Zamanfou
Encyclopedia
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
"Ωχαδερφισμός") is a counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
phenomenon in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
which involves social loafing
Social loafing
In the social psychology of groups, social loafing is the phenomenon of people exerting less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group than when they work alone...
as its principal characteristic .
Etymology
The term is derived from the FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
phrase "je m'en fous" (foutre). The French expression Je m'en fous became known by the Greeks before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
was the most common foreign language in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It was later adopted into everyday slang vocabulary, with Greek spelling and pronunciation. It is roughly equivalent to the English 'I don't care'.
The sister-term "ohaderfismos" derives from the Greek phrase "oh brother!" (ωχ αδερφέ!).
Background
Although Zamanfou might be considered a social phenomenon in Greece, it is no different from Social loafingSocial loafing
In the social psychology of groups, social loafing is the phenomenon of people exerting less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group than when they work alone...
, as this appears in other cultures or epochs. The individualism expressed by it results in many different stances and attitudes, representing the nature of each person, separately.
Zamanfou in popular culture
- "Zamanfou" is the title of a Greek song of Sakis Boulas.
- "Zamanfou" is the title of a Greek Hip Hop song of the rapper Eisvoleas.
- "Zamanfou" was the title of a Greek tv show by Annita PaniaAnnita PaniaAnnita Pania is a Greek television hostess.Before presenting her first dating show, "To Hrisso Koufeto" , she was a teacher of French language and a songwriter....
- "Zamanfou" is the title of a Greek Hip Hop song of the rapper TaraxiasTaraxiasTaraxias is a Greek hip-hop artist. He is currently signed to the Greek Hip-Hop supergroup The Family Label.- New Clear Sonics :...
featuring Sakis Boulas & Vasia Patrikarea (new version of the Sakis Boulas' song).