Britain, Onanistan and malakas

This is a letter I received from a reader ages ago:

Since you are a linguist and seem knowledgeable on the subject, could you explain the actual “provenance” of Onanistan to me? I am personally satisfy with the following explanation but for the sake of Truth you might shade some light on the subject for me.

You certainly have heard among Greeks talking of the leitmotif: “A’de re malaka!” I have. Continuously in fact. Depending on where you happen to be, it can be heard on an average of five to six times per hour. Hence, I was told that Onasistan is supposed to be the nickname for Greece among Turks, is it not?

Seems to me a satisfying explanation. Especially when one lives in Greece as I do. I realize that I probably would qualify for as a malakas too for living there but that is beside the point.

Any comment?

Michel Le Goff

I am not sure what I had replied back then. His linguistic comments are absolutely valid, and Greek use as a term of endearment the word “malaka” or “re malaka” (literally meaning “wanker”) in a roughly equivalent way as the British may use the word “mate” or Americans “man”.

However, the whole point about sexuality in my book is that it is a metonymy, a metaphor if you want, and the way it is used is explained on page 247:

So, what is meant by “sex”? Oh, sex is not just “sex”, it is the grand metaphor—for affection; affection and the uninhibited manifestation thereof in every conceivable way.

It is precisely this ability to display affection that is lacking in most Brits (“stiff upper lip”, “cold shoulder”, etc.), hence the name “Onanistan” for Britain in the book.

In other words, Greek males may call each other “malaka” but at the same time they will smile and give each other an affectionate pat on the back (without fear of being considered “gay”). So what we are talking about here is not purely linguistic signs and their signification (on a literal level), but the extra-discursive aspects of emotional communication.