Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/881840
17 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 OCTOBER 2017 care to show too much affection towards a relative – and it can even be deployed to 'neu- tralise effect', as in the case of a young man dropping the term in conversation after being told he shouldn't be drinking spirits so early during the day (to be fair, he had just ended a seven-year relationship...). The term can have positive connotations. In the case of a group of friends nostalgically reminiscing about an episode where they had dumped a girlfriend into a swimming pool during one of their pool parties – "kemm konna à la żobbna" – it helps to mark ongoing solidarity between the group. And in the case of a father who is à la żobbu about whether or not his son carries on in the family business or works on an oil rig, the term denotes a kind of tolerance and understand- ing that pre-emptively cuts short any potential family tension. "An alternative course of action becomes feasible here due to the presence of the attitude attributed to the father," the three academics write. "Without the attitude, only a single course of action would be feasible, that is, either staying in business because it matters so much, regardless of the son's own prefer- ences, or, alternatively, selling the family busi- ness because it matters too little anyway." The term could also be used to 'resolve disso- nance', as in the case of a respondent who tells a friend that they, "Could be doing something very useful, like analysing the Iranian situation or the Syria situation, you know there's a lot happening in the world right now and I could be doing something useful." And when asked by their friend why they aren't doing that, they rebut with, "Because I'm here man, at the beach, sunbathing and swimming and check- ing out girls, because it's beautiful here and I relax, x'à la bieb żobbi," which the friend ac- knowledges with, "That's good as well". Here the speaker declines the assumption of 'responsibility' associated with his choosing his current behaviour "over a more consequential or altruistic one," the three academics write. "The respondent […] negotiates the worth, or social value, of different courses of action and proceeds to resolve the internal dilemma asso- ciated with the 'prioritisation of social values' through the ABZ stance." It's more than just words What the study ultimately shows is that à la bieb żobbi is not simply a vulgar term deployed in situations of frustration, or to express indif- ference. Apart from being a linguistic utterance like any other, the fact that the same term can be used in so many varied ways, while remaining fully comprehensible to those 'in the know', shows that in some instances, successful com- munication is down to more than just under- standing the vocabulary and syntax of any given language. In fact, 'linguistic hinges' like à la bieb żobbi, "highlight the requirement for understanding the cultural worldviews that inform subjects' perspectives, if dialogue is to serve as a way to overcome semantic barriers". This brings us back to our earlier point about language being able to break down barriers. While Sammut, Clark and Kissaun do believe this is possible, what their research suggests is that you need to dig a little bit deeper to take in the full impact of what a term encompasses... especially one as loaded as à la bieb żobbi. Unless, you know, you're just à la bieb żobbok about the whole thing. treljic@mediatoday.com.mt genitals with a reference to one's eye (i.e. ghajni). A shortcut acronym for the expression is also used in Maltese language, that is, ABZ (pronounced in English). The meaning of the term corresponds to an overarching attitude that would include a number of distinct vulgar expressions in the English language such as 'I don't give a fuck', 'fuck you', and 'fuck the world'. Even in variants that relegate any reference to genitals, this meaning remains implied. One notable difference between the Maltese expression and the English equivalents is that the Maltese version omits a 'doing' component, as in 'I don't care', and this has consequent implications on social interaction. Source: 'Dialogue, linguistic hinges and semantic barriers: social psychological uses and functions of a vulgar term' (Sammut, Clark, Kissaun, Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour) ABZ IN POPULAR CULTURE We've just seen how à la bieb zobbi has a dynamic role to play in everyday Maltese discourse. So it only stands to reason that it will be represented in our pop culture artefacts – be they aiming high or low. Here are our favourite examples of the term in print, song and online... ABZ by Karl Consiglio (Ede Books, 2013) Though the poet's efforts at positioning himself as the Maltese Charles Bukowski often fall way off the mark in a lot of these brief missives that aim for pithy 'street' verse, nobody can fault the economical power of Karl Consiglio's choice of title for his debut collection, 'ABZ'. Indeed, one would be hard pressed to pick a better – even iconic – title for such a publication, which aims to smash to the china shop of 'proper' literature to smithereens. (Favourite quote? 'Il-Gothic/Fit-toilit naghmlu' ['Gothic/Is what I do/in the toilet']). Fil-Gallinar Tas-Sultan (Brikkuni, 'Trabokk', 2012) One of the few truly fist-pumping anthems in Brikkuni's quieter sophomore album 'Trabokk' (still a couple of notches more energetic than their latest, Rub Al Khali, mind), Fil-Gallinar Tas-Sultan's lyrics are a quirky allegory centred around a purple chicken. But our trusty term comes in to really give the already crowd-pleasing ditty an extra boost. As the circus-like song builds to an eager crescendo, the crowd of eager listeners is further encouraged with a background refrain of 'x'à la bieb zobbna, x'à la bieb zobbna...' 'Dun Benit Parody' (Daniel Dean Kingswell, 2015) Malta's consistently brilliant YouTube parody artist Daniel Dean Kingswell, whose 'proper'-sounding British name belies the gloriously explosive, profanity-laden videos, which oscillate between toilet-humour silliness and highly necessary satire, burst onto the scene with his video dubs of Dun Benit. Those with any affection for the original genteel sitcom about a beleaguered village priest may not appreciate seeing him turned into a potty-mouthed, racist pervert by means of Kingswell's dark magic, but those less squeamish will find a lot to love here. Our favourite bit? The cycling Dun Benit speeding past the village during the opening credits and yelling 'à la zobbiiii!' to his eager flock. Check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=SCIgSLqatx8&t=2s À la bieb zobbi is a telling example of how the linguistic term can both divide and separate its speakers "Franklly, my dear... no fucks are given"