Kan en politisk næse være lang?

Abstract

This article examines the special political-administrative sense of the word næse ‘nose’ in Danish, designating formal public reprimand. A næse is frequently given through a majority vote in the Danish Parliament to members of the government as a culmination of political controversy over e.g. administrative errors or failure to govern in compliance with rules or agreements. However, the article shows that in public debate and media representations, the political næse tends to achieve satire and caricature rather than serious criticism, owing in part to its bodily association. It is even perceived by some as a symbol of democratic decline, directly compromising its official purpose. On the other hand, the political næse is explicitly assumed across Danish media and on the official website of the Danish Parliament to derive historically from a lexeme unrelated to the smelling organ, viz. the obsolete Middle Danish noun nesæ, designating ‘shame’/‘dishonour’. To shed light on these contradictory interpretations, previous etymological treatments are consulted and discussed, establishing that there is little authoritative support for the standard etymological explanation given by Danish media and the Danish Parliament. However, certain Danish dialect features are discussed as they seem to add complexity to the general picture. Finally, a sample of written media representations of political næse cases is explored through the lens of framing analysis, to illustrate how the fuzzy etymology and semantics of the political næse reflect its usage and understandings in current news media.