ArnoldSpeak Once Again Impacting Political Language

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggers use of the term, Girlie Men, has not only caused a firestorm of criticism from his Democratic opponents but also jolted the PQ Index (Political-sensitivity Quotient) by rising some 400% in less than a week, the Global Language Monitor announced earlier today, (www.LanguageMonitor.com). If this trend continues, 'girlie men would rank in the top ten of the forthcoming PQ Index besting such terms as 'flip flopping, 'quagmire, and 'jobless recovery.

Danville, California (PRWEB) July 26, 2004 -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggers use of the term, Girlie Men, has not only caused a firestorm of criticism from his Democratic opponents but also jolted the PQ Index (Political-sensitivity Quotient) by rising some 400% in less than a week, the Global Language Monitor announced earlier today, (www.LanguageMonitor.com). If this trend continues, 'girlie men would rank in the top ten of the forthcoming PQ Index besting such terms as 'flip flopping, 'quagmire, and 'jobless recovery.

The PQ Index is a proprietary algorithm that tracks politically sensitive words and phrases in the media and on the Internet. The words and phrases are tracked in relation to their frequency, contextual usage and appearance in global media outlets, thereby separating the 'spin and the 'hype from the facts.

At a stop in Ontario, California on Saturday, Schwarzenegger told the Southern California crowd: "They cannot have the guts to come out there in front of you and say, 'I don't want to represent you. I want to represent those special interests: the unions, the trial lawyers'... I call them girlie men. They should get back to the table and they should finish the budget."

The term originated on the old 'Hans and Franz' Saturday Night Live skits in which Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon did a pre-Governator Schwarzenegger-like send-up where they used such terms as 'girlie men, 'pump you up, and the like.

The word 'girl' originally evolved from the Middle English, girle, which meant a young child, either male or female.

Paul JJ Payack, President and The WordMan of the Global Language Monitor said, The Governor has a way of speaking all his own, that we call ArnoldSpeak, which is an on-going language lab experiment. This is the latest in a series of terms he has popularized that owe a heavy debt to his Terminator films, such as The Governator, 'Hasta La Vista, and 'I'll be back'".

Opponents criticized the use of 'girlie men as offensive to women and gays. The Governors Spokesman, Rob Stutzman, responded: "It's a forceful way of making the point to regular Californians that legislators are wimps". The term 'wimp has made no impact on the PQ Index.

The current presidents father, George Herbert Walker Bush, was characterized as a 'wimp during his run for the Republican Nomination that was eventually won by Ronald Reagan in 1980. This was eventually known as 'the wimp factor.

Bush the Elder also famously said, 'Read my Lips,' referring to his no new taxes pledge, a phrase that would later come back to plague him during his campaign for re-election.

The Complete July PQ Index can be found at http://www.languagemonitor.com.

Highlights include:

· 'Fahrenheit, 'Beheading, 'Sovereignty, 'Hair, 'Link and 'Liar all made their debut in the Top Ten of the July PQ Index.
· 'Fahrenheit related to the Michael Moore film, knocked 'Reagan out of the top spot, 'economic recovery fell to No. 6, and Abu Ghraib 'torture/abuse tumbled to No. 10.
· 'Resign/resignation linked to Donald Rumsfeld tumbled fourteen places to the No. 18 spot.
· 'My Life linked to the Clinton autobiography at No. 2 had the largest monthly gain,
· 'Beheading unfortunately surged over 600%.
· 'Hair linked to the Kerry/Edwards ticket was up over 500%,
· 'Liar when related to both Kerry and Bush more than doubled over the past months Index (though Bush leads this 'poll by a 2:1 margin).
· Finally, 'flip flop/flip flopping' relating to Kerry moved up 4 places to No. 11.

The PQ Index is published monthly leading up to the US Presidential Elections on November 2nd, and quarterly thereafter.

About the Global Language Monitor
The Global Language Monitor documents, analyzes, and tracks the latest trends in word usage and word choices, and their impact on the various aspects of culture, with a particular emphasis upon Global English.

For more information, call 1.925.367.7557, send email to info@LanguageMonitor.com or visit Http://www.LanguageMonitor.com.

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