日本には不思議な鳥が・・・ － parrot

お馴染みの鳥、オウムです。

話しかけるとそのとおりを繰り返す、というのを体験した方も多いでしょうか？American Heritage Dictionaryの定義を引用すると、下記のようにありました。


Any of numerous tropical and semitropical birds of the order Psittaciformes, characterized by a short hooked bill, brightly colored plumage, and, in some species, the ability to mimic human speech or other sounds.
(American Heritage Dictionary of English Language. Third Edition.)


"mimic"という動詞は、真似る、という意味ですが、オウムという鳥が持つこの特殊な能力から発展した意味として、

（機械的に）反復する、繰り返す、
（訳も分からず）猿真似する、


という意味があります。この用法にはやや軽蔑が込められており、”機械的に”、あるいは”分けも分からずに”というところがポイントです。

この話題にしてこの引用、という感がありますが、まさしくぴったりの引用です。


The secretary-general of the governing party declared war against prosecutors in a party convention, and was applauded by party members. The prime minister, who heads the party, fanned Ozawa's battle against prosecutors saying, "Please stand firm." The gloomy and chilly scene of the convention, which was characterized by absolute obedience to Ozawa, will be long remembered and handed down to the next generation.

When asked how he views Ozawa's hostility against prosecutors, one DPJ legislator replied, "It's a fight between the DPJ-led government elected by the public and bureaucracy (which includes prosecutors' offices)." An idea like this has undoubtedly poisoned the party.

（中略）

The legislator explained the situation by combining such words as "the public" and "bureaucracy" in an easy-going manner, but his explanation shows that he does not understand the feelings of ordinary people and bureaucrats. Democracy in which legislators like him are mass-produced under the leadership of a strong-armed secretary-general will obviously lead to a gloomy future. The legislator simply parroted Ozawa's words.
(Japan's gloomy political scene. The Mainichi Daily News. January 18, 2010.)