se o aktivisti
01:38
for the freedom of the press.
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za slobodu medija.
01:41
But to really show you how
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Da vam zapravo pokažem
01:43
words and politics interact,
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koliko se riječi i politika isprepliću,
01:45
I want to take you back to the United States of America,
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želim vas povesti u Sjedinjene Američke Države,
01:48
just after they'd achieved independence.
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brzo nakon sticanja nezavisnosti.
01:50
And they had to face the question
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morali su se suočiti sa pitanjem
01:52
of what to call George Washington, their leader.
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kako da zovu George-a Washingtona, svog lidera.
01:55
They didn't know.
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Nisu znali.
01:56
What do you call the leader of a republican country?
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Kako zvati vođu zemlje uređene kao republika?
01:59
And this was debated in Congress for ages and ages.
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O tome se jako dugo debatovalo u Kongresu.
02:03
And there were all sorts of suggestions on the table,
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Bilo je mnogo prijedloga u igri,
02:05
which might have made it.
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koji su mogli biti i prihvaćeni.
02:06
I mean, some people wanted him to be called
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Neki su htjeli da ga se zove
02:08
Chief Magistrate Washington,
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Glavni sudac Washingtona,
02:10
and other people, His Highness George Washington,
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a drugi, Njegovo visočanstvo George Washington,
02:13
and other people, Protector of the Liberties of the People of the United States of America Washington.
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a drugi, Zaštitnik sloboda naroda Sjedinjenih Američkih Država Washington.
02:20
Not that catchy.
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Što i nije baš privlačno.
02:21
Some people just wanted to call him King.
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Neki su jednostavno željeli da ga zovu kralj.
02:24
They thought it was tried and tested.
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Mislili su da je bio isproban i dokazan.
02:25
And they weren't even being monarchical there,
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Nisu čak ni pomišljali na monarhiju,
02:27
they had the idea that you could be elected King
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mislili su da može biti izabrani kralj
02:29
for a fixed term.
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na određeno vrijeme.
02:31
And, you know, it could have worked.
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To je također moglo proći.
02:32
And everybody got insanely bored, actually,
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Na kraju je svima bilo dosta
02:35
because this debate went on for three weeks.
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rasprave koja je trajala tri sedmice.
02:37
I read a diary of this poor senator,
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Čitao sam dnevnik ovog jadnog senatora,
02:38
who just keeps coming back, "Still on this subject."
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koji je samo ponavljao "još uvijek ista tema".
02:41
And the reason for the delay and the boredom was that
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Razlog za odlaganje odluke i zamor bilo je to
02:44
the House of Representatives were against the Senate.
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što je Zastupnički dom bio protiv Senata.
02:47
The House of Representatives didn't want Washington
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Zastupnički dom nije želio da se Washington
02:50
to get drunk on power.
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opije vlašću.
02:52
They didn't want to call him King
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Nisu ga željeli zvati kraljem
02:53
in case that gave him ideas, or his successor ideas.
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da to njemu ili njegovom sljedbeniku ne bi dalo kojekakve ideje.
02:56
So they wanted to give him the humblest, meagerest,
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Zato su mu željeli dati najskromniju, najsitniju,
02:59
most pathetic title that they could think of.
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najpatetičniju funkciju koji se su mogli dosjetiti.
03:02
And that title was "President."
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Ta je funkcija bila "predsjednik".
03:08
President. They didn't invent the title. I mean, it existed before,
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Predsjednik. Nisu oni izmislili tu titulu; postojala je ona i ranije,
03:11
but it just meant somebody who presides over a meeting.
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ali je ona korištena za one koji su predsjedavali sastankom.
03:14
It was like the foreman of the jury.
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Bilo je to kao predssjedavajući porote.
03:16
And it didn't have much more grandeur
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Nije to davalo mnogo veličine
03:18
than the term "foreman" or "overseer."
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nego pojmovi "nadglednik" ili "kontrolor".
03:20
There were occasional presidents of little colonial councils
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Postojali su povremeni predsjednici malih kolonijalnih vijeća
03:23
and bits of government, but it was really a nothing title.
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i dijelova vlasti, ali to je bila ništavna titula.
03:26
And that's why the Senate objected to it.
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Stoga je Senat prigovarao na taj prijedlog.
03:28
They said, that's ridiculous, you can't call him President.
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govorili su, to je smiješno, ne možete ga zvati "predsjednik".
03:32
This guy has to go and sign treaties and meet foreign dignitaries.
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Taj čovjek treba da potpisuje sporazume i sastaje se sa svjetskim državnicima.
03:35
And who's going to take him seriously
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Ko će ga uzeti za ozbiljno
03:37
if he's got a silly little title
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ako bude imao tu smiješnu titulu
03:39
like President of the United States of America?
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kao predsjednik Sjedinjenih Američkih Država?
03:43
And after three weeks of debate, in the end
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Nakon tri sedmice debate, na kraju
03:47
the Senate did not cave in.
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Senat je popustio.
03:50
Instead, they agreed to use the title "President" for now,
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Pristali su da se koristi titula "predsjednik" za sada,
03:56
but they also wanted it absolutely set down
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ali su također željeli da se konačno zabilježi
03:59
that they didn't agree with it
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da se oni nisu saglasili sa tim
04:02
from a decent respect for the opinions and practice of civilized nations,
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iz dužnog poštovanja prema mišljenjima i praksi civiliziranih nacija,
04:08
whether under republican or monarchical forms of government,
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bez obzira jesu li republike ili monarhije po uređenju,
04:11
whose custom it is to annex,
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čije običaje treba prihvatiti,
04:13
through the office of the Chief Magistrate, titles of respectability --
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kroz ured Glavnog sudije, titule od poštovanja--
04:18
not bloody President --
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a ne tamo nekakvog predsjednika--
04:20
and that in the intercourse with foreign nations,
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te da u međunarodnoj razmjeni,
04:24
the majesty of the people of the United States
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zvanični predstavnik naroda Sjedinjenih Država
04:28
may not be hazarded by an appearance of singularity,
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ne može biti eksponiran u jedinstvenoj pojavi,
04:31
i.e., we don't want to look like bloody weirdos.
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odnosno, ne želimo izgledati kao čudaci.
04:35
Now you can learn three interesting things from this.
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Možete iz ovog naučiti tri zanimljive stvari.
04:38
First of all -- and this is my favorite --
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Prije svega--ova mi je omiljena--
04:41
is that so far as I've ever been able to find out,
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je da, koliko mi je bilo moguće saznati,
04:43
the Senate has never formally endorsed the title of President.
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Senat nikad nije fomalno odobrio titlulu "predsjednik".
04:48
Barack Obama, President Obama, is there on borrowed time,
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Barrack Obama, predsjednik Obama je tamo na određeno vrijeme,
04:51
just waiting for the Senate to spring into action.
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čekajući Senat da se baci na posao.
04:55
Second thing you can learn is that
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Druga stvar koji možete naučiti je da
04:57
when a government says that this is a temporary measure --
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kad vlasti kažu da je nešto privremena mjera--
05:00
(Laughter) --
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(smijeh)--
05:03
you can still be waiting 223 years later.
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ipak možete čekati 223 godine.
05:08
But the third thing you can learn,
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Treća stvar koji možete naučiti,
05:09
and this is the really important one,
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i ovo je našto zaista važno,
05:11
this is the point I want to leave you on,
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ovo je poenta sa kojom želim završiti,
05:12
is that the title, President of the United States of America,
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je da titula predsjednik Sjedinjenih američkih država,
05:17
doesn't sound that humble at all these days, does it?
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danas uopće ne zvuči tako skromno, zar ne?
05:22
Something to do with the slightly over 5,000
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Ima to neke veze sa nešto više od 5.000
05:25
nuclear warheads he has at his disposal
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nuklearnih bojevih glava koje su mu na raspolaganju
05:27
and the largest economy in the world
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i najvećom ekonomijom na svijetu
05:29
and a fleet of drones and all that sort of stuff.
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vazdušnom flotom i svim tim stvarima.
05:33
Reality and history have endowed that title with grandeur.
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Stvarnost i historija obogatili su tu titulu impresivnošću
05:40
And so the Senate won in the end.
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tako da je Senat na kraju pobijedio.
05:41
They got their title of respectability.
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Oni su dobili titulu punu poštovanja, kao što su tražili.
05:44
And also, the Senate's other worry, the appearance of singularity --
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Takođe, jedinstvena pojava, što je bila druga briga Senata--
05:47
well, it was a singularity back then.
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ipak je u to vrijeme bila jedinstvena.
05:49
But now, do you know how many nations have a president?
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Ali danas, znate li koliko država ima predsjednike?
05:52
A hundred and forty-seven.
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Stotinu četrdeset i sedam.
05:55
All because they want to sound like
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Sve zato što su željeli zvučati kao
05:56
the guy who's got the 5,000 nuclear warheads, etc.
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čovjek koji ima na raspolaganju 5.000 bojevih glava i sve ostalo.
06:01
And so, in the end, the Senate won
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Dakle, na kraju je Senat pobijedio
06:04
and the House of Representatives lost,
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a izgubio je Predstavnički dom,
06:08
because nobody's going to feel that humble
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jer niko se neće osjećati tako skromno
06:10
when they're told that they are now
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kada mu se kaže da je sad
06:12
the President of the United States of America.
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Predsjednik Sjedinjenih američkih država.
06:16
And that's the important lesson I think you can take away,
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To je dakle važna lekcija koju, mislim, možete naučiti danas,
06:19
and the one I want to leave you with.
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sa kojom vas želim ostaviti.
06:20
Politicians try to pick words and use words to shape reality
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Političari se trude da izaberu riječi da oblikuju stvarnost
06:23
and control reality, but in fact,
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i da je kontrolišu, ali zapravo,
06:27
reality changes words far more
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realnost mijenja riječi mnogo više
06:29
than words can ever change reality.
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nego što riječi mogu promijeniti realnost.
06:32
Thank you very much.
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Puno vam hvala.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mark Forsyth - WriterMark Forsyth strolls through the English language, telling stories, making connections and banishing hobgoblins.
Why you should listen
Mark Forsyth is a passionate, self-described pedant when it comes to the English language -- but his detailed knowledge of history has given him a common-sense approach to its "proper" use. He is an author, blogger, journalist, proofreader and ghostwriter. He can be found dispelling the grammar myths we were all taught in his popular blog, the Inky Fool. His book The Etymologicon takes "a circular stroll through the hidden connections of the English language" by history of one word or phrase with each chapter.
Mark Forsyth | Speaker | TED.com