Italy Uses 'Bulgarian' with Derogatory Connotation

Society | January 3, 2012, Tuesday // 13:29
Bulgaria: Italy Uses 'Bulgarian' with Derogatory Connotation The flags of Bulgaria (L) and Italy (R). By crossed-flag-pins.com

The word Bulgarian has been used in the Italian language with a very derogatory connotation and has recently entered the media slang in the country, according to a Bulgarian TV channel.

The adjective (bulgaro or bulgara) was first used during the Cold War with the meaning of "lacking individuality" or "without resistance". Back then, Bulgaria had the image of being the closest ally of the Soviet Union, the bTV private channel has reminded.

Italy used to be shocked by the Bulgarian election results during that period, as the Bulgarian Communist Party habitually received 99% of the votes, hence the new meaning of the word.

"I must admit that I have used it. But I have personally never made the connection between these phrases and Bulgaria as a country or as a nation. Now that I think about it, it would have been a real scandal if the word "Jewish" was used, for example," Italian journalist Gerardo Pelosi has been cited commenting.

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Tags: Bulgarian, Italian, Soviet Union, word, Cold War

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