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From: mgv@duke.UUCP (Marco G. Valtorta)
Newsgroups: net.nlang,net.women
Subject: Re: "Lei" (literally) she = you in Italian
Message-ID: <5288@duke.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 19-Jan-85 22:37:45 EST
Article-I.D.: duke.5288
Posted: Sat Jan 19 22:37:45 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 22-Jan-85 04:54:52 EST
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In a recent article on this subject,
Lee Gold says that "Lei" is used in Italian as a courtesy
form for "you," because it stands for "excelenzia," meaning
"Excellency."  I don't know where he got this information.
It does not make much sense to me.  In any case, the
correct Italian word is "eccellenza."

Lee Gold concludes his note by saying that
the use of "Lei" does not "seem to have had much effect
on enhancing the non-sexual chauvinism of Italian culture."
I don't understand what "non-sexual chauvinism" means.
I suspect Lee Gold means "male chauvinism."  If Mr. Gold
is American, he may not know that in Italy a female cannot
be paid less that a male doing the same job, and that
Italian law prohibits discrimination based on sex.
The party that has dominated Italian politics since
WW2, the Christian Democratic Party, has consistently
been favorable to women's problems and needs.
Apart from the above-mentioned anti-discrimination law,
one should remember the law that made brothels illegal
(1953--written by a woman senator), and pro-family laws,
which often, in concrete cases, end up favoring
women.  For example, in Italy, a family's income tax is no 
greater than the sum of the taxes that would be payed by 
its members if they were not married. As another example,
there are legal provisions for the working mother that
make it possible for her to take longer leaves of absence
without pay than in most American companies.  The whole
community, not just a company, shares the burden of this.

Mr. Gold may be confused by the fact that groups of
self-defined "feminists," usually members of extreme left parties,
attack the CD party.  Major among these groups is the "League
of Women," an organization for Communist Women.