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TRAGIC LOSS: Tributes pour in for ‘Disco Dave’ as man is charged with Pencoed murder
David Rogers, 58, tragically passed away in hospital on Monday, March 2, after fighting for his life following an assault in the early hours of Saturday, February 28.
In a touching statement, his family described the father-of-four as a man who “meant everything” to them and was affectionately known to many as “Disco Dave.”
“David was a proud father of four sons, Aaron, Cory, Kane, and Saul,” his family said. “He was a devoted brother to his sister, Bethan, an uncle to his nieces and nephews, Lewis and Leah, and cherished son to his mother, Judy.”
The family also remembered his adventurous spirit, adding: “He loved going on overseas adventures, playing golf at the Vale Resort, and being known as ‘Disco Dave’.”
His partner, Abbie, shared her own devastating tribute, calling David her “forever” and “best friend” who always went above and beyond for his stepchildren.
“We as a family don’t even know how to begin to move on without him,” she said. “We, as a family, are now left with a hole in our lives that will never be filled.”
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the local community, as South Wales Police confirmed the investigation has now been upgraded to a murder inquiry.
Liam Walters, 26, of Pencoed, has been charged with the murder of Mr Rogers and appeared before Cardiff Magistrates Court on Wednesday, March 4.
Walters has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to make his next appearance at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, March 5.
Detectives from the Major Crime Investigation Team are continuing to appeal for witnesses who may have been in the Felindre Road area between 12.30am and 4.30am on the night of the incident.
Detective Inspector Graham Williams, from the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “Sadly, a 58-year-old man has died in hospital following the incident on Saturday morning. Our thoughts are with his family at this time and they are being supported.”
Officers are particularly keen to speak to two potential witnesses—two elderly people seen walking along Felindre Road during the early hours of Saturday morning.
DI Williams added: “I would like to reassure the local community that we have somebody in custody and are not looking for anybody else at this time.”
“I thank everyone in the community who has helped our investigation so far, and I urge anyone with information which may be relevant to our investigation – particularly the two potential witnesses – to get in touch.”
Motorists who were in the area at the time are also being urged to check their dashcams for any footage that might be relevant to the case.
The Major Crime Investigation Team is leading the ongoing inquiry, and anyone with information is urged to contact South Wales Police on 101, quoting reference 2600063517.
#Bridgend #Crime #DavidRogers #FelindreRoad #LiamWalters #murder #MurderInvestigation #Pencoed #SouthWalesPolice #Tributes -
di Antonio Zoppetti
È appena uscito un mio nuovo libro: Meglio l’italiano o l’itanglese? Linee guida sull’uso di anglicismi nella comunicazione trasparente (Mind Edizioni, Milano) che ha lo scopo di colmare una lacuna tutta italiana.
Negli ultimi vent’anni, infatti, sono state diramate decine di raccomandazioni e linee guida istituzionali sulla femminilizzazione delle cariche, mentre si moltiplicano i siti e le associazioni che promuovono il linguaggio inclusivo e non discriminante, e spuntano decreti leggi che mettono al bando la parola “razza” o prescrivono l’eliminazione di “handicap” in favore di condizione di disabilità, e non perché si tratta di un termine inglese, bensì perché viene proclamato discriminante, e dunque viene sconsigliato (e vietato per legge) nel linguaggio delle amministrazioni.
In sintesi, esistono fortissime pressioni che hanno come obiettivo la pianificazione linguistica e puntano a intervenire sull’uso – spesso a gamba tesa – per educare i cittadini a parlare in modo politicamente corretto, ma quando si tratta invece di regolamentare l’abuso sempre più selvaggio dell’inglese, i linguisti e gli intellettuali italiani cambiano subito casacca, e si appellano a una “sacralità” dell’uso che non può essere messo in discussione. Solo in questo caso parte la solita tiritera per cui sulla lingua non si può – né deve – intervenire, perché non si può limitare la libertà di espressione e non si possono certo mettere al bando le parole straniere come ai tempi del fascismo. Al contrario, il problema non sono i forestierismi in modo generico, ma la penetrazione sempre più massiccia di parole inglesi, tutte provenienti dalla stessa lingua dominante che sta schiacciando l’italiano. E gli anglicismi sono spesso discriminanti e poco trasparenti, perché escludono – invece di includere – una larga fascia di cittadini che non li comprendono, e in questo modo si creano barriere sociali e fratture generazionali. Ma le istituzioni, in questo caso, non si preoccupano né della trasparenza né della cancellazione dell’italiano, e anzi sono in prima linea nell’introdurre e diffondere parole come cashback, caregiver, whistleblowing, stepchild adoption e via dicendo.
Il non-interventismo, insomma, è invocato solo nel caso dell’inglese, ma la realtà è un’altra: nell’attuale società è in atto un processo di revisionismo linguistico molto forte, che punta ad affermare un nuovo modello di italiano dove le stesse forze riformiste – anche istituzionali – che prescrivono il politicamente corretto, l’inclusività, la femminilizzazione delle cariche… sono quelle che allo stesso tempo introducono gli anglicismi.
Nel libro questo fenomeno è ben denunciato, e le contraddizioni vengono finalmente fatte esplodere. Riporto una sola citazione:
“Colpisce, per esempio, che proprio il Ministero dell’Istruzione da cui sono scaturiti testi pieni zeppi di anglicismi come il Sillabo del 2018 o il Piano scuola 4.0 del 2023, contemporaneamente abbia diramato delle Linee guida per l’uso del genere nel linguaggio amministrativo del Miur (2018) che a loro volta riprendevano altri simili documenti promossi già da anni. Nella prefazione dell’allora ministra Valeria Fedeli si leggeva:
Credo che nel Miur la consapevolezza dell’importanza del linguaggio debba essere coltivata e praticata anche più che altrove – non solo per quanto riguarda l’uso del genere grammaticale femminile, quindi, ma anche per tutto ciò che riguarda la trasparenza degli atti amministrativi. Sappiamo che la lingua è un corpo vivente, che si evolve nell’uso quotidiano e non può essere cambiata per decreto. D’altra parte, le proposte riguardanti l’uso del femminile avanzate nelle presenti Linee guida non hanno nulla dell’imposizione dall’alto, perché richiedono semplicemente di applicare in modo corretto e senza pregiudizi le regole della grammatica italiana (p. 4).
Eppure questo richiamo alle pari opportunità, alla trasparenza e alle regole della grammatica italiana sembra che sia invocato solo nel caso dell’educazione al genere, ma venga invece nascosto sotto al tappeto nel caso degli anglicismi che al contrario vengono diffusi e promossi senza seguire gli stessi criteri, o forse li si introduce in modo consapevole proprio con l’intento di affermarli (a pensar male si commette peccato, ma spesso si indovina, recitava una vecchia battuta di Andreotti).”
[Meglio in italiano o in itanglese? p. 70].Le istituzioni, insomma, non sembrano veramente interessate alla trasparenza, e la usano come alibi quando fa loro comodo per diffondere il linguaggio “etico” che vorrebbero affermare, un modello linguistico che vuole essere politicamente corretto e allo stesso tempo anglicizzato. Un modello linguistico che afferma l’itanglese.
Una nuova definizione di itanglese
Nel libro c’è una dettagliatissima spiegazione di che cosa sia l’itanglese, che da un punto di vista tecnico ormai non è più solo un “italiano” che contiene un’alta frequenza di parole inglesi. L’itanglese travalica l’ingenua categoria dei “prestiti linguistici”, è fatto di pseudoanglicismi maccheronici (footing, smart working), di parole ibride (zoomare, clownterapia), di costrutti sintatticamente invertiti (matematica day, covid hospital), di suffissoidi formativi (babypensionato, over40), di cambiamenti morfologici (blogger invece di bloggatori), di famiglie di parole e di radici inglesi che si allargano nel nostro lessico (pet-shop, pet-food, pet sitter…).
Ma soprattutto, al di là di queste classificazioni forse per alcuni un po’ noiose, l’itanglese si configura come un ben preciso modello linguistico, uno stilema preferito e ostentato da un’egemonia culturale di imprenditori, giornalisti, tecnici, addetti ai lavori e influenti che puntano all’inglese e si vergognano dell’italiano. In questo modo prende piede una “diglossia lessicale” dove le parole inglesi sono spacciate di volta in volta come più evocative, più solenni, più appropriate, più moderne, più internazionali… e finiscono per scalzare e far regredire le nostre parole storiche, perché i nuovi comunicatori sono convinti che brand sia superiore e diverso da marchio, che overturism sia più appropriato di sovraturismo, che gay sia più inclusivo di omosessuale, che climate change sia un “internazionalismo” più tecnico di cambiamento climatico, che il body shaming sia più adatto della derisione fisica, che il catcalling sia più moderno del vecchio e deprecato pappagallismo italiano… e in fin dei conti che l’inglese (ma spesso è solo pseudoinglese) sia superiore alla lingua di Dante, la nostra lingua madre. Ma in questa corsa all’anglicizzazione scriteriata e sempre più sistematica, l’impatto dell’inglese sulla nostra lingua non è paragonabile a quello che abbiamo ereditato nel corso dei secoli da altre lingue, né per numero di parole né per frequenza, né per profondità né per velocità di attecchimento. L’itanglese è un fenomeno nuovo dalla portata dirompente; il libro racconta questa storia e smentisce i soliti luoghi comuni e stereotipi radicati tra i linguisti e tra gli intellettuali italiani, visto che in altri Paesi la situazione è ben diversa dalla nostra piccola visione provinciale imprigionata nel suo complesso d’inferiorità davanti alla cultura e alla lingua d’oltreoceano.
Linee guida e qualche considerazione di buon senso
Nel delineare delle linee guida che affrontano la questione dell’inglese partendo dagli stessi presupposti che guidano altri tipi di raccomandazioni, ho preso spunto da quanto avviene all’estero, a partire dalla cancelleria Svizzera che ha diramato delle raccomandazioni sull’uso dell’inglese nel linguaggio amministrativo che – guarda caso – sono proprio affiancate a quelle per un uso non sessista della lingua, perché da loro non ci sono i tabù e le rimozioni che abbiamo noi, e la trasparenza vale in ogni ambito, e non si usano due pesi e due misure. Anche la pianificazione linguistica di altri Paesi – come la Francia, la Spagna o l’Islanda – è stata presa come esempio e come fonte, e i principi di buon senso che si ritrovano ovunque tranne che da noi sono tutti incentrati su due cardini: il rispetto per le risorse linguistiche locali e il proprio patrimonio linguistico, ma anche la trasparenza. Sul piano nazionale ho ripreso invece il poco che c’è, soprattutto i comunicati, le considerazioni e le riflessioni del Gruppo Incipit della Crusca, anche se non hanno una valenza ufficiale. E a proposito della trasparenza del linguaggio amministrativo o giornalistico, sono partito dalle vecchie regole auree di Sergio Lepri, oltre che dalle analisi di Tullio De Mauro sulle parole che arrivano a tutti; entrambi gli intellettuali partivano dal presupposto che una comunicazione “onesta” si basa su un linguaggio adatto al destinatario. Oggi i titolisti e i giornalisti, in linea di massima, hanno cambiato prospettiva e puntano a educare all’inglese, a diffonderlo con un nuovo linguaggio elitario e discriminante dove l’inglesorum assume il ruolo cialtrone del latinorum manzoniano e dell’antilingua di Calvino.
Queste linee guida riflettono poi sulle questioni della gestione degli anglicismi dal punto di vista editoriale (pronunce, trattamento grafico, maiuscole, plurali, genere maschile o femminile) e soprattutto su come evitarne ogni abuso. Accanto alle 4 domande chiave che ha individuato il linguista Francesco Sabatini (prima di ricorrere a un anglicismo ne conosciamo il reale significato? Lo sappiamo pronunciare e anche scrivere correttamente? E l’interlocutore è davvero in grado di comprenderlo?) ho aggiunto una quinta domanda fondamentale per evitare che l’italiano diventi itanglese: “Quanti anglicismi stiamo usando nella nostra comunicazione?”.
E ancora, siamo sicuri che certi anglicismi siano davvero intraducibili? Che fare quando manca il corrispettivo italiano? E quando non ha la stessa connotazione?
La prefazione è di Giorgio Cantoni, il fondatore di Italofonia.info, che ha sottoscritto queste linee guida che il portale si impegna a seguire e a diffondere, mentre in appendice – per sorridere ma anche per riflettere sul fenomeno – ho tradotto per intero il primo canto della Divina Commedia in itanglese di cui da tempo avevo già abbozzato l’incipit.
PS
https://www.youtube.com/embed/yKmCycRtJMA
Roberto, che gestisce il canale YouTube Un Italiano Vero (UIV), sta preparando dei video in cui è possibile ascoltare l’effetto che fa la Divina Comedy di Don’t Alighieri, di cui è disponibile la prima pillola, ma prossimamente seguiranno le altre puntate.
E poiché questo libro – il quarto che ho dedicato a questo tema – nuoce gravemente al pensiero dominante (mainstream), ringrazio tutti coloro che spargeranno la voce per far sapere della sua esistenza.
#anglicismiNellItaliano #citazioni #inglese #interferenzaLinguistica #itanglese #libri #linguaInglese #linguaItaliana #linguaggioInclusivo #paroleInglesiNellItaliano #politicaLinguistica #rassegnaStampa #tradurre
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di Antonio Zoppetti
È appena uscito un mio nuovo libro: Meglio l’italiano o l’itanglese? Linee guida sull’uso di anglicismi nella comunicazione trasparente (Mind Edizioni, Milano) che ha lo scopo di colmare una lacuna tutta italiana.
Negli ultimi vent’anni, infatti, sono state diramate decine di raccomandazioni e linee guida istituzionali sulla femminilizzazione delle cariche, mentre si moltiplicano i siti e le associazioni che promuovono il linguaggio inclusivo e non discriminante, e spuntano decreti leggi che mettono al bando la parola “razza” o prescrivono l’eliminazione di “handicap” in favore di condizione di disabilità, e non perché si tratta di un termine inglese, bensì perché viene proclamato discriminante, e dunque viene sconsigliato (e vietato per legge) nel linguaggio delle amministrazioni.
In sintesi, esistono fortissime pressioni che hanno come obiettivo la pianificazione linguistica e puntano a intervenire sull’uso – spesso a gamba tesa – per educare i cittadini a parlare in modo politicamente corretto, ma quando si tratta invece di regolamentare l’abuso sempre più selvaggio dell’inglese, i linguisti e gli intellettuali italiani cambiano subito casacca, e si appellano a una “sacralità” dell’uso che non può essere messo in discussione. Solo in questo caso parte la solita tiritera per cui sulla lingua non si può – né deve – intervenire, perché non si può limitare la libertà di espressione e non si possono certo mettere al bando le parole straniere come ai tempi del fascismo. Al contrario, il problema non sono i forestierismi in modo generico, ma la penetrazione sempre più massiccia di parole inglesi, tutte provenienti dalla stessa lingua dominante che sta schiacciando l’italiano. E gli anglicismi sono spesso discriminanti e poco trasparenti, perché escludono – invece di includere – una larga fascia di cittadini che non li comprendono, e in questo modo si creano barriere sociali e fratture generazionali. Ma le istituzioni, in questo caso, non si preoccupano né della trasparenza né della cancellazione dell’italiano, e anzi sono in prima linea nell’introdurre e diffondere parole come cashback, caregiver, whistleblowing, stepchild adoption e via dicendo.
Il non-interventismo, insomma, è invocato solo nel caso dell’inglese, ma la realtà è un’altra: nell’attuale società è in atto un processo di revisionismo linguistico molto forte, che punta ad affermare un nuovo modello di italiano dove le stesse forze riformiste – anche istituzionali – che prescrivono il politicamente corretto, l’inclusività, la femminilizzazione delle cariche… sono quelle che allo stesso tempo introducono gli anglicismi.
Nel libro questo fenomeno è ben denunciato, e le contraddizioni vengono finalmente fatte esplodere. Riporto una sola citazione:
“Colpisce, per esempio, che proprio il Ministero dell’Istruzione da cui sono scaturiti testi pieni zeppi di anglicismi come il Sillabo del 2018 o il Piano scuola 4.0 del 2023, contemporaneamente abbia diramato delle Linee guida per l’uso del genere nel linguaggio amministrativo del Miur (2018) che a loro volta riprendevano altri simili documenti promossi già da anni. Nella prefazione dell’allora ministra Valeria Fedeli si leggeva:
Credo che nel Miur la consapevolezza dell’importanza del linguaggio debba essere coltivata e praticata anche più che altrove – non solo per quanto riguarda l’uso del genere grammaticale femminile, quindi, ma anche per tutto ciò che riguarda la trasparenza degli atti amministrativi. Sappiamo che la lingua è un corpo vivente, che si evolve nell’uso quotidiano e non può essere cambiata per decreto. D’altra parte, le proposte riguardanti l’uso del femminile avanzate nelle presenti Linee guida non hanno nulla dell’imposizione dall’alto, perché richiedono semplicemente di applicare in modo corretto e senza pregiudizi le regole della grammatica italiana (p. 4).
Eppure questo richiamo alle pari opportunità, alla trasparenza e alle regole della grammatica italiana sembra che sia invocato solo nel caso dell’educazione al genere, ma venga invece nascosto sotto al tappeto nel caso degli anglicismi che al contrario vengono diffusi e promossi senza seguire gli stessi criteri, o forse li si introduce in modo consapevole proprio con l’intento di affermarli (a pensar male si commette peccato, ma spesso si indovina, recitava una vecchia battuta di Andreotti).”
[Meglio in italiano o in itanglese? p. 70].Le istituzioni, insomma, non sembrano veramente interessate alla trasparenza, e la usano come alibi quando fa loro comodo per diffondere il linguaggio “etico” che vorrebbero affermare, un modello linguistico che vuole essere politicamente corretto e allo stesso tempo anglicizzato. Un modello linguistico che afferma l’itanglese.
Una nuova definizione di itanglese
Nel libro c’è una dettagliatissima spiegazione di che cosa sia l’itanglese, che da un punto di vista tecnico ormai non è più solo un “italiano” che contiene un’alta frequenza di parole inglesi. L’itanglese travalica l’ingenua categoria dei “prestiti linguistici”, è fatto di pseudoanglicismi maccheronici (footing, smart working), di parole ibride (zoomare, clownterapia), di costrutti sintatticamente invertiti (matematica day, covid hospital), di suffissoidi formativi (babypensionato, over40), di cambiamenti morfologici (blogger invece di bloggatori), di famiglie di parole e di radici inglesi che si allargano nel nostro lessico (pet-shop, pet-food, pet sitter…).
Ma soprattutto, al di là di queste classificazioni forse per alcuni un po’ noiose, l’itanglese si configura come un ben preciso modello linguistico, uno stilema preferito e ostentato da un’egemonia culturale di imprenditori, giornalisti, tecnici, addetti ai lavori e influenti che puntano all’inglese e si vergognano dell’italiano. In questo modo prende piede una “diglossia lessicale” dove le parole inglesi sono spacciate di volta in volta come più evocative, più solenni, più appropriate, più moderne, più internazionali… e finiscono per scalzare e far regredire le nostre parole storiche, perché i nuovi comunicatori sono convinti che brand sia superiore e diverso da marchio, che overturism sia più appropriato di sovraturismo, che gay sia più inclusivo di omosessuale, che climate change sia un “internazionalismo” più tecnico di cambiamento climatico, che il body shaming sia più adatto della derisione fisica, che il catcalling sia più moderno del vecchio e deprecato pappagallismo italiano… e in fin dei conti che l’inglese (ma spesso è solo pseudoinglese) sia superiore alla lingua di Dante, la nostra lingua madre. Ma in questa corsa all’anglicizzazione scriteriata e sempre più sistematica, l’impatto dell’inglese sulla nostra lingua non è paragonabile a quello che abbiamo ereditato nel corso dei secoli da altre lingue, né per numero di parole né per frequenza, né per profondità né per velocità di attecchimento. L’itanglese è un fenomeno nuovo dalla portata dirompente; il libro racconta questa storia e smentisce i soliti luoghi comuni e stereotipi radicati tra i linguisti e tra gli intellettuali italiani, visto che in altri Paesi la situazione è ben diversa dalla nostra piccola visione provinciale imprigionata nel suo complesso d’inferiorità davanti alla cultura e alla lingua d’oltreoceano.
Linee guida e qualche considerazione di buon senso
Nel delineare delle linee guida che affrontano la questione dell’inglese partendo dagli stessi presupposti che guidano altri tipi di raccomandazioni, ho preso spunto da quanto avviene all’estero, a partire dalla cancelleria Svizzera che ha diramato delle raccomandazioni sull’uso dell’inglese nel linguaggio amministrativo che – guarda caso – sono proprio affiancate a quelle per un uso non sessista della lingua, perché da loro non ci sono i tabù e le rimozioni che abbiamo noi, e la trasparenza vale in ogni ambito, e non si usano due pesi e due misure. Anche la pianificazione linguistica di altri Paesi – come la Francia, la Spagna o l’Islanda – è stata presa come esempio e come fonte, e i principi di buon senso che si ritrovano ovunque tranne che da noi sono tutti incentrati su due cardini: il rispetto per le risorse linguistiche locali e il proprio patrimonio linguistico, ma anche la trasparenza. Sul piano nazionale ho ripreso invece il poco che c’è, soprattutto i comunicati, le considerazioni e le riflessioni del Gruppo Incipit della Crusca, anche se non hanno una valenza ufficiale. E a proposito della trasparenza del linguaggio amministrativo o giornalistico, sono partito dalle vecchie regole auree di Sergio Lepri, oltre che dalle analisi di Tullio De Mauro sulle parole che arrivano a tutti; entrambi gli intellettuali partivano dal presupposto che una comunicazione “onesta” si basa su un linguaggio adatto al destinatario. Oggi i titolisti e i giornalisti, in linea di massima, hanno cambiato prospettiva e puntano a educare all’inglese, a diffonderlo con un nuovo linguaggio elitario e discriminante dove l’inglesorum assume il ruolo cialtrone del latinorum manzoniano e dell’antilingua di Calvino.
Queste linee guida riflettono poi sulle questioni della gestione degli anglicismi dal punto di vista editoriale (pronunce, trattamento grafico, maiuscole, plurali, genere maschile o femminile) e soprattutto su come evitarne ogni abuso. Accanto alle 4 domande chiave che ha individuato il linguista Francesco Sabatini (prima di ricorrere a un anglicismo ne conosciamo il reale significato? Lo sappiamo pronunciare e anche scrivere correttamente? E l’interlocutore è davvero in grado di comprenderlo?) ho aggiunto una quinta domanda fondamentale per evitare che l’italiano diventi itanglese: “Quanti anglicismi stiamo usando nella nostra comunicazione?”.
E ancora, siamo sicuri che certi anglicismi siano davvero intraducibili? Che fare quando manca il corrispettivo italiano? E quando non ha la stessa connotazione?
La prefazione è di Giorgio Cantoni, il fondatore di Italofonia.info, che ha sottoscritto queste linee guida che il portale si impegna a seguire e a diffondere, mentre in appendice – per sorridere ma anche per riflettere sul fenomeno – ho tradotto per intero il primo canto della Divina Commedia in itanglese di cui da tempo avevo già abbozzato l’incipit.
PS
https://www.youtube.com/embed/yKmCycRtJMA
Roberto, che gestisce il canale YouTube Un Italiano Vero (UIV), sta preparando dei video in cui è possibile ascoltare l’effetto che fa la Divina Comedy di Don’t Alighieri, di cui è disponibile la prima pillola, ma prossimamente seguiranno le altre puntate.
E poiché questo libro – il quarto che ho dedicato a questo tema – nuoce gravemente al pensiero dominante (mainstream), ringrazio tutti coloro che spargeranno la voce per far sapere della sua esistenza.
#anglicismiNellItaliano #citazioni #inglese #interferenzaLinguistica #itanglese #libri #linguaInglese #linguaItaliana #linguaggioInclusivo #paroleInglesiNellItaliano #politicaLinguistica #rassegnaStampa #tradurre
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di Antonio Zoppetti
È appena uscito un mio nuovo libro: Meglio l’italiano o l’itanglese? Linee guida sull’uso di anglicismi nella comunicazione trasparente (Mind Edizioni, Milano) che ha lo scopo di colmare una lacuna tutta italiana.
Negli ultimi vent’anni, infatti, sono state diramate decine di raccomandazioni e linee guida istituzionali sulla femminilizzazione delle cariche, mentre si moltiplicano i siti e le associazioni che promuovono il linguaggio inclusivo e non discriminante, e spuntano decreti leggi che mettono al bando la parola “razza” o prescrivono l’eliminazione di “handicap” in favore di condizione di disabilità, e non perché si tratta di un termine inglese, bensì perché viene proclamato discriminante, e dunque viene sconsigliato (e vietato per legge) nel linguaggio delle amministrazioni.
In sintesi, esistono fortissime pressioni che hanno come obiettivo la pianificazione linguistica e puntano a intervenire sull’uso – spesso a gamba tesa – per educare i cittadini a parlare in modo politicamente corretto, ma quando si tratta invece di regolamentare l’abuso sempre più selvaggio dell’inglese, i linguisti e gli intellettuali italiani cambiano subito casacca, e si appellano a una “sacralità” dell’uso che non può essere messo in discussione. Solo in questo caso parte la solita tiritera per cui sulla lingua non si può – né deve – intervenire, perché non si può limitare la libertà di espressione e non si possono certo mettere al bando le parole straniere come ai tempi del fascismo. Al contrario, il problema non sono i forestierismi in modo generico, ma la penetrazione sempre più massiccia di parole inglesi, tutte provenienti dalla stessa lingua dominante che sta schiacciando l’italiano. E gli anglicismi sono spesso discriminanti e poco trasparenti, perché escludono – invece di includere – una larga fascia di cittadini che non li comprendono, e in questo modo si creano barriere sociali e fratture generazionali. Ma le istituzioni, in questo caso, non si preoccupano né della trasparenza né della cancellazione dell’italiano, e anzi sono in prima linea nell’introdurre e diffondere parole come cashback, caregiver, whistleblowing, stepchild adoption e via dicendo.
Il non-interventismo, insomma, è invocato solo nel caso dell’inglese, ma la realtà è un’altra: nell’attuale società è in atto un processo di revisionismo linguistico molto forte, che punta ad affermare un nuovo modello di italiano dove le stesse forze riformiste – anche istituzionali – che prescrivono il politicamente corretto, l’inclusività, la femminilizzazione delle cariche… sono quelle che allo stesso tempo introducono gli anglicismi.
Nel libro questo fenomeno è ben denunciato, e le contraddizioni vengono finalmente fatte esplodere. Riporto una sola citazione:
“Colpisce, per esempio, che proprio il Ministero dell’Istruzione da cui sono scaturiti testi pieni zeppi di anglicismi come il Sillabo del 2018 o il Piano scuola 4.0 del 2023, contemporaneamente abbia diramato delle Linee guida per l’uso del genere nel linguaggio amministrativo del Miur (2018) che a loro volta riprendevano altri simili documenti promossi già da anni. Nella prefazione dell’allora ministra Valeria Fedeli si leggeva:
Credo che nel Miur la consapevolezza dell’importanza del linguaggio debba essere coltivata e praticata anche più che altrove – non solo per quanto riguarda l’uso del genere grammaticale femminile, quindi, ma anche per tutto ciò che riguarda la trasparenza degli atti amministrativi. Sappiamo che la lingua è un corpo vivente, che si evolve nell’uso quotidiano e non può essere cambiata per decreto. D’altra parte, le proposte riguardanti l’uso del femminile avanzate nelle presenti Linee guida non hanno nulla dell’imposizione dall’alto, perché richiedono semplicemente di applicare in modo corretto e senza pregiudizi le regole della grammatica italiana (p. 4).
Eppure questo richiamo alle pari opportunità, alla trasparenza e alle regole della grammatica italiana sembra che sia invocato solo nel caso dell’educazione al genere, ma venga invece nascosto sotto al tappeto nel caso degli anglicismi che al contrario vengono diffusi e promossi senza seguire gli stessi criteri, o forse li si introduce in modo consapevole proprio con l’intento di affermarli (a pensar male si commette peccato, ma spesso si indovina, recitava una vecchia battuta di Andreotti).”
[Meglio in italiano o in itanglese? p. 70].Le istituzioni, insomma, non sembrano veramente interessate alla trasparenza, e la usano come alibi quando fa loro comodo per diffondere il linguaggio “etico” che vorrebbero affermare, un modello linguistico che vuole essere politicamente corretto e allo stesso tempo anglicizzato. Un modello linguistico che afferma l’itanglese.
Una nuova definizione di itanglese
Nel libro c’è una dettagliatissima spiegazione di che cosa sia l’itanglese, che da un punto di vista tecnico ormai non è più solo un “italiano” che contiene un’alta frequenza di parole inglesi. L’itanglese travalica l’ingenua categoria dei “prestiti linguistici”, è fatto di pseudoanglicismi maccheronici (footing, smart working), di parole ibride (zoomare, clownterapia), di costrutti sintatticamente invertiti (matematica day, covid hospital), di suffissoidi formativi (babypensionato, over40), di cambiamenti morfologici (blogger invece di bloggatori), di famiglie di parole e di radici inglesi che si allargano nel nostro lessico (pet-shop, pet-food, pet sitter…).
Ma soprattutto, al di là di queste classificazioni forse per alcuni un po’ noiose, l’itanglese si configura come un ben preciso modello linguistico, uno stilema preferito e ostentato da un’egemonia culturale di imprenditori, giornalisti, tecnici, addetti ai lavori e influenti che puntano all’inglese e si vergognano dell’italiano. In questo modo prende piede una “diglossia lessicale” dove le parole inglesi sono spacciate di volta in volta come più evocative, più solenni, più appropriate, più moderne, più internazionali… e finiscono per scalzare e far regredire le nostre parole storiche, perché i nuovi comunicatori sono convinti che brand sia superiore e diverso da marchio, che overturism sia più appropriato di sovraturismo, che gay sia più inclusivo di omosessuale, che climate change sia un “internazionalismo” più tecnico di cambiamento climatico, che il body shaming sia più adatto della derisione fisica, che il catcalling sia più moderno del vecchio e deprecato pappagallismo italiano… e in fin dei conti che l’inglese (ma spesso è solo pseudoinglese) sia superiore alla lingua di Dante, la nostra lingua madre. Ma in questa corsa all’anglicizzazione scriteriata e sempre più sistematica, l’impatto dell’inglese sulla nostra lingua non è paragonabile a quello che abbiamo ereditato nel corso dei secoli da altre lingue, né per numero di parole né per frequenza, né per profondità né per velocità di attecchimento. L’itanglese è un fenomeno nuovo dalla portata dirompente; il libro racconta questa storia e smentisce i soliti luoghi comuni e stereotipi radicati tra i linguisti e tra gli intellettuali italiani, visto che in altri Paesi la situazione è ben diversa dalla nostra piccola visione provinciale imprigionata nel suo complesso d’inferiorità davanti alla cultura e alla lingua d’oltreoceano.
Linee guida e qualche considerazione di buon senso
Nel delineare delle linee guida che affrontano la questione dell’inglese partendo dagli stessi presupposti che guidano altri tipi di raccomandazioni, ho preso spunto da quanto avviene all’estero, a partire dalla cancelleria Svizzera che ha diramato delle raccomandazioni sull’uso dell’inglese nel linguaggio amministrativo che – guarda caso – sono proprio affiancate a quelle per un uso non sessista della lingua, perché da loro non ci sono i tabù e le rimozioni che abbiamo noi, e la trasparenza vale in ogni ambito, e non si usano due pesi e due misure. Anche la pianificazione linguistica di altri Paesi – come la Francia, la Spagna o l’Islanda – è stata presa come esempio e come fonte, e i principi di buon senso che si ritrovano ovunque tranne che da noi sono tutti incentrati su due cardini: il rispetto per le risorse linguistiche locali e il proprio patrimonio linguistico, ma anche la trasparenza. Sul piano nazionale ho ripreso invece il poco che c’è, soprattutto i comunicati, le considerazioni e le riflessioni del Gruppo Incipit della Crusca, anche se non hanno una valenza ufficiale. E a proposito della trasparenza del linguaggio amministrativo o giornalistico, sono partito dalle vecchie regole auree di Sergio Lepri, oltre che dalle analisi di Tullio De Mauro sulle parole che arrivano a tutti; entrambi gli intellettuali partivano dal presupposto che una comunicazione “onesta” si basa su un linguaggio adatto al destinatario. Oggi i titolisti e i giornalisti, in linea di massima, hanno cambiato prospettiva e puntano a educare all’inglese, a diffonderlo con un nuovo linguaggio elitario e discriminante dove l’inglesorum assume il ruolo cialtrone del latinorum manzoniano e dell’antilingua di Calvino.
Queste linee guida riflettono poi sulle questioni della gestione degli anglicismi dal punto di vista editoriale (pronunce, trattamento grafico, maiuscole, plurali, genere maschile o femminile) e soprattutto su come evitarne ogni abuso. Accanto alle 4 domande chiave che ha individuato il linguista Francesco Sabatini (prima di ricorrere a un anglicismo ne conosciamo il reale significato? Lo sappiamo pronunciare e anche scrivere correttamente? E l’interlocutore è davvero in grado di comprenderlo?) ho aggiunto una quinta domanda fondamentale per evitare che l’italiano diventi itanglese: “Quanti anglicismi stiamo usando nella nostra comunicazione?”.
E ancora, siamo sicuri che certi anglicismi siano davvero intraducibili? Che fare quando manca il corrispettivo italiano? E quando non ha la stessa connotazione?
La prefazione è di Giorgio Cantoni, il fondatore di Italofonia.info, che ha sottoscritto queste linee guida che il portale si impegna a seguire e a diffondere, mentre in appendice – per sorridere ma anche per riflettere sul fenomeno – ho tradotto per intero il primo canto della Divina Commedia in itanglese di cui da tempo avevo già abbozzato l’incipit.
PS
https://www.youtube.com/embed/yKmCycRtJMA
Roberto, che gestisce il canale YouTube Un Italiano Vero (UIV), sta preparando dei video in cui è possibile ascoltare l’effetto che fa la Divina Comedy di Don’t Alighieri, di cui è disponibile la prima pillola, ma prossimamente seguiranno le altre puntate.
E poiché questo libro – il quarto che ho dedicato a questo tema – nuoce gravemente al pensiero dominante (mainstream), ringrazio tutti coloro che spargeranno la voce per far sapere della sua esistenza.
#anglicismiNellItaliano #citazioni #inglese #interferenzaLinguistica #itanglese #libri #linguaInglese #linguaItaliana #linguaggioInclusivo #paroleInglesiNellItaliano #politicaLinguistica #rassegnaStampa #tradurre
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Wednesday Reads
Good Afternoon!!
Will there ever be another slow news day in the U.S.? Every day we see more stunning news–violent incidents, embarrassing, chaotic, and illegal behavior from our “president,” shocks to the economy from Trump’s tariffs and mass deportations, and more. We have to survive 3 more years of this insanity. There are some hopeful signs. Trump is very unpopular and his poll numbers are dropping rapidly. There are also signs that he is having health challenges. But I think he has changed our country long-term by inflaming his followers with lies and disinformation. There is definitely a core group of about 30 percent of the population that clings to him no matter what. And one of the biggest dangers is the behavior of the Trumpists on the Supreme court. Anyway, on to today’s news and comment.
First, the breaking news. There has been a shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas.
Bullet casings from the Dallas shooting.
NBC News: Live updates: 2 dead, including suspect, in shooting at Dallas ICE facility.
What we know about the shooting
— Three people were shot at an ICE facility in Dallas this morning, an ICE spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.
— Two people are dead, including the shooter, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Dallas police said in a news conference. No ICE officers were hurt in the shooting.
— Round found near the shooter, who was dead when police arrived, contained messages that were “anti-ICE in nature,” Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas FBI Joe Rothrock said at a news conference. He added that the attack was an act of “targeted violence.”
— The victims’ identities will not be released at this time, but Rothrock said no law enforcement personnel were hurt during the attack.
— The shooter fired multiple rounds from a nearby roof or an elevated position down into the field office’s sally port, an ICE spokesperson confirmed.
— The motive behind the shooting, or what the shooter was targeting, is not immediately clear.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, “Anti-ICE” was written on one of shell casings. This story is still developing.
Paul Krugman is the latest writer to argue that Trump’s fascist takeover can be thwarted. From his Substack: Is the Jimmy Kimmel Saga a Sign that the Tide is Turning?
It’s irrefutable now: Trump is nakedly following the playbook of autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban. As his poll numbers fall, he is rushing to lock in permanent power by punishing his opponents and intimidating everyone else into submission. Craven congressional Republicans and a complicit Supreme Court have abetted Trump’s destruction of our democratic safeguards and norms.
Yet Trump has a significant problem that neither Putin nor Orban faced. When Putin and Orban were consolidating their autocratics, they were genuinely popular. They were perceived by the public as effective and competent leaders. Just nine months into his presidency, Trump, by contrast, is deeply unpopular. He is increasingly seen as chaotic and inept. As David Frum says, this means that he is in a race against time. Can he consolidate power before he loses his aura of inevitability? Will those who run major institutions – particularly corporate CEOs – understand that we are at a crucial juncture, and that by accommodating Trump they have more to lose than by standing up to him?
To put it bluntly, is the Jimmy Kimmel affair the harbinger of a failed Trumpian putsch?
Krugman notes that Trump’s role models, Putin and Orban were popular during their takeovers, in contrast to Trump.
Trump’s net approval, by contrast, turned negative within weeks after taking office and has just continued to fall.
As G. Elliott Morris points out, his position looks even worse when you consider intensity. Almost half the public disapproves “strongly,” twice the share with strong approval.
Jimmy Kimmel
It’s clear that if Trump were subject to normal political constraints, obliged to follow the rule of law and accept election results, he would already be a political lame duck. His future influence and those of his minions would be greatly reduced by his unpopularity. But at this juncture he is a quasi-autocrat. He is the leader of a party that accommodates his every whim, backed by a corrupt Supreme Court prepared to validate whatever he does, no matter how clearly it violates the law.
As a result, Trump has been able to use the vast power of the federal government to deliver punishments and rewards in a completely unprecedented way. He has arbitrarily cut off funding to universities, refused to spend Congressionally-mandated funds, threatened to take away broadcast licenses, fired officials who are supposed to have job security, pardoned J6 insurrectionists, defied the lower courts, retaliated against those who have tried to hold him accountable, and enriched his family. This has created a climate of intimidation, with many institutions preemptively capitulating to Trump’s demands as if he already had total power.
But the fact is that Trump has not yet locked in his autocracy. Timid institutions are failing to understand not only how unpopular Trump is, but also how severe a backlash they are likely to face for surrendering without a fight.
Disney figured it out; we’ll see what happens with Sinclair and NexStar. Read the entire post at the link.
Politico Playbook on Kimmel’s return:
An unbowed Jimmy Kimmel took aim at President Donald Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr last night in a blistering, emotional return to ABC. Kimmel tore into the Trump administration for its “dangerous … anti-American” bid to have him canceled, and heaped praise on the conservative politicians and commentators who spoke up for freedom of speech. “This show is not important,” Kimmel said. “What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
Kimmel blended humor with invective. “I’m not sure who had a weirder 48 hours,” he deadpanned, “me or the CEO of Tylenol.” Robert De Niro made an appearance, playing a mafioso-style Carr issuing threats to ABC. And addressing the expected sky-high audience for last night’s show, Kimmel said: “You almost have to feel sorry for [Trump]. He tried his best to cancel me — instead he forced millions of people to watch the show … He might have to release the Epstein files to distract from this.”
Kimmel came close to tears as he partially addressed his own comments — about Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer — which sparked the initial backlash from the right. “I want to make something clear,” he said, voice wavering. “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.” Later, he hailed the words of forgiveness that Erika, Kirk’s widow, delivered at Sunday’s memorial. “It touched me deeply,” Kimmel said. “If there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that. Not this.”
Catch-up service: Watch the whole opening monologue
Naturally, Trump wasn’t happy that ABC brought Jimmy Kimmel back last night.
Ed Mazza at HuffPost: Trump Loses It Over Jimmy Kimmel’s Return In Unhinged New Rant, Then Threatens ABC.
President Donald Trump threw a fit on social media on Tuesday night as late night TV nemesis Jimmy Kimmel headed back to the airwaves.
He said Kimmel should “rot in his bad Ratings,” called his show a “major Illegal Campaign Contribution” to the Democratic National Committee and threatened legal action against the “true bunch of losers” at ABC.
“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website about an hour before Kimmel’s return to television. “The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled!”
Despite Trump’s claim, Kimmel’s show was suspended ― not canceled ― over comments the host made about the suspect in the public assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE,” he wrote. “He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution.”
Then, he threatened ABC with another lawsuit after settling with the network last year in a defamation case.
Maybe because Kimmel is more popular than crybaby Trump?
Yesterday, Trump embarrassed himself and all Americans in an unbelievably bad speech to the U.N. It was truly horrifying, and a historic stain on our country.
David Rothkopf at The Daily Beast: Trump’s UN Address Was a Tragedy of Shakespearian Proportions.
Instead of a traditional public address from a world leader, U.S. President Donald Trump tilted back his badly-dyed hair-sprayed coif and howled at the moon for the better part of an hour during his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday morning.
Well, not the better part. Definitely not the better part.
To describe the speech as insane, while accurate, would distract from just how extraordinarily packed with lies it was. How profoundly ignorant it was. How much damage it did to the United States’ standing in the world—it clearly marked a low point in America’s relationship with the United Nations and the international order we helped create in the wake of World War II.
From a purely U.S. political perspective, emphasizing how haggard and low-energy our rapidly declining president was is key. He made a point to note that an apparent mechanical issue with a UN escalator was an insurmountable problem, for example—most of the rest of us who are in fairly reasonable shape might have noted a stalled escalator is actually just a stairway that we could have walked right up.
But it would nonetheless, be a mistake, to ignore just how crazed the speech was. It was apparent from Trump’s opening moments when he railed about the UN’s broken teleprompter to the point later when he brought it up again in his broader condemnation of the UN as also broken, highlighting what he saw as its uselessness in not coming to his assistance in solving the famous seven global conflicts that we all know he did not solve. It was apparent in the fact that he argued that he deserves the Nobel Peace prize while noting he also takes great pride in discussing the attack he authorized on Iran, and those he has ordered against boats he claims without evidence were trafficking in drugs on the high seas.
The speech contained the most extensive condemnation of green energy and what Trump considers the climate change hoax that we have ever heard from a public official since possibly the invention of the steam engine. Science be damned. Oligarchs love fossil fuels or what Trump noted that he demands White House staffers refer to as “beautiful, clean coal.” Windmills, windmills on the other hand, are the pinwheels of Satan. (Someday we will get to the bottom of Trump’s anemomenophobia. Clearly, he had a bad experience with something that blew him the wrong way as a child. Or more recently.)
He defended his irrational, lose-lose global trading system destroying tariffs which in and of itself will soon be listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as an extreme symptom of economic psychosis. He downplayed civilian casualties in Ukraine and explained this war wouldn’t have happened if there had been good leadership in the country—in front of President Volodymyr Zelensky, no less.
And there was so much more. He even claimed that he had settled 7 global conflicts and that everyone thinks he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Read more at the link.
Steve Benen at MaddowBlog: With bizarre remarks at the U.N., Trump embarrasses himself and the United States.
Seven years ago this week, Donald Trump addressed the United Nations and began his remarks with an absurdity. “In less than two years,” the American president said, “my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.” The boast, of course, was plainly false.
But just as important at the time was that everyone in attendance at the U.N. General Assembly recognized the rhetoric as silly — and some of the diplomats in the room started audibly laughing. The laughter caught the Republican off-guard and left Trump in a position he’d long hoped to avoid: the target of international ridicule.
In some ways, the Republican’s address was a handy encapsulation of where Trump stands in the fifth year of his White House tenure.
The Trumps struggle with a UN escalator.
Over the course of his remarks, he told strange lies about foreign investments in the U.S. He generated murmurs in the hall by declaring, “Our message is very simple. If you come illegally into the United States, you’re going to jail or you’re going back to where you came from — or perhaps even further than that. You know what that means.”
He pretended that he’s ended seven wars, while pointing to approval ratings that exist only in his mind. He renewed his pathetic lobbying for a Nobel Peace Prize, falsely claiming that “everyone” wants him to get one. He took pointless shots at ostensible U.S. allies in NATO and at the United Nations itself. He told unnamed officials that their countries are “going to hell.” He bragged about campaign swag sales. He attacked clean, renewable energy, while insisting that climate science is an elaborate “con job” and a “hoax” concocted by nefarious people with “evil intentions.”
And for good measure, he claimed that unnamed “environmentalists” want to ban cows.
Perhaps most importantly, Trump told one of his favorite lies, bragging that international respect for the U.S. has reached all-time highs now that he’s back in power.
Read more at the MSNBC link.
You might also want to check out this piece by Zachary B. Wolf at CNN: Trump’s ‘your countries are going to hell’ speech, annotated.
One more from AP: After mechanical challenges, UN says Trump’s team to blame for nonworking escalator and teleprompter.
President Donald Trump broke from his prepared remarks at the United Nations on Tuesday to bemoan an inoperable escalator and a defective teleprompter, using the incidents to portray the global body as dysfunctional.
“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle,” he mused, chopping the air with his hand.
But it turns out the cause was closer to Trump.
Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. spokesman, said a videographer from the U.S. delegation who ran ahead of him triggered the stop mechanism at the top of the escalator.
“The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing,” Dujarric said in a statement. “The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function.”
On the Teleprompter:
As he began his speech, Trump also noted that the teleprompter wasn’t working. He joked that whoever was running the teleprompter “is in big trouble.”
A U.N. official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue contributed that one to his side as well, saying the White House was operating the teleprompter for the president.
The day before yesterday, Trump gave an insane “health” press conference with RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz. JJ, in which they claimed that Tylenol as well as vaccines are causes of autism. JJ covered it in yesterday’s post.
Today, STAT has a response to Trump’s “medical” advice: Trump’s ‘tough it out’ to pregnant women meets wave of opposition by medical experts Doctors explain the medical consensus on autism, leucovorin, and Tylenol for fever.
Federal health officials are telling Americans no, they shouldn’t take Tylenol during pregnancy for fear of autism and yes, they should try a drug used in cancer care to treat children who have developed autism. The medical world disagrees.
“We were actually pretty alarmed by some of the output that was coming from the administration,” Marketa Wills, CEO and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association, said in an interview. At a remarkable White House briefing on Monday, President Trump and his top health and science officials said Tylenol use in pregnancy caused some cases of autism in children and said leucovorin, a form of vitamin B9, could treat the disease.
RFK Jr. and Trump claim to have found causes for autism.
The event has drawn a flood of pushback from medical societies, autism organizations, and pediatric experts through official statements, interviews, and social media. Much more research is needed on the claims about Tylenol and leucovorin in particular, experts emphasized.
Until more research is conducted, Wills recommends that doctors rely on professional societies, peer-reviewed research in medical journals, and resources like UpToDate and the Washington Manual for guidance on how to talk with patients.
John Whyte, CEO of the American Medical Association, pointed out that there were discrepancies between the bold statements from the president and other government guidance. “If I ignore the press conference, and I listen to what the FDA wrote to providers, I would say — you know what? It’s talking about the lowest dose for the shortest period of time, and that’s not a bad thing,” White said. “That’s different than what I heard at the press conference.” [….]
While President Trump repeatedly told women to “tough it out” rather than take Tylenol for fever or pain during pregnancy, medical experts said there are good reasons to consider the medication.
An untreated fever can cause serious harms in pregnancy, including neurodevelopmental injuries to fetuses such as spina bifida, they told STAT.
“Brains are impacted by fever,” Joia Crear-Perry, an OB-GYN and founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative, told STAT.
There are also studies suggesting fever is associated with the risk of autism spectrum disorder, but it’s unknown whether treatment decreases that risk, Brenna Hughes, interim chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University School of Medicine, wrote in an email to STAT.
There’s much more information at the STAT link.
The New York Times has published a shocking investigation about Elon Musk’s family, by Kirsten Grind and John Eligon (gift link): Elon Musk’s Father Accused of Child Sexual Abuse.
Elon Musk has not been shy about putting much of his life on public display. The tech billionaire posts daily on his social network X, has cooperated with two biographies and often speaks on podcasts and at conferences.
But there is one part of his life that he has not revealed much about — his longtime estrangement from his father, Errol Musk, who has become increasingly outspoken about his family and business ventures tied to the Musk name.
Errol Musk
A New York Times investigation found that a significant factor in Elon Musk’s rupture with his father stems from accusations against Errol Musk of child sex abuse. The allegations have repeatedly spilled over into Elon Musk’s life as relatives have contacted him for help and he has sometimes taken action to intercede, according to personal letters, emails and interviews with family members.
The family’s troubles have entangled Elon Musk in a painful three-decade multigenerational saga that continues to trail him. The fallout has kept the 54-year-old mogul tethered to South Africa, where he was born and where Errol Musk lives, even as he has built a business empire in the United States and briefly ascended to political power as a close adviser to President Trump.
The allegations against Errol Musk involve five of his children and stepchildren, whom he was accused of abusing in South Africa and California, according to police and court records, personal correspondence, social workers and interviews with family members.
The earliest accusation was in 1993 when Errol Musk’s stepdaughter, then 4 years old, told relatives he had touched her at the family house. A decade later, the stepdaughter said she caught him sniffing her dirty underwear. Some family members have also accused Errol Musk of abusing two of his daughters and a stepson. And as recently as 2023, family members and a social worker attempted to intervene after his then 5-year-old son said his father had groped his buttocks.
Three separate police investigations were opened, according to police and court records, as well as family members. Two of the inquiries ended, while it’s unclear what happened in the third. Errol Musk, 79, has not been convicted of any crime.
The abuse allegations have caused strife within the Musk family, with some relatives turning to Elon Musk — who is Errol Musk’s eldest child — for help. Around 2010, one relative wrote Elon Musk a five-page letter about some of the accusations and implored him to intervene.
“We really need your advice, help and guidance in these matters because we daily see these children suffer,” the relative wrote in the letter, which was viewed by The Times.
Use the gift link to read the rest.
Those are my recommended reads for today. What stories have you been following?
#Autism #DallasICEShooting #ElonMusk #ErrolMusk #JimmyKimmel #leucovorin #Tylenol #UNGeneralAssembly #UnitedNations #vaccines
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Wednesday Reads
Good Afternoon!!
Will there ever be another slow news day in the U.S.? Every day we see more stunning news–violent incidents, embarrassing, chaotic, and illegal behavior from our “president,” shocks to the economy from Trump’s tariffs and mass deportations, and more. We have to survive 3 more years of this insanity. There are some hopeful signs. Trump is very unpopular and his poll numbers are dropping rapidly. There are also signs that he is having health challenges. But I think he has changed our country long-term by inflaming his followers with lies and disinformation. There is definitely a core group of about 30 percent of the population that clings to him no matter what. And one of the biggest dangers is the behavior of the Trumpists on the Supreme court. Anyway, on to today’s news and comment.
First, the breaking news. There has been a shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas.
Bullet casings from the Dallas shooting.
NBC News: Live updates: 2 dead, including suspect, in shooting at Dallas ICE facility.
What we know about the shooting
— Three people were shot at an ICE facility in Dallas this morning, an ICE spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.
— Two people are dead, including the shooter, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Dallas police said in a news conference. No ICE officers were hurt in the shooting.
— Round found near the shooter, who was dead when police arrived, contained messages that were “anti-ICE in nature,” Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas FBI Joe Rothrock said at a news conference. He added that the attack was an act of “targeted violence.”
— The victims’ identities will not be released at this time, but Rothrock said no law enforcement personnel were hurt during the attack.
— The shooter fired multiple rounds from a nearby roof or an elevated position down into the field office’s sally port, an ICE spokesperson confirmed.
— The motive behind the shooting, or what the shooter was targeting, is not immediately clear.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, “Anti-ICE” was written on one of shell casings. This story is still developing.
Paul Krugman is the latest writer to argue that Trump’s fascist takeover can be thwarted. From his Substack: Is the Jimmy Kimmel Saga a Sign that the Tide is Turning?
It’s irrefutable now: Trump is nakedly following the playbook of autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban. As his poll numbers fall, he is rushing to lock in permanent power by punishing his opponents and intimidating everyone else into submission. Craven congressional Republicans and a complicit Supreme Court have abetted Trump’s destruction of our democratic safeguards and norms.
Yet Trump has a significant problem that neither Putin nor Orban faced. When Putin and Orban were consolidating their autocratics, they were genuinely popular. They were perceived by the public as effective and competent leaders. Just nine months into his presidency, Trump, by contrast, is deeply unpopular. He is increasingly seen as chaotic and inept. As David Frum says, this means that he is in a race against time. Can he consolidate power before he loses his aura of inevitability? Will those who run major institutions – particularly corporate CEOs – understand that we are at a crucial juncture, and that by accommodating Trump they have more to lose than by standing up to him?
To put it bluntly, is the Jimmy Kimmel affair the harbinger of a failed Trumpian putsch?
Krugman notes that Trump’s role models, Putin and Orban were popular during their takeovers, in contrast to Trump.
Trump’s net approval, by contrast, turned negative within weeks after taking office and has just continued to fall.
As G. Elliott Morris points out, his position looks even worse when you consider intensity. Almost half the public disapproves “strongly,” twice the share with strong approval.
Jimmy Kimmel
It’s clear that if Trump were subject to normal political constraints, obliged to follow the rule of law and accept election results, he would already be a political lame duck. His future influence and those of his minions would be greatly reduced by his unpopularity. But at this juncture he is a quasi-autocrat. He is the leader of a party that accommodates his every whim, backed by a corrupt Supreme Court prepared to validate whatever he does, no matter how clearly it violates the law.
As a result, Trump has been able to use the vast power of the federal government to deliver punishments and rewards in a completely unprecedented way. He has arbitrarily cut off funding to universities, refused to spend Congressionally-mandated funds, threatened to take away broadcast licenses, fired officials who are supposed to have job security, pardoned J6 insurrectionists, defied the lower courts, retaliated against those who have tried to hold him accountable, and enriched his family. This has created a climate of intimidation, with many institutions preemptively capitulating to Trump’s demands as if he already had total power.
But the fact is that Trump has not yet locked in his autocracy. Timid institutions are failing to understand not only how unpopular Trump is, but also how severe a backlash they are likely to face for surrendering without a fight.
Disney figured it out; we’ll see what happens with Sinclair and NexStar. Read the entire post at the link.
Politico Playbook on Kimmel’s return:
An unbowed Jimmy Kimmel took aim at President Donald Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr last night in a blistering, emotional return to ABC. Kimmel tore into the Trump administration for its “dangerous … anti-American” bid to have him canceled, and heaped praise on the conservative politicians and commentators who spoke up for freedom of speech. “This show is not important,” Kimmel said. “What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
Kimmel blended humor with invective. “I’m not sure who had a weirder 48 hours,” he deadpanned, “me or the CEO of Tylenol.” Robert De Niro made an appearance, playing a mafioso-style Carr issuing threats to ABC. And addressing the expected sky-high audience for last night’s show, Kimmel said: “You almost have to feel sorry for [Trump]. He tried his best to cancel me — instead he forced millions of people to watch the show … He might have to release the Epstein files to distract from this.”
Kimmel came close to tears as he partially addressed his own comments — about Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer — which sparked the initial backlash from the right. “I want to make something clear,” he said, voice wavering. “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.” Later, he hailed the words of forgiveness that Erika, Kirk’s widow, delivered at Sunday’s memorial. “It touched me deeply,” Kimmel said. “If there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that. Not this.”
Catch-up service: Watch the whole opening monologue
Naturally, Trump wasn’t happy that ABC brought Jimmy Kimmel back last night.
Ed Mazza at HuffPost: Trump Loses It Over Jimmy Kimmel’s Return In Unhinged New Rant, Then Threatens ABC.
President Donald Trump threw a fit on social media on Tuesday night as late night TV nemesis Jimmy Kimmel headed back to the airwaves.
He said Kimmel should “rot in his bad Ratings,” called his show a “major Illegal Campaign Contribution” to the Democratic National Committee and threatened legal action against the “true bunch of losers” at ABC.
“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website about an hour before Kimmel’s return to television. “The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled!”
Despite Trump’s claim, Kimmel’s show was suspended ― not canceled ― over comments the host made about the suspect in the public assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE,” he wrote. “He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution.”
Then, he threatened ABC with another lawsuit after settling with the network last year in a defamation case.
Maybe because Kimmel is more popular than crybaby Trump?
Yesterday, Trump embarrassed himself and all Americans in an unbelievably bad speech to the U.N. It was truly horrifying, and a historic stain on our country.
David Rothkopf at The Daily Beast: Trump’s UN Address Was a Tragedy of Shakespearian Proportions.
Instead of a traditional public address from a world leader, U.S. President Donald Trump tilted back his badly-dyed hair-sprayed coif and howled at the moon for the better part of an hour during his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday morning.
Well, not the better part. Definitely not the better part.
To describe the speech as insane, while accurate, would distract from just how extraordinarily packed with lies it was. How profoundly ignorant it was. How much damage it did to the United States’ standing in the world—it clearly marked a low point in America’s relationship with the United Nations and the international order we helped create in the wake of World War II.
From a purely U.S. political perspective, emphasizing how haggard and low-energy our rapidly declining president was is key. He made a point to note that an apparent mechanical issue with a UN escalator was an insurmountable problem, for example—most of the rest of us who are in fairly reasonable shape might have noted a stalled escalator is actually just a stairway that we could have walked right up.
But it would nonetheless, be a mistake, to ignore just how crazed the speech was. It was apparent from Trump’s opening moments when he railed about the UN’s broken teleprompter to the point later when he brought it up again in his broader condemnation of the UN as also broken, highlighting what he saw as its uselessness in not coming to his assistance in solving the famous seven global conflicts that we all know he did not solve. It was apparent in the fact that he argued that he deserves the Nobel Peace prize while noting he also takes great pride in discussing the attack he authorized on Iran, and those he has ordered against boats he claims without evidence were trafficking in drugs on the high seas.
The speech contained the most extensive condemnation of green energy and what Trump considers the climate change hoax that we have ever heard from a public official since possibly the invention of the steam engine. Science be damned. Oligarchs love fossil fuels or what Trump noted that he demands White House staffers refer to as “beautiful, clean coal.” Windmills, windmills on the other hand, are the pinwheels of Satan. (Someday we will get to the bottom of Trump’s anemomenophobia. Clearly, he had a bad experience with something that blew him the wrong way as a child. Or more recently.)
He defended his irrational, lose-lose global trading system destroying tariffs which in and of itself will soon be listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as an extreme symptom of economic psychosis. He downplayed civilian casualties in Ukraine and explained this war wouldn’t have happened if there had been good leadership in the country—in front of President Volodymyr Zelensky, no less.
And there was so much more. He even claimed that he had settled 7 global conflicts and that everyone thinks he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Read more at the link.
Steve Benen at MaddowBlog: With bizarre remarks at the U.N., Trump embarrasses himself and the United States.
Seven years ago this week, Donald Trump addressed the United Nations and began his remarks with an absurdity. “In less than two years,” the American president said, “my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.” The boast, of course, was plainly false.
But just as important at the time was that everyone in attendance at the U.N. General Assembly recognized the rhetoric as silly — and some of the diplomats in the room started audibly laughing. The laughter caught the Republican off-guard and left Trump in a position he’d long hoped to avoid: the target of international ridicule.
In some ways, the Republican’s address was a handy encapsulation of where Trump stands in the fifth year of his White House tenure.
The Trumps struggle with a UN escalator.
Over the course of his remarks, he told strange lies about foreign investments in the U.S. He generated murmurs in the hall by declaring, “Our message is very simple. If you come illegally into the United States, you’re going to jail or you’re going back to where you came from — or perhaps even further than that. You know what that means.”
He pretended that he’s ended seven wars, while pointing to approval ratings that exist only in his mind. He renewed his pathetic lobbying for a Nobel Peace Prize, falsely claiming that “everyone” wants him to get one. He took pointless shots at ostensible U.S. allies in NATO and at the United Nations itself. He told unnamed officials that their countries are “going to hell.” He bragged about campaign swag sales. He attacked clean, renewable energy, while insisting that climate science is an elaborate “con job” and a “hoax” concocted by nefarious people with “evil intentions.”
And for good measure, he claimed that unnamed “environmentalists” want to ban cows.
Perhaps most importantly, Trump told one of his favorite lies, bragging that international respect for the U.S. has reached all-time highs now that he’s back in power.
Read more at the MSNBC link.
You might also want to check out this piece by Zachary B. Wolf at CNN: Trump’s ‘your countries are going to hell’ speech, annotated.
One more from AP: After mechanical challenges, UN says Trump’s team to blame for nonworking escalator and teleprompter.
President Donald Trump broke from his prepared remarks at the United Nations on Tuesday to bemoan an inoperable escalator and a defective teleprompter, using the incidents to portray the global body as dysfunctional.
“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle,” he mused, chopping the air with his hand.
But it turns out the cause was closer to Trump.
Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. spokesman, said a videographer from the U.S. delegation who ran ahead of him triggered the stop mechanism at the top of the escalator.
“The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing,” Dujarric said in a statement. “The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function.”
On the Teleprompter:
As he began his speech, Trump also noted that the teleprompter wasn’t working. He joked that whoever was running the teleprompter “is in big trouble.”
A U.N. official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue contributed that one to his side as well, saying the White House was operating the teleprompter for the president.
The day before yesterday, Trump gave an insane “health” press conference with RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz. JJ, in which they claimed that Tylenol as well as vaccines are causes of autism. JJ covered it in yesterday’s post.
Today, STAT has a response to Trump’s “medical” advice: Trump’s ‘tough it out’ to pregnant women meets wave of opposition by medical experts Doctors explain the medical consensus on autism, leucovorin, and Tylenol for fever.
Federal health officials are telling Americans no, they shouldn’t take Tylenol during pregnancy for fear of autism and yes, they should try a drug used in cancer care to treat children who have developed autism. The medical world disagrees.
“We were actually pretty alarmed by some of the output that was coming from the administration,” Marketa Wills, CEO and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association, said in an interview. At a remarkable White House briefing on Monday, President Trump and his top health and science officials said Tylenol use in pregnancy caused some cases of autism in children and said leucovorin, a form of vitamin B9, could treat the disease.
RFK Jr. and Trump claim to have found causes for autism.
The event has drawn a flood of pushback from medical societies, autism organizations, and pediatric experts through official statements, interviews, and social media. Much more research is needed on the claims about Tylenol and leucovorin in particular, experts emphasized.
Until more research is conducted, Wills recommends that doctors rely on professional societies, peer-reviewed research in medical journals, and resources like UpToDate and the Washington Manual for guidance on how to talk with patients.
John Whyte, CEO of the American Medical Association, pointed out that there were discrepancies between the bold statements from the president and other government guidance. “If I ignore the press conference, and I listen to what the FDA wrote to providers, I would say — you know what? It’s talking about the lowest dose for the shortest period of time, and that’s not a bad thing,” White said. “That’s different than what I heard at the press conference.” [….]
While President Trump repeatedly told women to “tough it out” rather than take Tylenol for fever or pain during pregnancy, medical experts said there are good reasons to consider the medication.
An untreated fever can cause serious harms in pregnancy, including neurodevelopmental injuries to fetuses such as spina bifida, they told STAT.
“Brains are impacted by fever,” Joia Crear-Perry, an OB-GYN and founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative, told STAT.
There are also studies suggesting fever is associated with the risk of autism spectrum disorder, but it’s unknown whether treatment decreases that risk, Brenna Hughes, interim chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University School of Medicine, wrote in an email to STAT.
There’s much more information at the STAT link.
The New York Times has published a shocking investigation about Elon Musk’s family, by Kirsten Grind and John Eligon (gift link): Elon Musk’s Father Accused of Child Sexual Abuse.
Elon Musk has not been shy about putting much of his life on public display. The tech billionaire posts daily on his social network X, has cooperated with two biographies and often speaks on podcasts and at conferences.
But there is one part of his life that he has not revealed much about — his longtime estrangement from his father, Errol Musk, who has become increasingly outspoken about his family and business ventures tied to the Musk name.
Errol Musk
A New York Times investigation found that a significant factor in Elon Musk’s rupture with his father stems from accusations against Errol Musk of child sex abuse. The allegations have repeatedly spilled over into Elon Musk’s life as relatives have contacted him for help and he has sometimes taken action to intercede, according to personal letters, emails and interviews with family members.
The family’s troubles have entangled Elon Musk in a painful three-decade multigenerational saga that continues to trail him. The fallout has kept the 54-year-old mogul tethered to South Africa, where he was born and where Errol Musk lives, even as he has built a business empire in the United States and briefly ascended to political power as a close adviser to President Trump.
The allegations against Errol Musk involve five of his children and stepchildren, whom he was accused of abusing in South Africa and California, according to police and court records, personal correspondence, social workers and interviews with family members.
The earliest accusation was in 1993 when Errol Musk’s stepdaughter, then 4 years old, told relatives he had touched her at the family house. A decade later, the stepdaughter said she caught him sniffing her dirty underwear. Some family members have also accused Errol Musk of abusing two of his daughters and a stepson. And as recently as 2023, family members and a social worker attempted to intervene after his then 5-year-old son said his father had groped his buttocks.
Three separate police investigations were opened, according to police and court records, as well as family members. Two of the inquiries ended, while it’s unclear what happened in the third. Errol Musk, 79, has not been convicted of any crime.
The abuse allegations have caused strife within the Musk family, with some relatives turning to Elon Musk — who is Errol Musk’s eldest child — for help. Around 2010, one relative wrote Elon Musk a five-page letter about some of the accusations and implored him to intervene.
“We really need your advice, help and guidance in these matters because we daily see these children suffer,” the relative wrote in the letter, which was viewed by The Times.
Use the gift link to read the rest.
Those are my recommended reads for today. What stories have you been following?
#Autism #DallasICEShooting #ElonMusk #ErrolMusk #JimmyKimmel #leucovorin #Tylenol #UNGeneralAssembly #UnitedNations #vaccines
-
Wednesday Reads
Good Afternoon!!
Will there ever be another slow news day in the U.S.? Every day we see more stunning news–violent incidents, embarrassing, chaotic, and illegal behavior from our “president,” shocks to the economy from Trump’s tariffs and mass deportations, and more. We have to survive 3 more years of this insanity. There are some hopeful signs. Trump is very unpopular and his poll numbers are dropping rapidly. There are also signs that he is having health challenges. But I think he has changed our country long-term by inflaming his followers with lies and disinformation. There is definitely a core group of about 30 percent of the population that clings to him no matter what. And one of the biggest dangers is the behavior of the Trumpists on the Supreme court. Anyway, on to today’s news and comment.
First, the breaking news. There has been a shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas.
Bullet casings from the Dallas shooting.
NBC News: Live updates: 2 dead, including suspect, in shooting at Dallas ICE facility.
What we know about the shooting
— Three people were shot at an ICE facility in Dallas this morning, an ICE spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.
— Two people are dead, including the shooter, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Dallas police said in a news conference. No ICE officers were hurt in the shooting.
— Round found near the shooter, who was dead when police arrived, contained messages that were “anti-ICE in nature,” Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas FBI Joe Rothrock said at a news conference. He added that the attack was an act of “targeted violence.”
— The victims’ identities will not be released at this time, but Rothrock said no law enforcement personnel were hurt during the attack.
— The shooter fired multiple rounds from a nearby roof or an elevated position down into the field office’s sally port, an ICE spokesperson confirmed.
— The motive behind the shooting, or what the shooter was targeting, is not immediately clear.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, “Anti-ICE” was written on one of shell casings. This story is still developing.
Paul Krugman is the latest writer to argue that Trump’s fascist takeover can be thwarted. From his Substack: Is the Jimmy Kimmel Saga a Sign that the Tide is Turning?
It’s irrefutable now: Trump is nakedly following the playbook of autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban. As his poll numbers fall, he is rushing to lock in permanent power by punishing his opponents and intimidating everyone else into submission. Craven congressional Republicans and a complicit Supreme Court have abetted Trump’s destruction of our democratic safeguards and norms.
Yet Trump has a significant problem that neither Putin nor Orban faced. When Putin and Orban were consolidating their autocratics, they were genuinely popular. They were perceived by the public as effective and competent leaders. Just nine months into his presidency, Trump, by contrast, is deeply unpopular. He is increasingly seen as chaotic and inept. As David Frum says, this means that he is in a race against time. Can he consolidate power before he loses his aura of inevitability? Will those who run major institutions – particularly corporate CEOs – understand that we are at a crucial juncture, and that by accommodating Trump they have more to lose than by standing up to him?
To put it bluntly, is the Jimmy Kimmel affair the harbinger of a failed Trumpian putsch?
Krugman notes that Trump’s role models, Putin and Orban were popular during their takeovers, in contrast to Trump.
Trump’s net approval, by contrast, turned negative within weeks after taking office and has just continued to fall.
As G. Elliott Morris points out, his position looks even worse when you consider intensity. Almost half the public disapproves “strongly,” twice the share with strong approval.
Jimmy Kimmel
It’s clear that if Trump were subject to normal political constraints, obliged to follow the rule of law and accept election results, he would already be a political lame duck. His future influence and those of his minions would be greatly reduced by his unpopularity. But at this juncture he is a quasi-autocrat. He is the leader of a party that accommodates his every whim, backed by a corrupt Supreme Court prepared to validate whatever he does, no matter how clearly it violates the law.
As a result, Trump has been able to use the vast power of the federal government to deliver punishments and rewards in a completely unprecedented way. He has arbitrarily cut off funding to universities, refused to spend Congressionally-mandated funds, threatened to take away broadcast licenses, fired officials who are supposed to have job security, pardoned J6 insurrectionists, defied the lower courts, retaliated against those who have tried to hold him accountable, and enriched his family. This has created a climate of intimidation, with many institutions preemptively capitulating to Trump’s demands as if he already had total power.
But the fact is that Trump has not yet locked in his autocracy. Timid institutions are failing to understand not only how unpopular Trump is, but also how severe a backlash they are likely to face for surrendering without a fight.
Disney figured it out; we’ll see what happens with Sinclair and NexStar. Read the entire post at the link.
Politico Playbook on Kimmel’s return:
An unbowed Jimmy Kimmel took aim at President Donald Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr last night in a blistering, emotional return to ABC. Kimmel tore into the Trump administration for its “dangerous … anti-American” bid to have him canceled, and heaped praise on the conservative politicians and commentators who spoke up for freedom of speech. “This show is not important,” Kimmel said. “What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
Kimmel blended humor with invective. “I’m not sure who had a weirder 48 hours,” he deadpanned, “me or the CEO of Tylenol.” Robert De Niro made an appearance, playing a mafioso-style Carr issuing threats to ABC. And addressing the expected sky-high audience for last night’s show, Kimmel said: “You almost have to feel sorry for [Trump]. He tried his best to cancel me — instead he forced millions of people to watch the show … He might have to release the Epstein files to distract from this.”
Kimmel came close to tears as he partially addressed his own comments — about Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer — which sparked the initial backlash from the right. “I want to make something clear,” he said, voice wavering. “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.” Later, he hailed the words of forgiveness that Erika, Kirk’s widow, delivered at Sunday’s memorial. “It touched me deeply,” Kimmel said. “If there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that. Not this.”
Catch-up service: Watch the whole opening monologue
Naturally, Trump wasn’t happy that ABC brought Jimmy Kimmel back last night.
Ed Mazza at HuffPost: Trump Loses It Over Jimmy Kimmel’s Return In Unhinged New Rant, Then Threatens ABC.
President Donald Trump threw a fit on social media on Tuesday night as late night TV nemesis Jimmy Kimmel headed back to the airwaves.
He said Kimmel should “rot in his bad Ratings,” called his show a “major Illegal Campaign Contribution” to the Democratic National Committee and threatened legal action against the “true bunch of losers” at ABC.
“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website about an hour before Kimmel’s return to television. “The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled!”
Despite Trump’s claim, Kimmel’s show was suspended ― not canceled ― over comments the host made about the suspect in the public assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE,” he wrote. “He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution.”
Then, he threatened ABC with another lawsuit after settling with the network last year in a defamation case.
Maybe because Kimmel is more popular than crybaby Trump?
Yesterday, Trump embarrassed himself and all Americans in an unbelievably bad speech to the U.N. It was truly horrifying, and a historic stain on our country.
David Rothkopf at The Daily Beast: Trump’s UN Address Was a Tragedy of Shakespearian Proportions.
Instead of a traditional public address from a world leader, U.S. President Donald Trump tilted back his badly-dyed hair-sprayed coif and howled at the moon for the better part of an hour during his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday morning.
Well, not the better part. Definitely not the better part.
To describe the speech as insane, while accurate, would distract from just how extraordinarily packed with lies it was. How profoundly ignorant it was. How much damage it did to the United States’ standing in the world—it clearly marked a low point in America’s relationship with the United Nations and the international order we helped create in the wake of World War II.
From a purely U.S. political perspective, emphasizing how haggard and low-energy our rapidly declining president was is key. He made a point to note that an apparent mechanical issue with a UN escalator was an insurmountable problem, for example—most of the rest of us who are in fairly reasonable shape might have noted a stalled escalator is actually just a stairway that we could have walked right up.
But it would nonetheless, be a mistake, to ignore just how crazed the speech was. It was apparent from Trump’s opening moments when he railed about the UN’s broken teleprompter to the point later when he brought it up again in his broader condemnation of the UN as also broken, highlighting what he saw as its uselessness in not coming to his assistance in solving the famous seven global conflicts that we all know he did not solve. It was apparent in the fact that he argued that he deserves the Nobel Peace prize while noting he also takes great pride in discussing the attack he authorized on Iran, and those he has ordered against boats he claims without evidence were trafficking in drugs on the high seas.
The speech contained the most extensive condemnation of green energy and what Trump considers the climate change hoax that we have ever heard from a public official since possibly the invention of the steam engine. Science be damned. Oligarchs love fossil fuels or what Trump noted that he demands White House staffers refer to as “beautiful, clean coal.” Windmills, windmills on the other hand, are the pinwheels of Satan. (Someday we will get to the bottom of Trump’s anemomenophobia. Clearly, he had a bad experience with something that blew him the wrong way as a child. Or more recently.)
He defended his irrational, lose-lose global trading system destroying tariffs which in and of itself will soon be listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as an extreme symptom of economic psychosis. He downplayed civilian casualties in Ukraine and explained this war wouldn’t have happened if there had been good leadership in the country—in front of President Volodymyr Zelensky, no less.
And there was so much more. He even claimed that he had settled 7 global conflicts and that everyone thinks he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Read more at the link.
Steve Benen at MaddowBlog: With bizarre remarks at the U.N., Trump embarrasses himself and the United States.
Seven years ago this week, Donald Trump addressed the United Nations and began his remarks with an absurdity. “In less than two years,” the American president said, “my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.” The boast, of course, was plainly false.
But just as important at the time was that everyone in attendance at the U.N. General Assembly recognized the rhetoric as silly — and some of the diplomats in the room started audibly laughing. The laughter caught the Republican off-guard and left Trump in a position he’d long hoped to avoid: the target of international ridicule.
In some ways, the Republican’s address was a handy encapsulation of where Trump stands in the fifth year of his White House tenure.
The Trumps struggle with a UN escalator.
Over the course of his remarks, he told strange lies about foreign investments in the U.S. He generated murmurs in the hall by declaring, “Our message is very simple. If you come illegally into the United States, you’re going to jail or you’re going back to where you came from — or perhaps even further than that. You know what that means.”
He pretended that he’s ended seven wars, while pointing to approval ratings that exist only in his mind. He renewed his pathetic lobbying for a Nobel Peace Prize, falsely claiming that “everyone” wants him to get one. He took pointless shots at ostensible U.S. allies in NATO and at the United Nations itself. He told unnamed officials that their countries are “going to hell.” He bragged about campaign swag sales. He attacked clean, renewable energy, while insisting that climate science is an elaborate “con job” and a “hoax” concocted by nefarious people with “evil intentions.”
And for good measure, he claimed that unnamed “environmentalists” want to ban cows.
Perhaps most importantly, Trump told one of his favorite lies, bragging that international respect for the U.S. has reached all-time highs now that he’s back in power.
Read more at the MSNBC link.
You might also want to check out this piece by Zachary B. Wolf at CNN: Trump’s ‘your countries are going to hell’ speech, annotated.
One more from AP: After mechanical challenges, UN says Trump’s team to blame for nonworking escalator and teleprompter.
President Donald Trump broke from his prepared remarks at the United Nations on Tuesday to bemoan an inoperable escalator and a defective teleprompter, using the incidents to portray the global body as dysfunctional.
“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle,” he mused, chopping the air with his hand.
But it turns out the cause was closer to Trump.
Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. spokesman, said a videographer from the U.S. delegation who ran ahead of him triggered the stop mechanism at the top of the escalator.
“The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing,” Dujarric said in a statement. “The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function.”
On the Teleprompter:
As he began his speech, Trump also noted that the teleprompter wasn’t working. He joked that whoever was running the teleprompter “is in big trouble.”
A U.N. official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue contributed that one to his side as well, saying the White House was operating the teleprompter for the president.
The day before yesterday, Trump gave an insane “health” press conference with RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz. JJ, in which they claimed that Tylenol as well as vaccines are causes of autism. JJ covered it in yesterday’s post.
Today, STAT has a response to Trump’s “medical” advice: Trump’s ‘tough it out’ to pregnant women meets wave of opposition by medical experts Doctors explain the medical consensus on autism, leucovorin, and Tylenol for fever.
Federal health officials are telling Americans no, they shouldn’t take Tylenol during pregnancy for fear of autism and yes, they should try a drug used in cancer care to treat children who have developed autism. The medical world disagrees.
“We were actually pretty alarmed by some of the output that was coming from the administration,” Marketa Wills, CEO and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association, said in an interview. At a remarkable White House briefing on Monday, President Trump and his top health and science officials said Tylenol use in pregnancy caused some cases of autism in children and said leucovorin, a form of vitamin B9, could treat the disease.
RFK Jr. and Trump claim to have found causes for autism.
The event has drawn a flood of pushback from medical societies, autism organizations, and pediatric experts through official statements, interviews, and social media. Much more research is needed on the claims about Tylenol and leucovorin in particular, experts emphasized.
Until more research is conducted, Wills recommends that doctors rely on professional societies, peer-reviewed research in medical journals, and resources like UpToDate and the Washington Manual for guidance on how to talk with patients.
John Whyte, CEO of the American Medical Association, pointed out that there were discrepancies between the bold statements from the president and other government guidance. “If I ignore the press conference, and I listen to what the FDA wrote to providers, I would say — you know what? It’s talking about the lowest dose for the shortest period of time, and that’s not a bad thing,” White said. “That’s different than what I heard at the press conference.” [….]
While President Trump repeatedly told women to “tough it out” rather than take Tylenol for fever or pain during pregnancy, medical experts said there are good reasons to consider the medication.
An untreated fever can cause serious harms in pregnancy, including neurodevelopmental injuries to fetuses such as spina bifida, they told STAT.
“Brains are impacted by fever,” Joia Crear-Perry, an OB-GYN and founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative, told STAT.
There are also studies suggesting fever is associated with the risk of autism spectrum disorder, but it’s unknown whether treatment decreases that risk, Brenna Hughes, interim chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University School of Medicine, wrote in an email to STAT.
There’s much more information at the STAT link.
The New York Times has published a shocking investigation about Elon Musk’s family, by Kirsten Grind and John Eligon (gift link): Elon Musk’s Father Accused of Child Sexual Abuse.
Elon Musk has not been shy about putting much of his life on public display. The tech billionaire posts daily on his social network X, has cooperated with two biographies and often speaks on podcasts and at conferences.
But there is one part of his life that he has not revealed much about — his longtime estrangement from his father, Errol Musk, who has become increasingly outspoken about his family and business ventures tied to the Musk name.
Errol Musk
A New York Times investigation found that a significant factor in Elon Musk’s rupture with his father stems from accusations against Errol Musk of child sex abuse. The allegations have repeatedly spilled over into Elon Musk’s life as relatives have contacted him for help and he has sometimes taken action to intercede, according to personal letters, emails and interviews with family members.
The family’s troubles have entangled Elon Musk in a painful three-decade multigenerational saga that continues to trail him. The fallout has kept the 54-year-old mogul tethered to South Africa, where he was born and where Errol Musk lives, even as he has built a business empire in the United States and briefly ascended to political power as a close adviser to President Trump.
The allegations against Errol Musk involve five of his children and stepchildren, whom he was accused of abusing in South Africa and California, according to police and court records, personal correspondence, social workers and interviews with family members.
The earliest accusation was in 1993 when Errol Musk’s stepdaughter, then 4 years old, told relatives he had touched her at the family house. A decade later, the stepdaughter said she caught him sniffing her dirty underwear. Some family members have also accused Errol Musk of abusing two of his daughters and a stepson. And as recently as 2023, family members and a social worker attempted to intervene after his then 5-year-old son said his father had groped his buttocks.
Three separate police investigations were opened, according to police and court records, as well as family members. Two of the inquiries ended, while it’s unclear what happened in the third. Errol Musk, 79, has not been convicted of any crime.
The abuse allegations have caused strife within the Musk family, with some relatives turning to Elon Musk — who is Errol Musk’s eldest child — for help. Around 2010, one relative wrote Elon Musk a five-page letter about some of the accusations and implored him to intervene.
“We really need your advice, help and guidance in these matters because we daily see these children suffer,” the relative wrote in the letter, which was viewed by The Times.
Use the gift link to read the rest.
Those are my recommended reads for today. What stories have you been following?
#Autism #DallasICEShooting #ElonMusk #ErrolMusk #JimmyKimmel #leucovorin #Tylenol #UNGeneralAssembly #UnitedNations #vaccines
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Il “Generatore automatico di itanglese Corporate”
Di Antonio Zoppetti
Ho già riferito della feroce critica di Italo Calvino nei confronti dell’antilingua: “L’italiano di chi non sa dire ho fatto ma deve dire ho effettuato” in cui “la lingua viene uccisa”. La questione era stata lanciata nel 1965 dalle pagine de Il Giorno (3 febbraio), attraverso l’esempio di un rapporto dei carabinieri in cui le dichiarazioni veraci e spontanee del testimone erano trascritte in un burocratese astratto che fuggiva da ogni concretezza. E così l’affermazione: “Non ne sapevo niente che la bottiglieria di sopra era stata scassinata” diveniva: “Non essendo a conoscenza dell’avvenuta effrazione dell’esercizio soprastante”, mentre l’accensione della stufa diventava “avviamento dell’impianto termico” e i “fiaschi di vino” “prodotti vinicoli”.
“L’italiano da un pezzo sta morendo — denunciava lo scrittore — “e sopravviverà soltanto se riuscirà a inventare una lingua strumentalmente moderna; ma non è detto che, al punto in cui è, riesca ancora a farcela.”
Nell’articolo c’era anche una polemica rivolta contro le riflessioni di Pasolini, che l’anno precedente aveva per la prima volta salutato la compiuta unificazione linguistica dell’italiano, dopo tanti secoli di fratture tra la lingua scritta dei ceti colti o degli scrittori e quella orale delle masse dialettofone (“Nuove questioni linguistiche”, Rinascita n. 51, 26 dicembre 1964, pp. 19-22). Pasolini, nel prendere atto che tutti, finalmente, ricorrevano a uno stesso italiano unitario, notava però che era molto tecnologico, perché, finita l’epoca degli scrittori, arrivava soprattutto dai centri industriali del nord. Passando dalle descrizioni alle valutazioni, aveva rilevato come questa lingua fosse poco espressiva, rispetto per esempio ai dialetti, perché aveva un fine perlopiù comunicativo, ed era dunque un po’ piatta e omologata. Per Calvino, al contrario, il linguaggio tecnologico non aveva affatto una valenza negativa, e se Pasolini si concentrava soprattutto sul rapporto tra italiano e dialetti – che nel nuovo scenario precipitavano ancor più a codici marginali – Calvino guardava invece al rapporto con “le lingue straniere”. E aveva replicato:
“Se il linguaggio ‘tecnologico’ di cui ha scritto Pasolini (cioè pienamente comunicativo, strumentale, omologatore degli usi diversi) si innesta sulla lingua non potrà che arricchirla, eliminarne irrazionalità e pesantezze, darle nuove possibilità (…); se si innesta sull’antilingua ne subirà immediatamente il contagio mortale e anche i termini ‘tecnologici’ si tingeranno del colore del nulla.”
“L’italiano da un pezzo sta morendo — denunciava lo scrittore — “e sopravviverà soltanto se riuscirà a inventare una lingua strumentalmente moderna; ma non è detto che, al punto in cui è, riesca ancora a farcela.”
Come è andata a finire?
Le acute intuizioni di Pasolini, accolte dagli intellettuali e dai linguisti di allora “con un coro di fischi” – per citare Claudio Marazzini – si sono rivelate profetiche. Ormai tutti sono concordi nel rilevare che le principali innovazioni lessicali arrivano dagli ambiti di settore e della tecnologia, ma se negli anni Sessanta i centri di irradiazione della lingua erano le città del nord, oggi si sono spostati al di fuori del Paese, e il lessico ci arriva d’oltreoceano direttamente in inglese: i fiaschi di vino e le bottiglierie hanno ceduto il posto a nuove forme di packaging per i nuovi Wine Bar e per il settore del Food che rappresenta un asset portante del Made in Italy (insieme a un altro Must: quello dell’italian design); il nuovo linguaggio tecnologico non è più fatto dai nativi italiani, che si limitano a importare e a ripetere le cose e i concetti presi direttamente dall’anglosfera, legittimandone l’uso senza volerli o saperli tradurre, adattare o reinventare nella nostra lingua. E mentre i dialetti – seppur ancora vivi in alcune regioni – hanno perso terreno e in alcune aree (per esempio a Milano) sono scomparsi, più che con le lingue straniere l’italiano si sta confrontando quasi esclusivamente con l’angloamericano, che lo sta facendo regredire.
Quanto all’antilingua, non è diventata un modello che si è esteso fuori dai propri ambiti di settore, ma – come temeva Calvino – negli anni Duemila il nuovo linguaggio tecnologico anglicizzato si sta sempre più inserendo nell’antilingua, più che nella lingua.
Il “Gas” e il “Tubolario”
All’inizio degli anni Ottanta, due illustri professori ormai scomparsi – l’epidemiologo Pierluigi Morosini dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanità e l’esperto di statistica Marco Marchi dell’Università di Pisa – avevano condotto degli studi sul linguaggio poco trasparente dei piani sanitari che circolavano in quegli anni. E avevano raccolto e analizzato una serie interminabile di frasi stereotipate, generiche e astratte che a quei tempi caratterizzavano non solo i documenti della burocrazia tecnica del settore, ma più in generale anche il modo di esprimersi tipico del politichese, del sindacalese o dell’aziendalese degli anni Settanta. In modo colto e provocatorio – agganciandosi agli esperimenti della letteratura combinatoria o potenziale di autori patafisici come Raymond Queneau (e in parte anche Calvino), in seguito sfociata in giochi di scrittura automatica – provarono a utilizzare una serie di parti astruse ricavate dalle direttive di ambito sanitario per costruire un “Generatore Automatico di piani Sanitari” (Gas) formato da tasselli che si potevano combinare tra loro in ogni modo per dare vita a delle frasi strutturalmente corrette ma prive di ogni significato concreto, per esempio:
Il metodo partecipativo / presuppone / la puntuale corrispondenza fra obiettivi istituzionali e risorse / con criteri non dirigistici / fattualizzando e concretizzando / nel contesto di un sistema integrato / un indispensabile salto di qualità.
Ogni elemento poteva essere sostituito da altre nove varianti intercambiabili, e attraverso delle ricombinazioni casuali si potevano ottenere milioni di frasi incomprensibili. L’idea era allora stata sviluppata attraverso una semplice tabella, in cui era il lettore a leggere i moduli nell’ordine che preferiva. Ebbe comunque un grandissimo successo, e nel 1982 ne fu ricavato un gioco immesso sul mercato dalla ditta Sebino, il “Tubolario”, che era appunto un tubo segmentato che permetteva di ruotare gli elementi di ogni frase combinandoli in tutti i modi manualmente. Ne furono realizzate tre versioni dedicate rispettivamente al linguaggio della politica, dello sport e dell’amore. La notizia dell’esperimento fu addirittura ripresa in prima pagina sul Corriere della Sera in articolo intitolato “10 milioni di frasi inutili”.
Dall’antilingua all’itanglese
A quei tempi l’astrusità comunicativa si poggiava ancora sull’italiano, ma oggi è l’inglesorum a incarnare lo stesso modello. Se Calvino si rammaricava del fatto che “avvocati e funzionari, gabinetti ministeriali e consigli d’amministrazione, redazioni di giornali e di telegiornali scrivono parlano e pensano nell’antilingua” e denunciava come ogni giorno “centinaia di migliaia di nostri concittadini” traducessero mentalmente la lingua italiana in questa “lingua inesistente”, oggi i piani sanitari, ma anche della scuola e delle istituzioni guardano all’inglese e si esprimono sempre più spesso in un gergo che si può chiamare “itanglese”. L’italiano, dunque, invece di essere capace di “inventare una lingua strumentalmente moderna” si sta rinnovando attraverso la sua ibridazione con la lingua delle multinazionali, più che della “perfida Albione”.
In un pezzo su Il fatto quotidiano (10 agosto 2025) intitolato “Inglesorum: la neolingua dei grattacielisti milanesi”, Daniela Ranieri ne ha messo in risalto soprattutto l’aspetto edulcorante e allo stesso tempo manipolatorio: “Si sa: quando ci vogliono infinocchiare, i cosiddetti governanti usano l’inglese (‘Jobs act’, ‘Flattax’)”. Ma anche il presidente onorario della Crusca Marazzini ha evidenziato che oggi è l’inglese a svolgere la vecchia funzione del burocatichese: “Basta scorrere i vari comunicati in cui si è discusso l’uso di termini come hot spot, voluntary desclosure, stepchild adoption, whistleblower, home restaurant, caregiver, revenge porn, data breach, compliance, booster e via dicendo. (…) C’è dunque chi coltiva amorevolmente gli anglismi in una miscela di oscurità burocratica, come comodo moltiplicatore di pseudoconcetti che arricchiscono il vaniloquio retorico ammantato di esibita tecnocrazia (“Ecologia degli idiomi nazionali: sostenibilità delle lingue e salute dell’italiano” in L’italiano e la sostenibilità, a cura di Biffi, Dell’Anna, Gualdo, goWare, Firenze 2023, pp. 166-167).
E così, proprio mentre il fenomeno della scrittura automatica sta ormai esplodendo attraverso le nuove modalità tecnologiche della cosiddetta intelligenza artificiale ribattezzata AI invece di IA, ho voluto provare ad aggiornare il vecchio “Gas” di Marchi e Morosini, che non è più rappresentativo del modo di “uccidere la lingua” dei tempi del Tubolario. Ho allora cercato di dare vita a un nuovo “Generatore di itanglese Corporate” in grado di esprimere in modo più moderno la confluenza nell’antilingua del linguaggio tecnologico anglicizzato, come temeva Calvino.Il “Generatore automatico di itanglese Corporate”
Con qualche titubanza, e non senza emozione, voglio perciò presentare a tutti questo preziosissimo strumento in cui la “stupidità artificiale” riesce finalmente a eguagliare quella umana (o per lo meno italiana). Credo possa costituire una risorsa imprescindibile – informatizzata grazie ai potenzi mezzi messi a disposizione da Italofonia.info – in grado di dare vita a 7 milioni di “testi alla cock”, come si potrebbe definirli con ironico disprezzo. Si possono generare a caso automaticamente (se preferite: attraverso una randomizzazione Writing Machine Generated) e si possono copia-incollare e riutilizzare per una nuova comunicazione english based al passo con i tempi. Per esempio:
Mediante l’analisi dei case history, un endorser di un’azienda leader deve saper scegliere, evitando ogni possibile misunderstanding, il processo di mentoring del proprio staff elaborando con un approccio multitasking il business di qualsiasi competitor, avvalendosi quando serve di appositi hub dedicati al customer care.
CLICCA QUI PER CONSULTARE IL GENERATORE AUTOMATICO DI ITANGLESE CORPORATE!
Buon divertimento.
#anglicismiNellItaliano #antilingua #generatoreAutomaticoDiItanglese #itanglese #linguaItaliana #paroleInglesiNellItaliano
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Il “Generatore automatico di itanglese Corporate”
Di Antonio Zoppetti
Ho già riferito della feroce critica di Italo Calvino nei confronti dell’antilingua: “L’italiano di chi non sa dire ho fatto ma deve dire ho effettuato” in cui “la lingua viene uccisa”. La questione era stata lanciata nel 1965 dalle pagine de Il Giorno (3 febbraio), attraverso l’esempio di un rapporto dei carabinieri in cui le dichiarazioni veraci e spontanee del testimone erano trascritte in un burocratese astratto che fuggiva da ogni concretezza. E così l’affermazione: “Non ne sapevo niente che la bottiglieria di sopra era stata scassinata” diveniva: “Non essendo a conoscenza dell’avvenuta effrazione dell’esercizio soprastante”, mentre l’accensione della stufa diventava “avviamento dell’impianto termico” e i “fiaschi di vino” “prodotti vinicoli”.
“L’italiano da un pezzo sta morendo — denunciava lo scrittore — “e sopravviverà soltanto se riuscirà a inventare una lingua strumentalmente moderna; ma non è detto che, al punto in cui è, riesca ancora a farcela.”
Nell’articolo c’era anche una polemica rivolta contro le riflessioni di Pasolini, che l’anno precedente aveva per la prima volta salutato la compiuta unificazione linguistica dell’italiano, dopo tanti secoli di fratture tra la lingua scritta dei ceti colti o degli scrittori e quella orale delle masse dialettofone (“Nuove questioni linguistiche”, Rinascita n. 51, 26 dicembre 1964, pp. 19-22). Pasolini, nel prendere atto che tutti, finalmente, ricorrevano a uno stesso italiano unitario, notava però che era molto tecnologico, perché, finita l’epoca degli scrittori, arrivava soprattutto dai centri industriali del nord. Passando dalle descrizioni alle valutazioni, aveva rilevato come questa lingua fosse poco espressiva, rispetto per esempio ai dialetti, perché aveva un fine perlopiù comunicativo, ed era dunque un po’ piatta e omologata. Per Calvino, al contrario, il linguaggio tecnologico non aveva affatto una valenza negativa, e se Pasolini si concentrava soprattutto sul rapporto tra italiano e dialetti – che nel nuovo scenario precipitavano ancor più a codici marginali – Calvino guardava invece al rapporto con “le lingue straniere”. E aveva replicato:
“Se il linguaggio ‘tecnologico’ di cui ha scritto Pasolini (cioè pienamente comunicativo, strumentale, omologatore degli usi diversi) si innesta sulla lingua non potrà che arricchirla, eliminarne irrazionalità e pesantezze, darle nuove possibilità (…); se si innesta sull’antilingua ne subirà immediatamente il contagio mortale e anche i termini ‘tecnologici’ si tingeranno del colore del nulla.”
“L’italiano da un pezzo sta morendo — denunciava lo scrittore — “e sopravviverà soltanto se riuscirà a inventare una lingua strumentalmente moderna; ma non è detto che, al punto in cui è, riesca ancora a farcela.”
Come è andata a finire?
Le acute intuizioni di Pasolini, accolte dagli intellettuali e dai linguisti di allora “con un coro di fischi” – per citare Claudio Marazzini – si sono rivelate profetiche. Ormai tutti sono concordi nel rilevare che le principali innovazioni lessicali arrivano dagli ambiti di settore e della tecnologia, ma se negli anni Sessanta i centri di irradiazione della lingua erano le città del nord, oggi si sono spostati al di fuori del Paese, e il lessico ci arriva d’oltreoceano direttamente in inglese: i fiaschi di vino e le bottiglierie hanno ceduto il posto a nuove forme di packaging per i nuovi Wine Bar e per il settore del Food che rappresenta un asset portante del Made in Italy (insieme a un altro Must: quello dell’italian design); il nuovo linguaggio tecnologico non è più fatto dai nativi italiani, che si limitano a importare e a ripetere le cose e i concetti presi direttamente dall’anglosfera, legittimandone l’uso senza volerli o saperli tradurre, adattare o reinventare nella nostra lingua. E mentre i dialetti – seppur ancora vivi in alcune regioni – hanno perso terreno e in alcune aree (per esempio a Milano) sono scomparsi, più che con le lingue straniere l’italiano si sta confrontando quasi esclusivamente con l’angloamericano, che lo sta facendo regredire.
Quanto all’antilingua, non è diventata un modello che si è esteso fuori dai propri ambiti di settore, ma – come temeva Calvino – negli anni Duemila il nuovo linguaggio tecnologico anglicizzato si sta sempre più inserendo nell’antilingua, più che nella lingua.
Il “Gas” e il “Tubolario”
All’inizio degli anni Ottanta, due illustri professori ormai scomparsi – l’epidemiologo Pierluigi Morosini dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanità e l’esperto di statistica Marco Marchi dell’Università di Pisa – avevano condotto degli studi sul linguaggio poco trasparente dei piani sanitari che circolavano in quegli anni. E avevano raccolto e analizzato una serie interminabile di frasi stereotipate, generiche e astratte che a quei tempi caratterizzavano non solo i documenti della burocrazia tecnica del settore, ma più in generale anche il modo di esprimersi tipico del politichese, del sindacalese o dell’aziendalese degli anni Settanta. In modo colto e provocatorio – agganciandosi agli esperimenti della letteratura combinatoria o potenziale di autori patafisici come Raymond Queneau (e in parte anche Calvino), in seguito sfociata in giochi di scrittura automatica – provarono a utilizzare una serie di parti astruse ricavate dalle direttive di ambito sanitario per costruire un “Generatore Automatico di piani Sanitari” (Gas) formato da tasselli che si potevano combinare tra loro in ogni modo per dare vita a delle frasi strutturalmente corrette ma prive di ogni significato concreto, per esempio:
Il metodo partecipativo / presuppone / la puntuale corrispondenza fra obiettivi istituzionali e risorse / con criteri non dirigistici / fattualizzando e concretizzando / nel contesto di un sistema integrato / un indispensabile salto di qualità.
Ogni elemento poteva essere sostituito da altre nove varianti intercambiabili, e attraverso delle ricombinazioni casuali si potevano ottenere milioni di frasi incomprensibili. L’idea era allora stata sviluppata attraverso una semplice tabella, in cui era il lettore a leggere i moduli nell’ordine che preferiva. Ebbe comunque un grandissimo successo, e nel 1982 ne fu ricavato un gioco immesso sul mercato dalla ditta Sebino, il “Tubolario”, che era appunto un tubo segmentato che permetteva di ruotare gli elementi di ogni frase combinandoli in tutti i modi manualmente. Ne furono realizzate tre versioni dedicate rispettivamente al linguaggio della politica, dello sport e dell’amore. La notizia dell’esperimento fu addirittura ripresa in prima pagina sul Corriere della Sera in articolo intitolato “10 milioni di frasi inutili”.
Dall’antilingua all’itanglese
A quei tempi l’astrusità comunicativa si poggiava ancora sull’italiano, ma oggi è l’inglesorum a incarnare lo stesso modello. Se Calvino si rammaricava del fatto che “avvocati e funzionari, gabinetti ministeriali e consigli d’amministrazione, redazioni di giornali e di telegiornali scrivono parlano e pensano nell’antilingua” e denunciava come ogni giorno “centinaia di migliaia di nostri concittadini” traducessero mentalmente la lingua italiana in questa “lingua inesistente”, oggi i piani sanitari, ma anche della scuola e delle istituzioni guardano all’inglese e si esprimono sempre più spesso in un gergo che si può chiamare “itanglese”. L’italiano, dunque, invece di essere capace di “inventare una lingua strumentalmente moderna” si sta rinnovando attraverso la sua ibridazione con la lingua delle multinazionali, più che della “perfida Albione”.
In un pezzo su Il fatto quotidiano (10 agosto 2025) intitolato “Inglesorum: la neolingua dei grattacielisti milanesi”, Daniela Ranieri ne ha messo in risalto soprattutto l’aspetto edulcorante e allo stesso tempo manipolatorio: “Si sa: quando ci vogliono infinocchiare, i cosiddetti governanti usano l’inglese (‘Jobs act’, ‘Flattax’)”. Ma anche il presidente onorario della Crusca Marazzini ha evidenziato che oggi è l’inglese a svolgere la vecchia funzione del burocatichese: “Basta scorrere i vari comunicati in cui si è discusso l’uso di termini come hot spot, voluntary desclosure, stepchild adoption, whistleblower, home restaurant, caregiver, revenge porn, data breach, compliance, booster e via dicendo. (…) C’è dunque chi coltiva amorevolmente gli anglismi in una miscela di oscurità burocratica, come comodo moltiplicatore di pseudoconcetti che arricchiscono il vaniloquio retorico ammantato di esibita tecnocrazia (“Ecologia degli idiomi nazionali: sostenibilità delle lingue e salute dell’italiano” in L’italiano e la sostenibilità, a cura di Biffi, Dell’Anna, Gualdo, goWare, Firenze 2023, pp. 166-167).
E così, proprio mentre il fenomeno della scrittura automatica sta ormai esplodendo attraverso le nuove modalità tecnologiche della cosiddetta intelligenza artificiale ribattezzata AI invece di IA, ho voluto provare ad aggiornare il vecchio “Gas” di Marchi e Morosini, che non è più rappresentativo del modo di “uccidere la lingua” dei tempi del Tubolario. Ho allora cercato di dare vita a un nuovo “Generatore di itanglese Corporate” in grado di esprimere in modo più moderno la confluenza nell’antilingua del linguaggio tecnologico anglicizzato, come temeva Calvino.Il “Generatore automatico di itanglese Corporate”
Con qualche titubanza, e non senza emozione, voglio perciò presentare a tutti questo preziosissimo strumento in cui la “stupidità artificiale” riesce finalmente a eguagliare quella umana (o per lo meno italiana). Credo possa costituire una risorsa imprescindibile – informatizzata grazie ai potenzi mezzi messi a disposizione da Italofonia.info – in grado di dare vita a 7 milioni di “testi alla cock”, come si potrebbe definirli con ironico disprezzo. Si possono generare a caso automaticamente (se preferite: attraverso una randomizzazione Writing Machine Generated) e si possono copia-incollare e riutilizzare per una nuova comunicazione english based al passo con i tempi. Per esempio:
Mediante l’analisi dei case history, un endorser di un’azienda leader deve saper scegliere, evitando ogni possibile misunderstanding, il processo di mentoring del proprio staff elaborando con un approccio multitasking il business di qualsiasi competitor, avvalendosi quando serve di appositi hub dedicati al customer care.
CLICCA QUI PER CONSULTARE IL GENERATORE AUTOMATICO DI ITANGLESE CORPORATE!
Buon divertimento.
#anglicismiNellItaliano #antilingua #generatoreAutomaticoDiItanglese #itanglese #linguaItaliana #paroleInglesiNellItaliano
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L’anglocrazia e gli anglicismi (che schiavi degli Usa zio Sam ci creò)
Di Antonio Zoppetti
“Agosto, lingua mia non ti conosco”, si potrebbe concludere dopo il delirium anglicus con cui i mezzi di informazione ci hanno lavato il cervello. In latino non maccheronico si direbbe delirium anglicum, al neutro, ma chissenefrega, tanto il latino è stato dismesso da decenni come modello formativo e ormai c’è solo l’inglese. Il fenomeno non è però balneare, ma ormai strutturale: dopo la sciacquatura dei cenci in Arno per modernizzare la lingua ottocentesca, con buona pace del Manzoni nel nuovo millennio i nuovi ceti colti lavano i panni nell’Hudson River più che nel Tamigi.
Tra i titoli in itanglese puro della rassegna stampa che ho raccolto, mi ha colpito: “Malpensa, 26enne appicca il fuoco vicino al check in e prende a martellate i desk: evacuato il Terminal 1″.
Non poteva poi che impazzare l’overtourism, neanche a dirlo, visto che i giornalisti sembrano incapaci di esprimersi in italiano attraverso parole come sovraffollamento o sovraturismo.
Tra le chicche dell’estate, segnalo un pezzo che introduce il modernissimo, internazionalissimo e intraducibilissimo concetto di superager: “Ecco perché il cervello di alcuni ottantenni funziona come quello dei cinquantenni”, ma allo stesso tempo: ecco come il cervello di alcuni giornalisti italiani funziona come quello degli angloamericani di cui sono i collaborazionisti e la cassa di risonanza.
Che schiavi degli Usa zio Sam ci creò
L’anglocrazia, di cui il nostro apparato mediatico coloniale è l’espressione, non si limita a diffondere pappagallescamente in inglese – invece che in italiano – i concetti che si rubano dalla cultura superiore; si spinge a introdurre nella nostra società persino i neologismi introdotti dai dizionari inglesi, come quello di Cambridge che ha registrato una parola come “skibidi”, una scelta davanti alla quale – invece di reagire con un bel chissenefrega come avviene per i neologismi dei vocabolari francesi, spagnoli o tedeschi – i giornali la trasformano in una notizia eclatante da introdurre anche nel nostro lessico. Come se fossimo una provincia dell’anglosfera in cui ci si deve adeguare alle direttive della casa madre, in un ponderato progetto di anglificazione culturale dove gli anglicismi sono introdotti e diffusi per educarci alla lingua dei padroni e dello zio Sam.
E così nel Bresciano il cambiamento climatico (forse climate change sarebbe più appropriato, ma nessuno è perfetto) si combatte con il breeding, mentre il mais nano diviene smart corn che fa pendant (mi si perdoni il francesismo) con il popcorn (in cui forse si trasformerà una volta raccolto e lavorato), ma anche con lo smart working dell’era di smart city, smart card, smartphone, smart tv, smartwatch, smartglass… (ad libitum sfumando e sfogliando i dizionari dell’”italiano” moderno). Intanto i tour operator introducono il glamping accanto alle vacanze pet friendly, mentre sticker dopo aver soppiantato la parola adesivo si trasforma in cerottino “anti-brufoli” (da notare che il titolista mette le virgolette su anti-brufoli, mica su sticker).
Passando dalle idiozie che servono a riempire le pagine dei quotidiani in periodo di ombrelloni alle cose serie e alle notizie vere, spicca il fatto che ormai si parli solo di Gaza City, invece che di Gaza o della città di Gaza, come fosse una tipica denominazione araba. Sembra insomma che non basti radere al suolo la città con tank e raid (parole che fanno apparire tutto in modo più soft rispetto a carro-armati e bombardamenti), né sterminare la popolazione composta prevalentemente da minori in un ponderato progetto politico che però non si deve certo chiamare “genocidio”, perché le parole sono importanti (ma solo quando fa comodo)! E infatti – mentre anche la Cisgiordania rischia di diventare la West Bank occupata dagli israeliani in modo sempre più ufficiale – in attesa di trasformare la Striscia in un villaggio turistico pieno di resort per ricchi tycoon ripulito dagli abitanti-terroristi sopravvissuti alle bombe e alla carestia provocata da criminali con il distintivo, sarà bene cominciare almeno ad anglicizzare la toponomastica, sovrapponendo le denominazioni in inglese a quelle italiane (e anche a quelle autoctone arabe, ci mancherebbe altro!).
L’anglocrazia, che la Treccani definisce la “posizione di predominio della lingua inglese in ambito internazionale”, a dire il vero da noi si ripercuote anche sul piano interno, e si vede anche da questi piccoli particolari linguistici, che non sempre sono consapevoli, perché in un contesto anglomane sempre più prepotente diventano degli automatismi istintivi. Le conseguenze dell’anglocrazia tutta italiana sono pesanti: se i giornali parlano solo di Gaza city in modo ossessivo e martellante che cosa possono fare i cittadini se non ripetere questa espressione che diventa una soluzione terminologica ufficiale?
Dalle italianizzazioni forzate del fascismo alla dittatura dell’inglese
Davanti alla decisione di Google Maps di affiancare la storica denominazione di Golfo del Messico a quella di Golfo d’America per compiacere i capricci trumpiani, torna in mente la politica del fascismo per italianizzare La Thuile in porta Littoria o Sauze d’Oulx in Salice d’Ulzio. Eppure gli intellettuali che con la bava alla bocca ridicolizzano la politica linguistica del fascismo facendola coincidere solo con la guerra i barbarismi (in una revisione della storia), davanti all’anglicizzazione di Gaza City e West Bank tacciono. A nessuno o quasi viene in mente di denunciare la dittatura dell’inglese, anzi, la nuova egemonia culturale sta anglicizzando ogni aspetto della nostra società in modo decisamente più ampio e profondo rispetto alle italianizzazioni di regime.
E così l’anglocrazia regna dalla Sicilia, che ha inaugurato la campagna di promozione turistica denominata See Sicily (tra i See Sicily Voucher e i Discover Messina), alla Lombardia dove a Milano i nuovi quartieri – divenuti district – sono denominati in inglese (da City Life al Nolo: North of Loreto). E il nostro presidente del Consiglio, che prima di esserlo firmava le proposte di legge contro gli anglicismi, non appena eletto si è presentato come un underdog che ha immediatamente creato il Ministero del Made in Italy, mica del prodotto italiano, ma allo stesso tempo ha scelto di definirsi “il” presidente, con il maschile inclusivo, il che è tutto lecito, ma aiuta a riflettere sul ruolo della politica e delle istituzioni nel dare un’impronta alla lingua, visto che in Italia circola leggenda che sia un processo spontaneo e ingovernabile.
L’italianizzazione forzata ai tempi del fascismo a suon di tasse e divieti fa ridere rispetto all’attuale anglicizzazione imposta dall’alto a partire dalle istituzioni, dai mezzi di informazione, dal gergo lavorativo, tecnico, scientifico e culturale e dalla nostra intelligentissima egemonia culturale che insegue la cultura e la terminologia che viaggia insieme all’espansione delle multinazionali d’oltreoceano. Se i sostitutivi della Reale Accademia d’Italia riguardavano meno di 2.000 parole (perlopiù francesi), gli attuali sostitutivi in inglese registrati nei dizionari sono almeno il doppio, e quelli non ufficiali che circolano sulla stampa sono di un ordine grandezza superiore.
Certo, anglicismi governativi come stepchild adoption, ticket, caregiver, jobs act, cashback e tutti gli altri sono presentati come “scelte” libere degli italiani, ma l’ipocrisia celata sotto questa insopportabile tiritera è quella di far credere che l’evoluzione della lingua sia un processo “democratico” che arriva dal basso. Si tratta di una balla insostenibile da acchiappagonzi, visto che basta studiare un po’ di storia (non solo della lingua) per rendersi conto che al contrario deriva dall’alto, dalle classi dirigenti che vengono prese poi come modello che si propaga nelle masse. E questa lingua classista ha poco a che vedere con la democrazia e con il modo di esprimersi del popolo.
Lo avevano capito e spiegato perfettamente intellettuali come Gramsci o Pasolini, che forse proprio perché non erano linguisti in senso stretto riuscivano a vedere un po’ più in là di una categoria che pensa con arroganza di possedere l’esclusiva sull’argomento senza riuscire a produrre riflessioni in grado di spiccare e incidere sulla società, a parte casi sporadici. Anche un non linguista come George Orwell aveva perfettamente compreso che l’affermazione di una lingua non è affatto un processo democratico, ma avviene “grazie all’azione consapevole di una minoranza”. Nel suo 1984, immaginava proprio come il Grande Fratello cercasse di imporre la Novalingua sulla Veterolingua, perché la lingua è potere, e il suo controllo è strategico.
Se ai tempi del purismo e poi del fascismo circolava il motto di Machiavelli “a ognuno puzza questo barbaro dominio”, oggi pare che sia l’italiano a emanare un certo afrore tra la classe dirigente anglomane. Dunque, se negli anni Venti del secolo scorso la mobilitazione dell’intellighenzia e dei linguisti di regime in nome dell’italianità riuscì a creare un certo consenso nelle masse, negli anni Venti del nuovo millennio i nuovi intellettuali del nuovo regime anglocratico hanno gli occhi puntati solo sull’anglosfera. E la loro newlingua orwelliana finisce per instaurare un analogo (benché antitetico) clima culturale totalitario dove tutto ciò che è nuovo si esprime in inglese.
In questo compiaciuto suicidio linguistico, a proposito di governance sul sito della Crusca si legge che se una parola di origine straniera è ormai divenuta italiana non si pone il problema del suo uso istituzionale, e tra gli esempi di questo “italiano” spicca anche quello di computer, come se l’italianità di simili voci dipendesse dalla loro diffusione e accettazione e non dalla loro pronuncia e della loro ortografia che è fuori dall’italiano (dove la “u” non si legge “iu” e “nans” non si scrive “nance”). Un simile giudizio – che fa accapponare la pelle – si basa sulle frequenze d’uso, non certo sul fatto che vocaboli del genere siano compatibili con il nostro sistema linguistico. Una volta ho letto persino la riflessione di un bizzarro personaggio che si chiedeva dopo quanto tempo una parola inglese diventasse “italiana”, come se il punto non fosse la sua pronuncia, il suo suono o l’adattamento al sistema linguistico in cui viene inserita, bensì una sorta di traguardo che si ottiene mettendosi in lista di attesa, come per le case popolari.
Forse certi linguisti dovrebbero ripassare la lezione settecentesca di Alessandro Verri che, nella sua Rinunzia al Vocabolario della Crusca dalle pagine del Caffè, si rivolgeva contro l’arcaicità e lo strapotere dell’Accademia gridando a squarciagola che avrebbe utilizzato persino le parole arabe, turche o sclavone se “italianizzandole” avessero portato nuovi e utili contributi.
Ma oggi, i discendenti dei puristi di cui un tempo la Crusca rappresentava il baluardo, si sono modernizzati, e chissà, forse darebbero del purista anche a Verri, visto nell’articolo succitato sulla governance la possibilità di italianizzare con governanza è respinta come una soluzione antiquata, invece di essere auspicata. Dunque si legittima la forma straniera in un’imbarazzante confusione tra italiano e inglese, come fossero la stessa cosa, facendo appunto di tutta l’erba un fascio.Questo descrittivismo estremizzato, nel proclamare “italiane” le voci angloamericane, non può che trasformarsi in un anarchismo metodologico dove tutto va bene (anything goes, per gli anglomani che faticano a praticare la lingua di Dante). Seguendo questa prospettiva, se un giorno finiremo per parlare direttamente in inglese come hanno deciso di fare in certi atenei universitari, per usare l’italiano come fosse un dialetto nei contesti informali, si potrà sempre dire che in realtà parleremo ancora in italiano, se “italiano” è ciò che sgorga dalle bocche e dalle penne di chi abita nello Stivale indipendentemente da tutto il resto.
I linguisti da barzelletta – o da nuovo regime – che bollano come “purista” o “fascista” chi pone la questione della salvaguardia dell’italiano schiacciato dall’inglese come fosse una questione di principio, invece che di numeri e di dati oggettivi, non sono solo tendenziosi e scorretti, ma soprattutto miopi.
Davanti all’attuale dittatura dell’inglese, non resta che prendere atto che siamo in un nuovo regime dove l’inglese e l’itanglese rappresentano la nuova lingua di classe che viene imposta al popolo. Rispetto al fascismo, l’attuale anglocrazia dominante in epoca di democrazie a dire il vero sempre più traballanti è in fondo molto più subdola, perché non è esplicitata e dichiarata a viso aperto, ma di fatto impone a tutti espressioni come Gaza city, overtourism, lockdown e tutte le altre cancellazioni dell’italiano non più con le multe e i divieti, ma sposando un’anglomania compulsiva che punta alla sostituzione del lessico italiano con un inglese venduto come qualcosa di volta in volta più moderno, solenne o internazionale.
Legittimare e accettare questo sistema, invece di denunciarlo e stigmatizzarlo, non rende certi linguisti “descrittivi” o neutrali, ma complici e collaborazionisti di un nuovo colonialismo linguistico planetario che rischia di fare tabula rasa di ogni altra cultura in nome del pensiero e della lingua unica dei popoli dominanti.
#accademiaDellaCrusca #anglicismiNellItaliano #fascismo #inglese #interferenzaLinguistica #itanglese #linguaItaliana #paroleInglesiNellItaliano #politicaLinguistica #rassegnaStampa
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L’anglocrazia e gli anglicismi (che schiavi degli Usa zio Sam ci creò)
Di Antonio Zoppetti
“Agosto, lingua mia non ti conosco”, si potrebbe concludere dopo il delirium anglicus con cui i mezzi di informazione ci hanno lavato il cervello. In latino non maccheronico si direbbe delirium anglicum, al neutro, ma chissenefrega, tanto il latino è stato dismesso da decenni come modello formativo e ormai c’è solo l’inglese. Il fenomeno non è però balneare, ma ormai strutturale: dopo la sciacquatura dei cenci in Arno per modernizzare la lingua ottocentesca, con buona pace del Manzoni nel nuovo millennio i nuovi ceti colti lavano i panni nell’Hudson River più che nel Tamigi.
Tra i titoli in itanglese puro della rassegna stampa che ho raccolto, mi ha colpito: “Malpensa, 26enne appicca il fuoco vicino al check in e prende a martellate i desk: evacuato il Terminal 1″.
Non poteva poi che impazzare l’overtourism, neanche a dirlo, visto che i giornalisti sembrano incapaci di esprimersi in italiano attraverso parole come sovraffollamento o sovraturismo.
Tra le chicche dell’estate, segnalo un pezzo che introduce il modernissimo, internazionalissimo e intraducibilissimo concetto di superager: “Ecco perché il cervello di alcuni ottantenni funziona come quello dei cinquantenni”, ma allo stesso tempo: ecco come il cervello di alcuni giornalisti italiani funziona come quello degli angloamericani di cui sono i collaborazionisti e la cassa di risonanza.
Che schiavi degli Usa zio Sam ci creò
L’anglocrazia, di cui il nostro apparato mediatico coloniale è l’espressione, non si limita a diffondere pappagallescamente in inglese – invece che in italiano – i concetti che si rubano dalla cultura superiore; si spinge a introdurre nella nostra società persino i neologismi introdotti dai dizionari inglesi, come quello di Cambridge che ha registrato una parola come “skibidi”, una scelta davanti alla quale – invece di reagire con un bel chissenefrega come avviene per i neologismi dei vocabolari francesi, spagnoli o tedeschi – i giornali la trasformano in una notizia eclatante da introdurre anche nel nostro lessico. Come se fossimo una provincia dell’anglosfera in cui ci si deve adeguare alle direttive della casa madre, in un ponderato progetto di anglificazione culturale dove gli anglicismi sono introdotti e diffusi per educarci alla lingua dei padroni e dello zio Sam.
E così nel Bresciano il cambiamento climatico (forse climate change sarebbe più appropriato, ma nessuno è perfetto) si combatte con il breeding, mentre il mais nano diviene smart corn che fa pendant (mi si perdoni il francesismo) con il popcorn (in cui forse si trasformerà una volta raccolto e lavorato), ma anche con lo smart working dell’era di smart city, smart card, smartphone, smart tv, smartwatch, smartglass… (ad libitum sfumando e sfogliando i dizionari dell’”italiano” moderno). Intanto i tour operator introducono il glamping accanto alle vacanze pet friendly, mentre sticker dopo aver soppiantato la parola adesivo si trasforma in cerottino “anti-brufoli” (da notare che il titolista mette le virgolette su anti-brufoli, mica su sticker).
Passando dalle idiozie che servono a riempire le pagine dei quotidiani in periodo di ombrelloni alle cose serie e alle notizie vere, spicca il fatto che ormai si parli solo di Gaza City, invece che di Gaza o della città di Gaza, come fosse una tipica denominazione araba. Sembra insomma che non basti radere al suolo la città con tank e raid (parole che fanno apparire tutto in modo più soft rispetto a carro-armati e bombardamenti), né sterminare la popolazione composta prevalentemente da minori in un ponderato progetto politico che però non si deve certo chiamare “genocidio”, perché le parole sono importanti (ma solo quando fa comodo)! E infatti – mentre anche la Cisgiordania rischia di diventare la West Bank occupata dagli israeliani in modo sempre più ufficiale – in attesa di trasformare la Striscia in un villaggio turistico pieno di resort per ricchi tycoon ripulito dagli abitanti-terroristi sopravvissuti alle bombe e alla carestia provocata da criminali con il distintivo, sarà bene cominciare almeno ad anglicizzare la toponomastica, sovrapponendo le denominazioni in inglese a quelle italiane (e anche a quelle autoctone arabe, ci mancherebbe altro!).
L’anglocrazia, che la Treccani definisce la “posizione di predominio della lingua inglese in ambito internazionale”, a dire il vero da noi si ripercuote anche sul piano interno, e si vede anche da questi piccoli particolari linguistici, che non sempre sono consapevoli, perché in un contesto anglomane sempre più prepotente diventano degli automatismi istintivi. Le conseguenze dell’anglocrazia tutta italiana sono pesanti: se i giornali parlano solo di Gaza city in modo ossessivo e martellante che cosa possono fare i cittadini se non ripetere questa espressione che diventa una soluzione terminologica ufficiale?
Dalle italianizzazioni forzate del fascismo alla dittatura dell’inglese
Davanti alla decisione di Google Maps di affiancare la storica denominazione di Golfo del Messico a quella di Golfo d’America per compiacere i capricci trumpiani, torna in mente la politica del fascismo per italianizzare La Thuile in porta Littoria o Sauze d’Oulx in Salice d’Ulzio. Eppure gli intellettuali che con la bava alla bocca ridicolizzano la politica linguistica del fascismo facendola coincidere solo con la guerra i barbarismi (in una revisione della storia), davanti all’anglicizzazione di Gaza City e West Bank tacciono. A nessuno o quasi viene in mente di denunciare la dittatura dell’inglese, anzi, la nuova egemonia culturale sta anglicizzando ogni aspetto della nostra società in modo decisamente più ampio e profondo rispetto alle italianizzazioni di regime.
E così l’anglocrazia regna dalla Sicilia, che ha inaugurato la campagna di promozione turistica denominata See Sicily (tra i See Sicily Voucher e i Discover Messina), alla Lombardia dove a Milano i nuovi quartieri – divenuti district – sono denominati in inglese (da City Life al Nolo: North of Loreto). E il nostro presidente del Consiglio, che prima di esserlo firmava le proposte di legge contro gli anglicismi, non appena eletto si è presentato come un underdog che ha immediatamente creato il Ministero del Made in Italy, mica del prodotto italiano, ma allo stesso tempo ha scelto di definirsi “il” presidente, con il maschile inclusivo, il che è tutto lecito, ma aiuta a riflettere sul ruolo della politica e delle istituzioni nel dare un’impronta alla lingua, visto che in Italia circola leggenda che sia un processo spontaneo e ingovernabile.
L’italianizzazione forzata ai tempi del fascismo a suon di tasse e divieti fa ridere rispetto all’attuale anglicizzazione imposta dall’alto a partire dalle istituzioni, dai mezzi di informazione, dal gergo lavorativo, tecnico, scientifico e culturale e dalla nostra intelligentissima egemonia culturale che insegue la cultura e la terminologia che viaggia insieme all’espansione delle multinazionali d’oltreoceano. Se i sostitutivi della Reale Accademia d’Italia riguardavano meno di 2.000 parole (perlopiù francesi), gli attuali sostitutivi in inglese registrati nei dizionari sono almeno il doppio, e quelli non ufficiali che circolano sulla stampa sono di un ordine grandezza superiore.
Certo, anglicismi governativi come stepchild adoption, ticket, caregiver, jobs act, cashback e tutti gli altri sono presentati come “scelte” libere degli italiani, ma l’ipocrisia celata sotto questa insopportabile tiritera è quella di far credere che l’evoluzione della lingua sia un processo “democratico” che arriva dal basso. Si tratta di una balla insostenibile da acchiappagonzi, visto che basta studiare un po’ di storia (non solo della lingua) per rendersi conto che al contrario deriva dall’alto, dalle classi dirigenti che vengono prese poi come modello che si propaga nelle masse. E questa lingua classista ha poco a che vedere con la democrazia e con il modo di esprimersi del popolo.
Lo avevano capito e spiegato perfettamente intellettuali come Gramsci o Pasolini, che forse proprio perché non erano linguisti in senso stretto riuscivano a vedere un po’ più in là di una categoria che pensa con arroganza di possedere l’esclusiva sull’argomento senza riuscire a produrre riflessioni in grado di spiccare e incidere sulla società, a parte casi sporadici. Anche un non linguista come George Orwell aveva perfettamente compreso che l’affermazione di una lingua non è affatto un processo democratico, ma avviene “grazie all’azione consapevole di una minoranza”. Nel suo 1984, immaginava proprio come il Grande Fratello cercasse di imporre la Novalingua sulla Veterolingua, perché la lingua è potere, e il suo controllo è strategico.
Se ai tempi del purismo e poi del fascismo circolava il motto di Machiavelli “a ognuno puzza questo barbaro dominio”, oggi pare che sia l’italiano a emanare un certo afrore tra la classe dirigente anglomane. Dunque, se negli anni Venti del secolo scorso la mobilitazione dell’intellighenzia e dei linguisti di regime in nome dell’italianità riuscì a creare un certo consenso nelle masse, negli anni Venti del nuovo millennio i nuovi intellettuali del nuovo regime anglocratico hanno gli occhi puntati solo sull’anglosfera. E la loro newlingua orwelliana finisce per instaurare un analogo (benché antitetico) clima culturale totalitario dove tutto ciò che è nuovo si esprime in inglese.
In questo compiaciuto suicidio linguistico, a proposito di governance sul sito della Crusca si legge che se una parola di origine straniera è ormai divenuta italiana non si pone il problema del suo uso istituzionale, e tra gli esempi di questo “italiano” spicca anche quello di computer, come se l’italianità di simili voci dipendesse dalla loro diffusione e accettazione e non dalla loro pronuncia e della loro ortografia che è fuori dall’italiano (dove la “u” non si legge “iu” e “nans” non si scrive “nance”). Un simile giudizio – che fa accapponare la pelle – si basa sulle frequenze d’uso, non certo sul fatto che vocaboli del genere siano compatibili con il nostro sistema linguistico. Una volta ho letto persino la riflessione di un bizzarro personaggio che si chiedeva dopo quanto tempo una parola inglese diventasse “italiana”, come se il punto non fosse la sua pronuncia, il suo suono o l’adattamento al sistema linguistico in cui viene inserita, bensì una sorta di traguardo che si ottiene mettendosi in lista di attesa, come per le case popolari.
Forse certi linguisti dovrebbero ripassare la lezione settecentesca di Alessandro Verri che, nella sua Rinunzia al Vocabolario della Crusca dalle pagine del Caffè, si rivolgeva contro l’arcaicità e lo strapotere dell’Accademia gridando a squarciagola che avrebbe utilizzato persino le parole arabe, turche o sclavone se “italianizzandole” avessero portato nuovi e utili contributi.
Ma oggi, i discendenti dei puristi di cui un tempo la Crusca rappresentava il baluardo, si sono modernizzati, e chissà, forse darebbero del purista anche a Verri, visto nell’articolo succitato sulla governance la possibilità di italianizzare con governanza è respinta come una soluzione antiquata, invece di essere auspicata. Dunque si legittima la forma straniera in un’imbarazzante confusione tra italiano e inglese, come fossero la stessa cosa, facendo appunto di tutta l’erba un fascio.Questo descrittivismo estremizzato, nel proclamare “italiane” le voci angloamericane, non può che trasformarsi in un anarchismo metodologico dove tutto va bene (anything goes, per gli anglomani che faticano a praticare la lingua di Dante). Seguendo questa prospettiva, se un giorno finiremo per parlare direttamente in inglese come hanno deciso di fare in certi atenei universitari, per usare l’italiano come fosse un dialetto nei contesti informali, si potrà sempre dire che in realtà parleremo ancora in italiano, se “italiano” è ciò che sgorga dalle bocche e dalle penne di chi abita nello Stivale indipendentemente da tutto il resto.
I linguisti da barzelletta – o da nuovo regime – che bollano come “purista” o “fascista” chi pone la questione della salvaguardia dell’italiano schiacciato dall’inglese come fosse una questione di principio, invece che di numeri e di dati oggettivi, non sono solo tendenziosi e scorretti, ma soprattutto miopi.
Davanti all’attuale dittatura dell’inglese, non resta che prendere atto che siamo in un nuovo regime dove l’inglese e l’itanglese rappresentano la nuova lingua di classe che viene imposta al popolo. Rispetto al fascismo, l’attuale anglocrazia dominante in epoca di democrazie a dire il vero sempre più traballanti è in fondo molto più subdola, perché non è esplicitata e dichiarata a viso aperto, ma di fatto impone a tutti espressioni come Gaza city, overtourism, lockdown e tutte le altre cancellazioni dell’italiano non più con le multe e i divieti, ma sposando un’anglomania compulsiva che punta alla sostituzione del lessico italiano con un inglese venduto come qualcosa di volta in volta più moderno, solenne o internazionale.
Legittimare e accettare questo sistema, invece di denunciarlo e stigmatizzarlo, non rende certi linguisti “descrittivi” o neutrali, ma complici e collaborazionisti di un nuovo colonialismo linguistico planetario che rischia di fare tabula rasa di ogni altra cultura in nome del pensiero e della lingua unica dei popoli dominanti.
#accademiaDellaCrusca #anglicismiNellItaliano #fascismo #inglese #interferenzaLinguistica #itanglese #linguaItaliana #paroleInglesiNellItaliano #politicaLinguistica #rassegnaStampa
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Lelit Victoria Espresso Machine
Article VictoriaGallery Lelit Victoria Lelit Victoria Portafilter A Look Inside Nice Reservoir Cover Pressure Gauge Front Branding Grouphead Design IMS Precision Baskets Out of the Box Lelit Victoria Espresso Machine Please, no Steam Wand Cup Riser Lelit Victoria from Behind A good fit Reservoir Design Victoria on the Counter Progress Bar Lelit Victoria Cup Height Preinfusion Very deep reservoir Button Controls Lelit Victoria from the Back Lelit Victoria Box Basket Design Most of the Plastic Removed Product Manuals Back Down to Brew Temperatures The Lelit Victoria on the Bar Fine Tuned Shot Pull Lelit Victoria Rubber Bumpers Brew Temperature Cappuccino No Problem Grouphead and Portafilter Yup those Stickers Power Button Whereto Buy Manufacturer Website Buy from Supplier Buy from 1st in Coffee CoffeeGeek Sponsor! coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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The Lelit Victoria comes double boxed for protection, a good thing. The main box is black and fairly basic, but still features the outdated glossy painted finish that Lelit would do well to update to more environmentally friendly bits.
Inside, it doesn’t get much better: the machine is cocooned between two plastic-wrapped styrofoam forms. As always, we encourage companies to go 100% environmentally friendly packaging, ditching polystyrene, styrofoam, and other chemical-based materials. Plant-based is the way to go. Breville has now done it with their Oracle machine, Rancilio does it, time for Lelit to get on board here.
Pulled out of the box and styrene-y type materials removed, the Victoria is wrapped in more plastic, easily removed. On top of the machine is a thick manual, and a cardboard box holds most of the accessories; it is taped and saran-wrapped to the drip tray area. There’s also more goodies inside the reservoir area. Lastly, the plastic wrapped cup riser is also included.
With bits of tape removed, all that comes with the machine is revealed, including portafilter, baskets, a tamper, water filter starter kit, coffee scoop, blind filter and a power cord.
The box is fairly basic, with very little shelf appeal - time to go plain cardboard, Lelit. The lid open promises Coffee Time, soon! Big thick styrofoam that's just going to fill up your local landfill. Victoria out of the box, wrapped in protective plastic. The plastic removed, there's still more plastic and tape to remove before setting the machine up. The manual is super thick, in multiple languages, and walks you through the machine's advanced features Most of the protective wrap and plastics removed, still yet to see the portafilter and other accessories The cup riser that comes with the Victoria. I quite like it. The machine fully unpacked, with everything it comes with.The “look” of the Lelit Victoria is industrial chic. I just made that up. It actually reminds me a lot of the grand daddy of overbuilt consumer espresso machines, the Rancilio Silvia. Brushed metal finish, hard angles, lots of metal. In some ways, it’s what many of us wish the Rancilio Silvia had evolved into today.
Up top, the brushed steel cup warming tray actually warms cups and has a large surface area. The reservoir has a matching steel lid for the back of the machine, with a plastic handle formed into the middle. The cup tray also has a rubber seal all around it to prevent any liquid from ingressing into the electronics and boiler area, in case you put wet cups on top of the machine.
Up front is the controls, pressure gauge, PID controller / OLED display panel and the red Lelit logo. When you power on the machine (via a rocker switch on the left side), the display panel lights up showing the firmware and startup sequence, and the three control buttons – brew, steam activation, hot water – all have their round LED rings light up. When you press one of the buttons, that one stays lit, and the other two turn off.
Unlike Lelit’s less expensive machines, the control buttons on the Victoria look premium (and in fact are the same as some of the push buttons on their flagship Bianca machine). They do have a slightly mushy feel when pressing, but the construction is all metal.
The pressure gauge and display panel – called the LCC (or LECS) system (Lelit Electronic Control System) – is the same diameter as the gauge, which gives the machine a good aesthetic look. The pressure gauge is black, with white numbers and a red dial; it matches the look further of the LCC. The gauge lights up when the machine is pulling a shot.
On the right side of the machine is the steam knob. It is one of the cheapest and most mismatched steam knob dials I’ve seen on any espresso machine. It’s almost as if they said “we give up” when they got to this component, especially when compared to the rest of the machine’s fit and finish.
The three control buttons look premium, but do feel a bit mushy in use. The mains button is located on the left side of the machine. The reservoir cover is nicely made, and fits fairly snug; it still vibrates a bit when the pump runs. The pressure gauge is up front, and the white letters light up when the pump is in use. This dinky plastic dial on the side really cheapens the machine. It's like something you'd find on a $120 Aliexpress special. The look of the machine, including how the pressure gauge and LCC control display look, is nice and businesslike.Moving down the front of the Victoria, there’s the grouphead and steam wand, which doubles as a hot water tap. The wand is fully extendible, and also rotates a full 360 making it very easy to use. It is not a cool touch wand, but does have a silicone sleeve at the bend for handling during use. The wand is a single hole type, important since it also dispenses hot water.
The grouphead is directly attached to the boiler, and Lelit claims it is a “saturated” grouphead (what that means in this case, I’m not sure, as I do not think boiler water is flowing around a cavity in the grouphead; it is too small to do that). Being directly attached, it aids in temperature stability and gets the grouphead heated up to the boiler’s temperature. This means even stability in temperatures through the shot, and good recovery times between shot pulls.
Lelit includes a high end portafilter with a lower-end handle with the Victoria. It’s the same PF steel parts as the flagship Bianca’s PF, but instead of a nice wooden handle, it is an angular plastic model that’s weighted. I’m not a fan of the handle. It is angled, which, in conjunction with the wraparound spouts and flat base on the portafilter, let it sit flat on the counter when tamping.
The portafilter's steel parts are identical to the one on Lelit's flagship machine. The handle is not. This wraparound spout design is unique to Lelit. The portafilter with the IMS double basket installed. The grouphead with portafilter installed. I don't see how that could be a traditionally saturated group. The steam wand extends quite a bit, and rotates a full 360. A look inside the Lelit Victoria, showing the boiler configuration and placement of the pump and reservoir.The backsplash is plain and brushed metal, with a black anodized sticker showing the machine name and type. The drip tray is voluminous and all steel. Lelit cut some minor corners on the drip tray by not fully finishing the welds at the back, but they’re hidden most of the time. The drip tray cover is Lelit’s signature grid wire bars. I’ve seen some complaints about the grid-wire look of Lelit’s drip trays on many of their machines, but if I’m honest, I love the look. I also like how the espresso cup riser looks when placed on top of the main drip tray.
The back of the Victoria features a tastefully embossed Lelit L logo, two rather ugly product spec and certification stickers, and the power outlet at the middle bottom of the machine. Everything is very boxy, but it also is well put together and finished nicely.
The machine's look from behind. Those stickers... Here's the cup riser, which is removable. The drip tray and riser, I think they look great, and function well. The drip tray reservoir is very deep, and goes deep inside the machine The front branding located on the lower left part of the backsplash. I know this information is important to have on the machine, but it mars an otherwise great looking backside. If you want to display the machine with the back exposed, remove this. The grouphead is solid and secure. Finish is nice too. The machine from the back left side. The logo is great, the s tickers (and steam knob) not so much.When you buy a Victoria, it comes with a single and double filter baskets (both high end IMS baskets!), a blind filter, a water filter system, a thick manual, and a tamper and scoop. Surprisingly, it does not come with any cleaning tabs, or water hardness testers.
Both the scoop and tamper are basic plastic, and while these may have been acceptable with a machine in 2003, but in 2024, not so much. I don’t expect an ultra-premium tamper, but this doesn’t cut it. I’m hoping that Breville’s ownership of the company will see them upgrade this down the road, and possibly also include an entry level steam pitcher.
Even the blind filter is made by IMS. The IMS Baskets are a nice perk; Lelit includes them with most of their machines now. The basket is a "precision cut" and has equally sized holes. The tamper... so 1997. This needs an upgrade. At least the portafilter is super cool in its design. Scoop, tamper, bad. Filter, baskets, etc very good!Lastly, some specs. The Lelit Victoria is 23cm wide (9”), 27.5cm deep (11”), and 38cm tall (14.8”). The machine weighs 11.4kg (25lb). Drip tray capacity is 950ml (30 fl.oz). The reservoir is listed as a 2.5l size, but I’ve measured it at 2.85l. It draws 1200W for the boiler, and another 100 or so for the pump and electronics. The warranty is 1 year, though I hear extended warranties may be available soon from the company if you buy direct.
The Lelit from the left side, showing the profile. It is very similar to the Rancilio Silvia style. Connect with us on Social Media MastodonInstagramFacebook-f SearchSearch coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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The featureset for the Lelit Victoria is an impressive read. On top of the general build quality and materials built in, Lelit’s LCC offers a lot of advanced customizations and automations. Let’s go through the features, section by section.
LCC Controls
The brains of the machine offer a lot of control through the front display panel and the two soft-press button controls. Definitely a “read the manual” situation to get the most out of it.
- Full PID control of both brew and steam temperatures
- Temperature control down to 1F / 1C, with a programmable offset
Offers Granular Control
- Programmable preinfusion mode (including run time and pauses)
- Visible shot timer during espresso brews
- Visible steam timer during steaming sessions
- Machine status updates (power on, warm up time, recovery time, cool down status, etc) via LCC
Brew temperature can be accessed at any time. The steam temperature can go up to 280F, which maxes out steam ability Preinfusion can be turned on or off. It also retains your setting if you turn it back on again later. When putting the machine into steam mode, the display shows the target temperature, and a progress bar below. When turning off steam, the machine auto purges the boiler, introducing new water; it also shows a progress bar in getting back down to your brew temperatures. When the machine gets back to brew temperatures (or up to steam temperatures), it displays an OK symbol.Displays active progress bar
Water Management
The Victoria comes with a very poor design for the actual water reservoir (more on that later) but has some brilliant water management controls built in.
- Auto purge function, going from steaming to brew temperatures
Easy to steam first, brew later
- “Reserve Mode” is basically a two stage water level indicator, that will (almost) always complete your shot if the reservoir is running low.
Usually found on higher end machines like the La Marzocco GS3
- Auto fill function for the boiler, will never let the boiler run dry
- Auto steam mode “off” function (30min) to protect the boiler if you leave the machine in steam mode accidentally
- Hot water functionality via steam wand
For Americanos and Tea
- Water filter system included
- Nearly 3l reservoir
- Drip tray with a 900ml+ capacity
Yeowsa, that is a lot of features. And many of them not found on the Profitec Go, such as auto-fill, auto-purge, hot water functionality, and programmable pre-infusion.
Despite both machines having nearly the same footprint, the Victoria offers much better visibility and cup clearance between the portafilter and drip tray, even including a grid stand to adjust cup height; a feature lacking in the Profitec Go. In fact, that’s one of the Go’s sore points: the spacing between the spouts and the cup tray is nearly as short as it is on a Gaggia Classic (that’s not a good thing).
One major feature the Victoria has over the Profitec Go is in cup height clearance. Using a scale is no problem, and the included riser moves your espresso cups close to the spouts, if needed.It’s Not Perfect
The Lelit Victoria has its downsides. It is relatively loud, likely due to basic pump mounting. The vibration of the pump causes the reservoir lid and drip tray to rattle, to the point where your espresso cup dances across the drip tray grill during shots. It really is a problem, and we ended up purchasing tiny silicone sticky-bumpers to install between the drip tray and grid cover to reduce this issue; we’ll cover this more later.
The water reservoir is also problematic. Though it holds 2.8+ liters, it’s set deep inside the machine, making filling difficult without spilling. Removing it for sink filling is tricky due to the fill and overflow tubes, and water filter positioning. The design here could be much better.
The IMS baskets are a welcome upgrade, but the cheap plastic tamper with rough edges is a letdown, likely to keep the price under $1,000. Lastly, the Victoria’s design is very industrial, similar to the Rancilio Silvia. If you’re after multiple color options or a sleeker look, the brushed metal might feel too stark.
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The Victoria has a lot of automations built in, including the auto fill feature for the boiler, the first time you use the machine. It’s pretty straightforward: wipe everything down, fill the reservoir, turn the machine on, and let it do its thing. Press the hot water button after and open the wand to let more water flow through and flush out the system before its first use making coffee.
The preinfusion can be turned on or off, and programmed. I set our test unit up with a 4 second initial pump run, a 5 second pause, then full power for the rest of the manually controlled shot. Water flow in that first four seconds is gentle, and barely builds up pressure (to maybe 1.5 bar),
Water debit on this machine is nice and gentle, and we’ll measure that for the Full Review. What this means is, 4 seconds of pump action before pausing in the preinfusion mode won’t build up too much pressure before the pause. Even 3 seconds is enough to give a decent saturation of the bed of coffee.
I measured heat up times from a cold start on three occasions, and each time it took the machine about 9:30 to be stable at 201F. Because the grouphead is married to the boiler, the machine is good to go at 10 minutes in.
The PID was set to 201F and I didn’t fool around with the offset, figuring Lelit sets it properly at the factory. The double IMS basket is well suited for pulling 18-19g doubles. Honestly, my first shots with the machine were spot on. The machine just works. The pump noise is loud and could be dampened more by Lelit.
More annoyingly, out of the box, your espresso cup will ‘dance’ across the drip tray because it vibrates when the pump is operating. It was so bad, if left unattended, chances are the espresso streams will miss the cup entirely. I ended up buying some small sticky silicone bumpers to place on the ridges of the drip tray where the drip tray cover sits, and this remedied the issue.
What’s interesting here is that Lelit put some rubber bumpers between the frame of the machine and the removable drip tray, but didn’t further dampen the metal on metal contact between the drip tray and it’s wire grid metal cover. I can only imagine how bad the noise and vibrations would be without those factory installed rubber bumpers. I also think a lot of this could be solved just through better dampening of the machine’s vibratory pump mount.
Deep inside the machine are two red rubber bumpers, which I assume are meant to reduce vibrations. These black bumpers are on the rails that the removable drip tray sits on. They still don't do enough Little silicone sticky bumpers, low profile After wiping down the areas with Isopropyl alcohol, and wiping dry, I applied these bumpers. I actually went through several bumpers before settling on these ones. Low enough profile, and the grid and wire end bar sit nicely on them. After 2 months, the bumpers are still in place, and dramatically reduce vibrations.Advanced Shot Pulling
The Lelit Victoria is one of several machines on the market that allow you to pull water through the steam arm nozzle when the pump is active for pulling a shot. You can’t do this on many machines, because various 3 way solenoids inside of them shut off the path to the wand (or hot water tap) anytime the pump is activated to make espresso.
Why is this notable? Because, in conjunction with the front pressure gauge, you can pressure profile your espresso shots and get a bonus of reducing brew temperature towards the end of a shot (that’s a good thing!). It works this way:
Set the machine up as normal for making espresso. Start your shot, let it run and build; at around the 25 second mark, with the steam wand pointed into the drip tray, slightly crack open the steam knob. Some pump-driven water will redirect out the steam arm, and you’ll note the pressure being measured in the grouphead starts declining, according to the pressure gauge. Open it gradually more towards the end of the shot, reducing the final shot pressure.
This also introduces more room-temperature water into the boiler than just through pulling a normal shot, which is a good thing: reducing the shot temperature towards the end will reduce the amount of bitters extracted from the coffee.
All this is ripe for experimentation and shot profiling by folks wishing to move into advanced barista technique territory.
In this shot pull, into a Kruve Imagine Glassware, note the steam wand angled into the drip tray. Later in the shot I opened up the steam knob to bleed off grouphead pressure to pressure profile the shot.Steaming Ability
The Lelit Victoria isn’t as good as a thermojet-equipped machine from Breville when it comes to steam performance. It’s not even as good as some thermoblock machines. After all, it is a 300ml boiler, and there’s only so much headspace in there to produce steam for milk.
That said, it’s better than a Rancilio Silvia at steaming milk (another machine with a 300ml boiler). Way better than the Gaggia Classic. And it seems even better than the Profitec Go in terms of steam performance. The only area the Profitec Go beats the Victoria is in actual steam heat up time: on the Victoria, I’ve timed it around 90 seconds; the Go takes about 75 seconds.
The Lelit Victoria also does two things that further enhance steaming.
First, when you put the machine into steam mode, the new boiler temperature target appears on the machine’s LCC, as well as a progress bar below it. This visual display can let you “supercharge” the steam power by beginning your milk steaming just before the progress bar fills out. What happens? This essentially forces the machine to leave the heating element on, as you use up the steam it’s producing. If you wait for the progress bar to end, the heating element would shut down for a short time, reducing the production of steam.
The only downside to this is you won’t see a steam timer, because the machine still thinks it’s getting up to steam temperatures.
Keep an eye on this progress bar - bleed off some water from the boiler midway, and when it's almost full, start steaming. You'll actually see the bar reduce while steaming, but I found it faster this way to steam quickly.Second, the machine has an auto-purge function after steaming, to quickly return the boiler water temperatures back down to brew temperatures. And it does so while displaying the progress on the LCC, again via a progress bar. This means the machine is well set up for steaming first, then brewing your shot second; the transition time is only around 30-45 seconds, and even less if you open the steam wand to purge out hot liquid into the drip tray to speed things up.
Long story short, this is a machine tailor made, with added functionality, to steam first, and brew second for the fastest cappuccino and latte drink builds.
The Lelit Victoria can produce perfect latte art foam, even in cappuccino-sized volumes.Hot Water
I firmly believe every single espresso machine designed for consumer use should have a hot water function. Not only to help pre-heat cups, but for americanos, and for heated tea water. The Profitec Go does not have a hot water function. The Ninja Luxe Cafe, very bizarrely, does not either. But the Lelit Victoria does. I ran some tests to see how good it was.
In short, averages about 184F water in the cup for volumes less than 90ml (the water dose for an americano). I ran five tests, opening the steam valve to full open, and got measurements between 182.5F, and 186.3F across the range, filling a pre-heated cappuccino cup.
My second test was to pump out 200ml, and the results there were lower: about 164F in 3 tests. This is because the boiler is filling with room temperature water from the reservoir, and the heating element can’t keep up with heating the water.
However, the Victoria offers a trick up its sleeve: you can modulate and reduce the flow of hot water out of the steam wand, allowing the boiler to in effect “keep up” with the constant introduction of water from the reservoir. Reducing the flow rate to less than half, the 200ml cup fill averages 174.5F, a better result for tea or hot beverage use.
The Reservoir
Lelit’s design of the reservoir on the Victoria is the machine’s worst aspect. I suspect they just use the same plastic reservoir tank in all their non E61-equipped machines, and had to go with the shortest design that could fit their smallest machine (the Anna). Because of this, the reservoir tank sits very deep inside the Victoria’s reservoir cavity.
You can’t easily see the water level (I’ve taken to using a flashlight to check it, even in daytime, pointing down inside the reservoir). Refilling it is a huge mess if you just try to pour water from a pitcher directly into the reservoir’s small fill hole. Keep in mind, the power supply entry point is right below this reservoir, so there is potential for water damage. Removing the reservoir to fill at the sink is also a challenge, because you have to remove all the hoses etc from it before removing it from the machine.
My solution is definitely not elegant: I use a funnel to fill the reservoir. Even then, it’s hard to see the water level as this is going on, so I have to stop often, remove the funnel, check the water height, reinsert the funnel, and continue guessing at the top fill amount. (nb, I will include photos of this setup later).
Lelit needs to completely redesign this reservoir for the Victoria.
The only positives here is that the machine has a low-water sensor, with the aforementioned reserve, so at the very least you won’t run out of water in the middle of a shot. And the front panel tells you when you need to refill the reservoir.
The reservoir doesn't sit flush with the top of the machine, and has several tubes that need to be fitted inside. The reservoir sits deep inside, making it difficult to fill without a funnel, and even more difficult to see the water level. Connect with us on Social Media MastodonInstagramFacebook-f SearchSearch coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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want to reach a global specialty coffee audience? advertise with us.ComparisonsLelit Victoria
For this First Look, I’ve decided to limit the comparisons to other machines, saving that for our Full Review of the Lelit Victoria. That said, I did do some very rudimentary head to head tests, mainly against the Profitec Go, but also against the Breville Infuser (a machine that’s half the price).
Vs. Profitec Go
I have a love-hate thing with the Profitec Go, and don’t quite understand the wild popularity of the machine. The two main issues I have with it is a) the limited cup height, and b) the lack of hot water delivery from the machine. I feel the latter is a serious omission, especially on a machine that retails for $1,200 or more.
The Victoria wins in terms of cup height, overall features (it has a lot more, detailed in a previous section), easier visibility of the pressure gauge, more advanced pre-infusion modes and the auto purge and reserve reservoir functions. The machine also comes with a water filter system, something the Go doesn’t have.
That said, the Profitec Go wins in several categories, first and foremost in style: it’s a much better looking machine than the Victoria, and comes in a wide range of colour choices. This is important to people in this day and age. A standout feature is the ability to change the machine’s OPV valve directly from the top of the machine. Also, the Go has better portafilters, comes with a better tamper, has a larger boiler (400ml), a faster claimed heat up time (the unit we have doesn’t have this feature), and has a 3 year warranty from some select vendors (the Lelit Victoria is 1 year).
Between the two, the Lelit Victoria is the clear winner for me. I just wish it came in different colour choices.
Vs. Breville Infuser
So this is an interesting choice because the Infuser is like the red headed stepchild (can I still use that phrase?) of the Breville lineup, but in many ways, is a machine that punches way above its weight class. And while it is half the price of the Victoria, it offers some features the Lelit machine can’t touch.
For instance, the Infuser turns on and heats up quicker because it is thermoblock-based. It also transitions from brew to steam a lot quicker, and has more powerful, sustained steaming ability. The Infuser also has a dedicated hot water tap, a much better water reservoir design, and is quieter in operation. Like the Victoria, the Infuser has a visible pressure gauge, but also has volumetric shot controls with Breville’s well tuned preinfusion mode that can also be used manually.
The Victoria moves past the Infuser in other ways. Where the Infuser only lets you set 5 brew temperatures up or down 1C, the Victoria lets you program in a wider range in more granular fahrenheit settings, and you can also set it for the steam temperatures. The Victoria has automatic shot timers, low water sensors, a “reserve” mode for the water tank, and much more advanced water management systems built in. The preinfusion system is more robust with more programming options, and the overall build quality and materials are much better, inside and out.
And of course, the Victoria is based on a 58mm commercial grouphead and portafilter system, not the 54mm found on the Infuser.
In our Full Review, we’ll have more on how the Victoria competes against these machines and others.
The Victoria on the bar, paired up with a Rancilio Stile grinder. Excellent combo. coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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With features like a 58mm high-end portafilter, advanced LCC controls, and automations such as auto-fill, auto-purge, auto-standby, and steam mode shutoff, the Lelit Victoria is undeniably a prosumer machine. Its all-metal construction and top-tier internal parts solidify its place in this category.
This machine is built to last for decades with proper care. Using water filters, especially aftermarket magnesium for calcium swapping systems like BWT, can help minimize scale buildup and extend the life of gaskets and o-rings. Even if repairs are needed, they’re easy for local service centers or can be done yourself with some help from YouTube.
The Victoria is an investment too: offering an amortized cost of about $75 per year over its projected lifespan, and that includes occasional service and repairs. They also have a good resale value when kept in good condition, often as much as 70% of the original cost.
The Victoria delivers exceptional, temperature-controlled espresso and reliable steaming for a few drinks per session; if you want more volume, you have to start looking at dual boilers, thermojet systems, or heat exchanger machines.
With its small footprint, impressive features – many rare in machines under $1,000 – and outstanding temperature stability, the Lelit Victoria is a top contender for anyone ready to level up their espresso game. We’ll be showcasing this machine to a select group in our focus groups going forward, and will do more regimented tests against competing machines, and will report back at a later date on these findings, along with a full score for the machine. Right now, I feel very comfortable recommending this machine, and it will be in our 2025 Best Espresso Machines guide.
If you’re already sold, consider buying it directly from Lelit USA via this link. Lelit has joined our pilot Affiliate Program, so purchasing it directly from them provides us a small commission (at no additional cost to you) which helps keep this website viable. But there’s other reasons to consider buying it direct from the manufacturer, including free shipping, better Tier 1 support for the machine, extended warranty options, and improved access to replacement and repair parts down the road.
Where to Buy theVictoria Manufacturer Website Buy from Supplier (US) Buy from 1st in Coffee CoffeeGeek Sponsor!We use affiliate links to a) Amazon, and b) manufacturers only. Any links to vendors (including CoffeeGeek Sponsors) are not income generating links. Further details about our commission and affiliate link policies can be found on our Terms and Conditions Page. The use of any affiliate links have no effect on our editorial policy or review objectivity.
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Lelit Victoria Espresso Machine
Article VictoriaGallery Lelit Victoria Lelit Victoria Portafilter A Look Inside Nice Reservoir Cover Pressure Gauge Front Branding Grouphead Design IMS Precision Baskets Out of the Box Lelit Victoria Espresso Machine Please, no Steam Wand Cup Riser Lelit Victoria from Behind A good fit Reservoir Design Victoria on the Counter Progress Bar Lelit Victoria Cup Height Preinfusion Very deep reservoir Button Controls Lelit Victoria from the Back Lelit Victoria Box Basket Design Most of the Plastic Removed Product Manuals Back Down to Brew Temperatures The Lelit Victoria on the Bar Fine Tuned Shot Pull Lelit Victoria Rubber Bumpers Brew Temperature Cappuccino No Problem Grouphead and Portafilter Yup those Stickers Power Button Whereto Buy Manufacturer Website Buy from Supplier Buy from 1st in Coffee CoffeeGeek Sponsor! coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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The Lelit Victoria comes double boxed for protection, a good thing. The main box is black and fairly basic, but still features the outdated glossy painted finish that Lelit would do well to update to more environmentally friendly bits.
Inside, it doesn’t get much better: the machine is cocooned between two plastic-wrapped styrofoam forms. As always, we encourage companies to go 100% environmentally friendly packaging, ditching polystyrene, styrofoam, and other chemical-based materials. Plant-based is the way to go. Breville has now done it with their Oracle machine, Rancilio does it, time for Lelit to get on board here.
Pulled out of the box and styrene-y type materials removed, the Victoria is wrapped in more plastic, easily removed. On top of the machine is a thick manual, and a cardboard box holds most of the accessories; it is taped and saran-wrapped to the drip tray area. There’s also more goodies inside the reservoir area. Lastly, the plastic wrapped cup riser is also included.
With bits of tape removed, all that comes with the machine is revealed, including portafilter, baskets, a tamper, water filter starter kit, coffee scoop, blind filter and a power cord.
The box is fairly basic, with very little shelf appeal - time to go plain cardboard, Lelit. The lid open promises Coffee Time, soon! Big thick styrofoam that's just going to fill up your local landfill. Victoria out of the box, wrapped in protective plastic. The plastic removed, there's still more plastic and tape to remove before setting the machine up. The manual is super thick, in multiple languages, and walks you through the machine's advanced features Most of the protective wrap and plastics removed, still yet to see the portafilter and other accessories The cup riser that comes with the Victoria. I quite like it. The machine fully unpacked, with everything it comes with.The “look” of the Lelit Victoria is industrial chic. I just made that up. It actually reminds me a lot of the grand daddy of overbuilt consumer espresso machines, the Rancilio Silvia. Brushed metal finish, hard angles, lots of metal. In some ways, it’s what many of us wish the Rancilio Silvia had evolved into today.
Up top, the brushed steel cup warming tray actually warms cups and has a large surface area. The reservoir has a matching steel lid for the back of the machine, with a plastic handle formed into the middle. The cup tray also has a rubber seal all around it to prevent any liquid from ingressing into the electronics and boiler area, in case you put wet cups on top of the machine.
Up front is the controls, pressure gauge, PID controller / OLED display panel and the red Lelit logo. When you power on the machine (via a rocker switch on the left side), the display panel lights up showing the firmware and startup sequence, and the three control buttons – brew, steam activation, hot water – all have their round LED rings light up. When you press one of the buttons, that one stays lit, and the other two turn off.
Unlike Lelit’s less expensive machines, the control buttons on the Victoria look premium (and in fact are the same as some of the push buttons on their flagship Bianca machine). They do have a slightly mushy feel when pressing, but the construction is all metal.
The pressure gauge and display panel – called the LCC (or LECS) system (Lelit Electronic Control System) – is the same diameter as the gauge, which gives the machine a good aesthetic look. The pressure gauge is black, with white numbers and a red dial; it matches the look further of the LCC. The gauge lights up when the machine is pulling a shot.
On the right side of the machine is the steam knob. It is one of the cheapest and most mismatched steam knob dials I’ve seen on any espresso machine. It’s almost as if they said “we give up” when they got to this component, especially when compared to the rest of the machine’s fit and finish.
The three control buttons look premium, but do feel a bit mushy in use. The mains button is located on the left side of the machine. The reservoir cover is nicely made, and fits fairly snug; it still vibrates a bit when the pump runs. The pressure gauge is up front, and the white letters light up when the pump is in use. This dinky plastic dial on the side really cheapens the machine. It's like something you'd find on a $120 Aliexpress special. The look of the machine, including how the pressure gauge and LCC control display look, is nice and businesslike.Moving down the front of the Victoria, there’s the grouphead and steam wand, which doubles as a hot water tap. The wand is fully extendible, and also rotates a full 360 making it very easy to use. It is not a cool touch wand, but does have a silicone sleeve at the bend for handling during use. The wand is a single hole type, important since it also dispenses hot water.
The grouphead is directly attached to the boiler, and Lelit claims it is a “saturated” grouphead (what that means in this case, I’m not sure, as I do not think boiler water is flowing around a cavity in the grouphead; it is too small to do that). Being directly attached, it aids in temperature stability and gets the grouphead heated up to the boiler’s temperature. This means even stability in temperatures through the shot, and good recovery times between shot pulls.
Lelit includes a high end portafilter with a lower-end handle with the Victoria. It’s the same PF steel parts as the flagship Bianca’s PF, but instead of a nice wooden handle, it is an angular plastic model that’s weighted. I’m not a fan of the handle. It is angled, which, in conjunction with the wraparound spouts and flat base on the portafilter, let it sit flat on the counter when tamping.
The portafilter's steel parts are identical to the one on Lelit's flagship machine. The handle is not. This wraparound spout design is unique to Lelit. The portafilter with the IMS double basket installed. The grouphead with portafilter installed. I don't see how that could be a traditionally saturated group. The steam wand extends quite a bit, and rotates a full 360. A look inside the Lelit Victoria, showing the boiler configuration and placement of the pump and reservoir.The backsplash is plain and brushed metal, with a black anodized sticker showing the machine name and type. The drip tray is voluminous and all steel. Lelit cut some minor corners on the drip tray by not fully finishing the welds at the back, but they’re hidden most of the time. The drip tray cover is Lelit’s signature grid wire bars. I’ve seen some complaints about the grid-wire look of Lelit’s drip trays on many of their machines, but if I’m honest, I love the look. I also like how the espresso cup riser looks when placed on top of the main drip tray.
The back of the Victoria features a tastefully embossed Lelit L logo, two rather ugly product spec and certification stickers, and the power outlet at the middle bottom of the machine. Everything is very boxy, but it also is well put together and finished nicely.
The machine's look from behind. Those stickers... Here's the cup riser, which is removable. The drip tray and riser, I think they look great, and function well. The drip tray reservoir is very deep, and goes deep inside the machine The front branding located on the lower left part of the backsplash. I know this information is important to have on the machine, but it mars an otherwise great looking backside. If you want to display the machine with the back exposed, remove this. The grouphead is solid and secure. Finish is nice too. The machine from the back left side. The logo is great, the s tickers (and steam knob) not so much.When you buy a Victoria, it comes with a single and double filter baskets (both high end IMS baskets!), a blind filter, a water filter system, a thick manual, and a tamper and scoop. Surprisingly, it does not come with any cleaning tabs, or water hardness testers.
Both the scoop and tamper are basic plastic, and while these may have been acceptable with a machine in 2003, but in 2024, not so much. I don’t expect an ultra-premium tamper, but this doesn’t cut it. I’m hoping that Breville’s ownership of the company will see them upgrade this down the road, and possibly also include an entry level steam pitcher.
Even the blind filter is made by IMS. The IMS Baskets are a nice perk; Lelit includes them with most of their machines now. The basket is a "precision cut" and has equally sized holes. The tamper... so 1997. This needs an upgrade. At least the portafilter is super cool in its design. Scoop, tamper, bad. Filter, baskets, etc very good!Lastly, some specs. The Lelit Victoria is 23cm wide (9”), 27.5cm deep (11”), and 38cm tall (14.8”). The machine weighs 11.4kg (25lb). Drip tray capacity is 950ml (30 fl.oz). The reservoir is listed as a 2.5l size, but I’ve measured it at 2.85l. It draws 1200W for the boiler, and another 100 or so for the pump and electronics. The warranty is 1 year, though I hear extended warranties may be available soon from the company if you buy direct.
The Lelit from the left side, showing the profile. It is very similar to the Rancilio Silvia style. Connect with us on Social Media MastodonInstagramFacebook-f SearchSearch coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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The featureset for the Lelit Victoria is an impressive read. On top of the general build quality and materials built in, Lelit’s LCC offers a lot of advanced customizations and automations. Let’s go through the features, section by section.
LCC Controls
The brains of the machine offer a lot of control through the front display panel and the two soft-press button controls. Definitely a “read the manual” situation to get the most out of it.
- Full PID control of both brew and steam temperatures
- Temperature control down to 1F / 1C, with a programmable offset
Offers Granular Control
- Programmable preinfusion mode (including run time and pauses)
- Visible shot timer during espresso brews
- Visible steam timer during steaming sessions
- Machine status updates (power on, warm up time, recovery time, cool down status, etc) via LCC
Brew temperature can be accessed at any time. The steam temperature can go up to 280F, which maxes out steam ability Preinfusion can be turned on or off. It also retains your setting if you turn it back on again later. When putting the machine into steam mode, the display shows the target temperature, and a progress bar below. When turning off steam, the machine auto purges the boiler, introducing new water; it also shows a progress bar in getting back down to your brew temperatures. When the machine gets back to brew temperatures (or up to steam temperatures), it displays an OK symbol.Displays active progress bar
Water Management
The Victoria comes with a very poor design for the actual water reservoir (more on that later) but has some brilliant water management controls built in.
- Auto purge function, going from steaming to brew temperatures
Easy to steam first, brew later
- “Reserve Mode” is basically a two stage water level indicator, that will (almost) always complete your shot if the reservoir is running low.
Usually found on higher end machines like the La Marzocco GS3
- Auto fill function for the boiler, will never let the boiler run dry
- Auto steam mode “off” function (30min) to protect the boiler if you leave the machine in steam mode accidentally
- Hot water functionality via steam wand
For Americanos and Tea
- Water filter system included
- Nearly 3l reservoir
- Drip tray with a 900ml+ capacity
Yeowsa, that is a lot of features. And many of them not found on the Profitec Go, such as auto-fill, auto-purge, hot water functionality, and programmable pre-infusion.
Despite both machines having nearly the same footprint, the Victoria offers much better visibility and cup clearance between the portafilter and drip tray, even including a grid stand to adjust cup height; a feature lacking in the Profitec Go. In fact, that’s one of the Go’s sore points: the spacing between the spouts and the cup tray is nearly as short as it is on a Gaggia Classic (that’s not a good thing).
One major feature the Victoria has over the Profitec Go is in cup height clearance. Using a scale is no problem, and the included riser moves your espresso cups close to the spouts, if needed.It’s Not Perfect
The Lelit Victoria has its downsides. It is relatively loud, likely due to basic pump mounting. The vibration of the pump causes the reservoir lid and drip tray to rattle, to the point where your espresso cup dances across the drip tray grill during shots. It really is a problem, and we ended up purchasing tiny silicone sticky-bumpers to install between the drip tray and grid cover to reduce this issue; we’ll cover this more later.
The water reservoir is also problematic. Though it holds 2.8+ liters, it’s set deep inside the machine, making filling difficult without spilling. Removing it for sink filling is tricky due to the fill and overflow tubes, and water filter positioning. The design here could be much better.
The IMS baskets are a welcome upgrade, but the cheap plastic tamper with rough edges is a letdown, likely to keep the price under $1,000. Lastly, the Victoria’s design is very industrial, similar to the Rancilio Silvia. If you’re after multiple color options or a sleeker look, the brushed metal might feel too stark.
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The Victoria has a lot of automations built in, including the auto fill feature for the boiler, the first time you use the machine. It’s pretty straightforward: wipe everything down, fill the reservoir, turn the machine on, and let it do its thing. Press the hot water button after and open the wand to let more water flow through and flush out the system before its first use making coffee.
The preinfusion can be turned on or off, and programmed. I set our test unit up with a 4 second initial pump run, a 5 second pause, then full power for the rest of the manually controlled shot. Water flow in that first four seconds is gentle, and barely builds up pressure (to maybe 1.5 bar),
Water debit on this machine is nice and gentle, and we’ll measure that for the Full Review. What this means is, 4 seconds of pump action before pausing in the preinfusion mode won’t build up too much pressure before the pause. Even 3 seconds is enough to give a decent saturation of the bed of coffee.
I measured heat up times from a cold start on three occasions, and each time it took the machine about 9:30 to be stable at 201F. Because the grouphead is married to the boiler, the machine is good to go at 10 minutes in.
The PID was set to 201F and I didn’t fool around with the offset, figuring Lelit sets it properly at the factory. The double IMS basket is well suited for pulling 18-19g doubles. Honestly, my first shots with the machine were spot on. The machine just works. The pump noise is loud and could be dampened more by Lelit.
More annoyingly, out of the box, your espresso cup will ‘dance’ across the drip tray because it vibrates when the pump is operating. It was so bad, if left unattended, chances are the espresso streams will miss the cup entirely. I ended up buying some small sticky silicone bumpers to place on the ridges of the drip tray where the drip tray cover sits, and this remedied the issue.
What’s interesting here is that Lelit put some rubber bumpers between the frame of the machine and the removable drip tray, but didn’t further dampen the metal on metal contact between the drip tray and it’s wire grid metal cover. I can only imagine how bad the noise and vibrations would be without those factory installed rubber bumpers. I also think a lot of this could be solved just through better dampening of the machine’s vibratory pump mount.
Deep inside the machine are two red rubber bumpers, which I assume are meant to reduce vibrations. These black bumpers are on the rails that the removable drip tray sits on. They still don't do enough Little silicone sticky bumpers, low profile After wiping down the areas with Isopropyl alcohol, and wiping dry, I applied these bumpers. I actually went through several bumpers before settling on these ones. Low enough profile, and the grid and wire end bar sit nicely on them. After 2 months, the bumpers are still in place, and dramatically reduce vibrations.Advanced Shot Pulling
The Lelit Victoria is one of several machines on the market that allow you to pull water through the steam arm nozzle when the pump is active for pulling a shot. You can’t do this on many machines, because various 3 way solenoids inside of them shut off the path to the wand (or hot water tap) anytime the pump is activated to make espresso.
Why is this notable? Because, in conjunction with the front pressure gauge, you can pressure profile your espresso shots and get a bonus of reducing brew temperature towards the end of a shot (that’s a good thing!). It works this way:
Set the machine up as normal for making espresso. Start your shot, let it run and build; at around the 25 second mark, with the steam wand pointed into the drip tray, slightly crack open the steam knob. Some pump-driven water will redirect out the steam arm, and you’ll note the pressure being measured in the grouphead starts declining, according to the pressure gauge. Open it gradually more towards the end of the shot, reducing the final shot pressure.
This also introduces more room-temperature water into the boiler than just through pulling a normal shot, which is a good thing: reducing the shot temperature towards the end will reduce the amount of bitters extracted from the coffee.
All this is ripe for experimentation and shot profiling by folks wishing to move into advanced barista technique territory.
In this shot pull, into a Kruve Imagine Glassware, note the steam wand angled into the drip tray. Later in the shot I opened up the steam knob to bleed off grouphead pressure to pressure profile the shot.Steaming Ability
The Lelit Victoria isn’t as good as a thermojet-equipped machine from Breville when it comes to steam performance. It’s not even as good as some thermoblock machines. After all, it is a 300ml boiler, and there’s only so much headspace in there to produce steam for milk.
That said, it’s better than a Rancilio Silvia at steaming milk (another machine with a 300ml boiler). Way better than the Gaggia Classic. And it seems even better than the Profitec Go in terms of steam performance. The only area the Profitec Go beats the Victoria is in actual steam heat up time: on the Victoria, I’ve timed it around 90 seconds; the Go takes about 75 seconds.
The Lelit Victoria also does two things that further enhance steaming.
First, when you put the machine into steam mode, the new boiler temperature target appears on the machine’s LCC, as well as a progress bar below it. This visual display can let you “supercharge” the steam power by beginning your milk steaming just before the progress bar fills out. What happens? This essentially forces the machine to leave the heating element on, as you use up the steam it’s producing. If you wait for the progress bar to end, the heating element would shut down for a short time, reducing the production of steam.
The only downside to this is you won’t see a steam timer, because the machine still thinks it’s getting up to steam temperatures.
Keep an eye on this progress bar - bleed off some water from the boiler midway, and when it's almost full, start steaming. You'll actually see the bar reduce while steaming, but I found it faster this way to steam quickly.Second, the machine has an auto-purge function after steaming, to quickly return the boiler water temperatures back down to brew temperatures. And it does so while displaying the progress on the LCC, again via a progress bar. This means the machine is well set up for steaming first, then brewing your shot second; the transition time is only around 30-45 seconds, and even less if you open the steam wand to purge out hot liquid into the drip tray to speed things up.
Long story short, this is a machine tailor made, with added functionality, to steam first, and brew second for the fastest cappuccino and latte drink builds.
The Lelit Victoria can produce perfect latte art foam, even in cappuccino-sized volumes.Hot Water
I firmly believe every single espresso machine designed for consumer use should have a hot water function. Not only to help pre-heat cups, but for americanos, and for heated tea water. The Profitec Go does not have a hot water function. The Ninja Luxe Cafe, very bizarrely, does not either. But the Lelit Victoria does. I ran some tests to see how good it was.
In short, averages about 184F water in the cup for volumes less than 90ml (the water dose for an americano). I ran five tests, opening the steam valve to full open, and got measurements between 182.5F, and 186.3F across the range, filling a pre-heated cappuccino cup.
My second test was to pump out 200ml, and the results there were lower: about 164F in 3 tests. This is because the boiler is filling with room temperature water from the reservoir, and the heating element can’t keep up with heating the water.
However, the Victoria offers a trick up its sleeve: you can modulate and reduce the flow of hot water out of the steam wand, allowing the boiler to in effect “keep up” with the constant introduction of water from the reservoir. Reducing the flow rate to less than half, the 200ml cup fill averages 174.5F, a better result for tea or hot beverage use.
The Reservoir
Lelit’s design of the reservoir on the Victoria is the machine’s worst aspect. I suspect they just use the same plastic reservoir tank in all their non E61-equipped machines, and had to go with the shortest design that could fit their smallest machine (the Anna). Because of this, the reservoir tank sits very deep inside the Victoria’s reservoir cavity.
You can’t easily see the water level (I’ve taken to using a flashlight to check it, even in daytime, pointing down inside the reservoir). Refilling it is a huge mess if you just try to pour water from a pitcher directly into the reservoir’s small fill hole. Keep in mind, the power supply entry point is right below this reservoir, so there is potential for water damage. Removing the reservoir to fill at the sink is also a challenge, because you have to remove all the hoses etc from it before removing it from the machine.
My solution is definitely not elegant: I use a funnel to fill the reservoir. Even then, it’s hard to see the water level as this is going on, so I have to stop often, remove the funnel, check the water height, reinsert the funnel, and continue guessing at the top fill amount. (nb, I will include photos of this setup later).
Lelit needs to completely redesign this reservoir for the Victoria.
The only positives here is that the machine has a low-water sensor, with the aforementioned reserve, so at the very least you won’t run out of water in the middle of a shot. And the front panel tells you when you need to refill the reservoir.
The reservoir doesn't sit flush with the top of the machine, and has several tubes that need to be fitted inside. The reservoir sits deep inside, making it difficult to fill without a funnel, and even more difficult to see the water level. Connect with us on Social Media MastodonInstagramFacebook-f SearchSearch coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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For this First Look, I’ve decided to limit the comparisons to other machines, saving that for our Full Review of the Lelit Victoria. That said, I did do some very rudimentary head to head tests, mainly against the Profitec Go, but also against the Breville Infuser (a machine that’s half the price).
Vs. Profitec Go
I have a love-hate thing with the Profitec Go, and don’t quite understand the wild popularity of the machine. The two main issues I have with it is a) the limited cup height, and b) the lack of hot water delivery from the machine. I feel the latter is a serious omission, especially on a machine that retails for $1,200 or more.
The Victoria wins in terms of cup height, overall features (it has a lot more, detailed in a previous section), easier visibility of the pressure gauge, more advanced pre-infusion modes and the auto purge and reserve reservoir functions. The machine also comes with a water filter system, something the Go doesn’t have.
That said, the Profitec Go wins in several categories, first and foremost in style: it’s a much better looking machine than the Victoria, and comes in a wide range of colour choices. This is important to people in this day and age. A standout feature is the ability to change the machine’s OPV valve directly from the top of the machine. Also, the Go has better portafilters, comes with a better tamper, has a larger boiler (400ml), a faster claimed heat up time (the unit we have doesn’t have this feature), and has a 3 year warranty from some select vendors (the Lelit Victoria is 1 year).
Between the two, the Lelit Victoria is the clear winner for me. I just wish it came in different colour choices.
Vs. Breville Infuser
So this is an interesting choice because the Infuser is like the red headed stepchild (can I still use that phrase?) of the Breville lineup, but in many ways, is a machine that punches way above its weight class. And while it is half the price of the Victoria, it offers some features the Lelit machine can’t touch.
For instance, the Infuser turns on and heats up quicker because it is thermoblock-based. It also transitions from brew to steam a lot quicker, and has more powerful, sustained steaming ability. The Infuser also has a dedicated hot water tap, a much better water reservoir design, and is quieter in operation. Like the Victoria, the Infuser has a visible pressure gauge, but also has volumetric shot controls with Breville’s well tuned preinfusion mode that can also be used manually.
The Victoria moves past the Infuser in other ways. Where the Infuser only lets you set 5 brew temperatures up or down 1C, the Victoria lets you program in a wider range in more granular fahrenheit settings, and you can also set it for the steam temperatures. The Victoria has automatic shot timers, low water sensors, a “reserve” mode for the water tank, and much more advanced water management systems built in. The preinfusion system is more robust with more programming options, and the overall build quality and materials are much better, inside and out.
And of course, the Victoria is based on a 58mm commercial grouphead and portafilter system, not the 54mm found on the Infuser.
In our Full Review, we’ll have more on how the Victoria competes against these machines and others.
The Victoria on the bar, paired up with a Rancilio Stile grinder. Excellent combo. coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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With features like a 58mm high-end portafilter, advanced LCC controls, and automations such as auto-fill, auto-purge, auto-standby, and steam mode shutoff, the Lelit Victoria is undeniably a prosumer machine. Its all-metal construction and top-tier internal parts solidify its place in this category.
This machine is built to last for decades with proper care. Using water filters, especially aftermarket magnesium for calcium swapping systems like BWT, can help minimize scale buildup and extend the life of gaskets and o-rings. Even if repairs are needed, they’re easy for local service centers or can be done yourself with some help from YouTube.
The Victoria is an investment too: offering an amortized cost of about $75 per year over its projected lifespan, and that includes occasional service and repairs. They also have a good resale value when kept in good condition, often as much as 70% of the original cost.
The Victoria delivers exceptional, temperature-controlled espresso and reliable steaming for a few drinks per session; if you want more volume, you have to start looking at dual boilers, thermojet systems, or heat exchanger machines.
With its small footprint, impressive features – many rare in machines under $1,000 – and outstanding temperature stability, the Lelit Victoria is a top contender for anyone ready to level up their espresso game. We’ll be showcasing this machine to a select group in our focus groups going forward, and will do more regimented tests against competing machines, and will report back at a later date on these findings, along with a full score for the machine. Right now, I feel very comfortable recommending this machine, and it will be in our 2025 Best Espresso Machines guide.
If you’re already sold, consider buying it directly from Lelit USA via this link. Lelit has joined our pilot Affiliate Program, so purchasing it directly from them provides us a small commission (at no additional cost to you) which helps keep this website viable. But there’s other reasons to consider buying it direct from the manufacturer, including free shipping, better Tier 1 support for the machine, extended warranty options, and improved access to replacement and repair parts down the road.
Where to Buy theVictoria Manufacturer Website Buy from Supplier (US) Buy from 1st in Coffee CoffeeGeek Sponsor!We use affiliate links to a) Amazon, and b) manufacturers only. Any links to vendors (including CoffeeGeek Sponsors) are not income generating links. Further details about our commission and affiliate link policies can be found on our Terms and Conditions Page. The use of any affiliate links have no effect on our editorial policy or review objectivity.
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I finally caught up with #ClerksIII and damn it got me right in the feels. One of my favorite songs closed out the movie (trilogy? saga?), too.
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I finally caught up with #ClerksIII and damn it got me right in the feels. One of my favorite songs closed out the movie (trilogy? saga?), too.
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I finally caught up with #ClerksIII and damn it got me right in the feels. One of my favorite songs closed out the movie (trilogy? saga?), too.
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They say the sun shines on the just and the unjust alike. Is that true? Asking for a friend #SolarPV #Sunsynk #CosyOctopus #ASHP #OutgoingOctopus
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