The article is dedicated to the origin of the idiom «kangaroo court» and its meaning through semantic analysis.
Keywords: kangaroo court, semantic meaning, idiom.
The statement of the former US President Donald Trump regarding the congressional inquiry into the Capitol riot as “kangaroo court” has excited not only the foreign mass media but also American journalists to dive into the dictionaries for the meaning of the idiom to understand what lies behind the phrase.
“'Why haven't the Unselects asked for Secret Service corroboration of the so-called «choke hold?"' asked Trump. 'Because they know the answer, and don't like it. A Kangaroo Court!” [D.Trump.14.06.2022].
Etymology is the history of a linguistic form (such as a word) shown by tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, by tracing its transmission from one language to another, by analyzing it into its component parts, by identifying its cognates in other languages, or by tracing it and its cognates to a common ancestral form in an ancestral language. [3]
Idiom is an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as up in the air for «undecided») or in its grammatically atypical use of words (such as give way) [3].
When students start learning a foreign language, they have natural desire to know the origin of some words, especially the origin of idioms. Understanding the way how a particular word or phrase occurred will give a student a great advantage in figuring out its most effective use. In addition, knowing the usage of an idiom in the past and present will increase the comprehension of its nuances. Nevertheless, most idioms are local and used in a small community or region. That is why the study of the origin of an idiom is related to both the history and culture of the country whose language is being studied.
Semantic analysis of an idiom provides the meaning which can not be derived either from direct translation of its elements or from the context. The semantheme expressed by the idiom is normally indivisible into separately realized simple semanthemes and this distinguishes from the complex semantheme of a variable phrase. Real indivisibility of a complex semantheme expressed in an idiom, caused by the weakening of the lexical meanings of its components (i.e. deactualization of the simple semanthemes that make it up), leads an idiom to the transformation of a description into a nomination. Semantic content of the idiom is indivisible, but not equal to a simple semantheme. At the same time, the transition of the description into the nomination which is intrinsic to the idiom, entails the tendency of its semantic structures to simplify. Under the influence of these two confronting existing forces the idiom simultaneously combines within itself both simplicity and complexity in terms of its content; while neither of them is presented in its pure form [1, p.88–89].
The true origin of the idiom is not provided with any evidence. The term “kangaroo court” is thought to appear in the United States of America during the California Gold Rush around 1841–1849. This period is featured with lots of people travelling to the USA to pursue the dream of becoming rich. Therefore, it is speculated that Australian workers, which were presented in great numbers laboring in gold mines, might be involved in the formation of the idiom. They also were in tense relationship with local people which resulted in predetermined outcomes against these Australian immigrants — hence, “kangaroo court” — immigrants had to face judges or “claim jumpers”, so, such courts possibly were named as “kangaroo court” [3].
According to Oxford English Dictionary, the first printed evidence of the term is dated in 1853 when Philip Paxton published a magazine article title Astray Yankee in Texas . The author wrote: “By a unanimous vote, Judge G– was elected to the bench and the ‘Mestang’ or ‘ Kangaroo Court ’ regularly organized.”
However, there are some printed materials that prove the idiom was used earlier in various newspapers:
New Orleans (Louisiana) The Times-Picayune on August 24, 1841, page 2: “DON’T COMPREHEND.—The Concordia Intelligencer says “several loafers were lynched in Natchez last week upon various charges instituted by the Kangaroo court . The times grow warm; we can see another storm coming, not unlike that which prevailed in the days of the Murrel excitement. In Natchez, as in New Orleans, they are driving away all of the free negroes.” What is aKangaroo court , neighbor?” [4].
The Mississippian on January 12, 1849, letter to the editor, page 3, column 2:
On the evening succeeding the election, a meetimg was gotten up some what in imitation of a “ Kangaroo Court ,” for the purpose of trying three individuals, (not all of who had voted for Taylor,) on charges preferred, that one of them, H_____, is ever loudest to proclaim his democratic sentiments, but has never been known to vote for one of the party for any office, from President down. [4]
Galveston (Texas), Weekly News on April 1, 1851, page 1, column 4: For the “News”. BACKWOODS SCENES: (…)So that our readers may understand what was meant by the allusion to the Kangaroo, we will state that the San Felipeans had regularly organized a mock tribunal, called--a very uncouth appellation, by the bye—the “Supreme Kangaroo Court of San Felipe.” (...)
And they did “invistigate the matter,” to the utmost extent of the powers vested in the august Kangaroo Court [4].
Galveston (Texas), Weekly Journal on June 18, 1852, page 2, column 1: We have had one regular mail in succession, within the last six weeks. It is understood that Judge Foster will hold a Kangaroo Court , to try the Houston mail driver for contempt of Judge Kangaroo the first time he brings through a regular New Orleans mail” [4].
Examining clippings from the newspapers above, it can be concluded that the term “kangaroo court” referred to any “court of injustice represented by either corrupted judges pursuing own interests or local folk whose intentions were to lynch innocents. Furthermore, the idiom is a great example of influence of cross-cultural communication on English language because the word “kangaroo” was first recorded in 1770 by Captain James Cook during his expeditions to Australia and after more than six decades it was used in pair with English word “court” to make up the idiom “kangaroo court”.
One of the semantic meaning of the term “kangaroo court” that was taken for analysis is — it is any tribunal in which judgment is rendered arbitrarily or unfairly. This meaning can be traced in the following sentences:
“Of the 12 persons put on trial before a literal kangaroo court, 9 were condemned to death with verdict decided in advance by the judicial authorities” [2].
“During the Romanian Revolution in 1989, President and Communist Party General Secretary Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena Ceausescu were sentenced to death by a kangaroo court consisting of members of the military: Two military judges, two colonels, and three other officers of lesser ranks. The prosecutor was Dan Voinea; two lawyers represented the defendant. All the members of the court were part of the Romanian People's Army, which had recently switched to the side of the revolutionaries” [9].
It can be derived that kangaroo court represents the place where the verdict is predetermined and defendant can not stand a chance to prove the innocence. The whole process is organized for the sake of show.
The other meaning of “kangaroo court” is for courts that are self-appointed or mob operated and disregards or parodies existing principles of law or human rights. Those “judges” go against one of the principles of law — presumption of innocence or “innocent until proven guilty”. Such meaning is implied in the examples below:
“In his inaugural lecture made in the memory of Justice Satya Brata Sinha in Ranchi, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana said that agenda-driven debates and kangaroo courts being run by the media are detrimental to the health of the country’s democracy” [5].
“At times, the mob would attack the authorities to apprehend the lynch victim and, in the process, the negro would receive blows, spit as well as missiles thrown at him by the crowd. Once apprehended, his fate would be sealed as he would be taken to a premeditated end which would have been organized by the kangaroo court” [6].
Kangaroo court can also be an irregular one organized by prisoners in a jail according to the inner hierarchy when the most authoritative person dictates the rules for others and punishes those who do not obey or breaks them:
“Last month, detectives at Port Phillip were called to investigate a series of violent assaults on younger prisoners after notes were left outside the cells of inmates, in the manner of a summons, requiring them to attend “kangaroo court” proceedings” [8].
“The “Kangaroo courts” in prison are a formal example of what has been the active protocol of prisoners since the inception of convict culture” [8].
Having studied the etymology of the idiom “kangaroo court” and its semantic meaning it can be concluded that despite the fact it has more than a century of history dating from 1841, the idiom have not lost its relevance and primary semantic meaning. Kangaroo court is referred to be an unfair trial when the letter of the law is neglected and the basic principles of human rights are violated. Over the years, the idiom expresses the interaction between criminals in the places of detention.
References:
- Амосова, Н. Н. Основы английской фразеологии / Н. Н. Амосова. — Ленинград: Издательство Ленинградского Университета, 1963. — 208 c.
- Cambridge Dictionary: сайт. — URL: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/ kangaroo-court
- Merriam-Webster: сайт. — URL: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idiom
- Newspapers: сайт. — URL: https://www.newspapers.com/clippings/
- NEWSROOMPOST: сайт. — URL: https://newsroompost.com/india/
- THEPATRIOT: сайт. — URL: https://www.thepatriot.co.zw/old_posts/
- VICE: сайт. — URL: https://www.vice.com/en/article/
- Wikipedia: сайт. — URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_court
