A matter of grave importance, which has been troubling me no end. People being addressed as "Anne" and "Anna". The intention is noble. They mean “elder male sibling”. But from the way it is spelt, they could very well be addressing the English Princess. Or the tennis great? Tolstoy’s character? They could even be calling my best half (superlative intentional), by a shortened version of her rather lengthy name (the remaining parts meaning flower-queen!)
"Anna" is frequently heard in mushy dialogues in Tamil movies, portraying the cloying affection of elder brothers for their kid brothers and sisters. This term is common too among the Iyers of Forest Bridge (Forest Bridge being a rustic hollow in Kerala). The term Iyer often is taken to mean the bare-chested folks who mumble on our behalf to the Gods. But we are talking about the once illustrious and learned class of people, who are now sadly diluted and corrupted. Except for a few remaining ones, yours truly included.
But in the general scheme of things, locally we address elder males as "அண்ணே" which is written "Anneh". Not "Anne" or "Anna". Let us stop the corruption of our native terms. Lets call a spade a spayed.
Therefore, we resolve to henceforth use the term "Anneh" when written, and with a suitable affectionate drawl when spoken.
If we try hard enough, we can even justify this to be in line with the spirit of 1 Malaysia.
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