Correspondence |
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Historians Writing Fiction To the Editors: I failed to see any point whatsoever in the front page article entitled “Footnotes to Fiction” in the February 2009 issue. There is not even any indication of publication of the subject book, apart from the picture of an end jacket. Was this supposed to publicize a book by OAH members? If so, I would ask space to write about my historical novel, which shows how the South would have won the Civil War had the other leaders had the gumption to stand up against the incredibly ineffective Jefferson Davis. We Were All Men of Honor is published on a print-on-demand basis, by Xlibris, Inc. If it is not a case of seeking publicity, I would then argue that my novel is of greater significance than Blindspot, because it is concerned with actual history, rather than with interpretation of public attitudes. Was the idea that historians can write fiction the basic premise? Well, engineers who are historical scholars can write fiction, too, so I score equally on that point. I venture that few scholars of the Civil War have the same understanding of the desperate situation of the Confederacy’s railroads as I acquired in order to create my novel. Oh, they may be well aware of a disintegrating system as time passed, but do they have in mind a full comprehension of the patchwork nature of the basic system? Semantics and Spelling: A New Perception of Viet Nam In the February 2009 OAH Newsletter, I noticed that my article, “Lest We Forget,” was edited to comply with current standards of spelling—mainly, spelling Viet Nam as “Vietnam.” To give a sense of this semantic issue, consider my article, “Who Are Our Fathers,” on page 163 in the June 2007 Journal of American History, in which I explained the reasoning for the two-word spelling of Viet Nam. I suggest a return to the original spelling of Viet Nam to help readers, mainly Americans, realize that Viet Nam is a country, not a war. The effects of the war in Viet Nam remain very strong in the hearts and minds of many Americans, especially of my generation. I can offer the water of knowledge, but we know we cannot make anyone drink. As academics and scholars, you know the importance of words. You know the great weight of semantics on perception. It is my experience that for many Americans the condensed spelling is generally associated with, at least subconsciously, the charged emotions of the longest war in our history (1964-1975) against a small, far-away country. Spelling names as the Vietnamese do (without diacritical tonal marks) would develop a process not only of thinking, but feeling for other humans; something a war strips away. Since its inception about 2,000 years ago, Viet Nam (or Nam Viet) has always been spelled as two words in this mono-syllabic culture. The name derives from the words: Viet, meaning “people,” and Nam, meaning “south.” This was to differentiate the Viets (the people of the south), from the people of the north, the Chinese. The late Philip Jones Griffiths, noted photojournalist and author, explained that the name Viet Nam was changed by The New York Times to “Vietnam” in the 1940s and 1950s as a result of reporters filing stories by telex. Similar to a telegraph, the telex system charged money for each word, making a story about Dien Bien Phu, Ha Noi, Sai Gon, Da Nang, and Viet Nam fairly expensive. At that time it made economic sense to condense the words into one. Many American style manuals created in the 1970s set the rules of the written road often with little appreciation or understanding of Asian culture. Dictionaries simply report the current usage of a word. Today, electronic communication is far less bound by commercial restraints: a space or two costs nothing. It makes sense to change the rules of the written road for this special case. You might ask why the Vietnamese do not correct this issue. Perhaps they feel it is impolite to correct the mistakes of others. Perhaps they are unwilling to change the status quo. When you see “Vietnam” written on commercial products, I assure you, it is for export only. It makes economic sense to meet the expectations of your customers. It is my opinion that, as a result of the war in Viet Nam, the national psyche of America suffers a type of Post Traumatic Stress Denial. From my perspective, part of the legacy of that war has kept America in a time-warp that has somewhat stunted our intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth as a nation. In the future, when writing your own papers and helping your students with theirs, I believe offering this option of spelling will broaden perspective, encourage further respect, and stimulate interest in Viet Nam and other cultures. Simply by spelling “Viet Nam,” I believe our national psyche might begin to heal. In October 2010, the capitol of Viet Nam, Ha Noi, will celebrate 1,000 years as a city. Accordingly, it would be appropriate for America to recognize this historical event with words of respect, instead of past emotions. —Ted Engelmann The OAH Newsletter follows The Chicago Manual of Style for editorial guidance and Webster’s Third New International Dictionary for the spelling of words. —eds. |