On • (ɔn) • pronoun
Definition: one, we, us, everyone
Origin: French
In the sixth grade, I started studying French and realized for the first time that a new language could reshape how you see the world and your place in it. I did not need to reach fluency to start seeing the world differently, and I could progress on a transformational linguistic journey one word at a time. Over the years, there have been numerous French words and phrases that have impacted how I perceive existence, but I still remember the tiny, subtle, and common French word that propelled this shift. That word is on.
French Pronouns
One of the first things you learn in a language, outside of the alphabet and counting to ten, are pronouns. Je = “I”. Tu = “you”. Il, elle = “he”, “she”. Nous = “we”. Thus far, everything aligns perfectly with the pronouns in English, until we get to the next pronoun. Vous = “you”, which left me mildly confused. It turns out French has a singular and a plural “you”, and I immediately thought about how much better it would be if English had the same. In the South, we have a plural “you” in “y’all,” but that is merely a colloquialism. The next pronouns are ils, elles = “they” (masculine and feminine), which I had a similar reaction to as with vous. I found it interesting and possibly convenient to be able to distinguish between male and female groups, but not mind-altering. However, after these eight pronouns, I learned a ninth that changed my worldview and it profoundly did not have an English equivalent.
What is On?
On is a French pronoun that means “one,” “we,” “us,” and “everyone;” but it is not the same word as the number one in French: un. For example, in French, if you want to say, “Let’s go,” you could say either “nous y allons” or “on y va.” The direct translation of both French phrases is “We go there.” This small two-letter word and this simple phrase had a profound impact on me because on is simultaneously singular and plural. “Allons” and “va” both derive from the French verb aller that means “to go.” “Va” is normally used with il, elle, and “allons” is always used with nous. The phrase “on y va” indicates that multiple people are going somewhere, but it is conjugated as if it were one person.
On speaks to the duality of existence between the singular and plural, and this was not how America had conditioned my brain to think. I was never given the words to think this way, but now that I did, I started seeing things differently. When I would write in English, I increased my usage of “one” instead of “he, she” or “they.” This is not the same as on, but it is its closest equivalent and it helps to merge the singular with the plural. Linguistically and philosophically upon learning the basics of French, I incrementally started to dismantle and deconstruct the notions of American individualism that had been propagated into my mind. Why aspire to be merely an individual when life makes more sense when you understand that you are both singular and plural, individual and collective? American English did not have a word for this, but French did, and French speakers casually use this enlightening word throughout their entire lives.
On forces you to think of the duality of existence, and a simple exercise consists of thinking about how different you are when you are alone and when you are with other people. Personally, I can be incredibly quiet when I am alone, but when I am around people, I can be quite talkative. I am equally myself in both scenarios even though I might seem completely different. I have no desire to prioritize one ahead of the other because both are equally me.
When I first decided that on would be this week’s word, I thought about it in relation to COVID-19. It is of even greater importance to cherish the duality of on because we are self-isolating and alone far more than we used to be, but we are doing this for the collective good. We are singular and plural at the same time. Those who recklessly break social distancing guidelines and fuel the spread of a deadly pandemic cannot manage this duality. They have an individualistic desire to gather with people, and they do not understand that they are with people even when they are alone.
But this was before George Floyd’s murder. I initially intended for on to be understood as a way to contemplate and casually express our interconnectedness, but on and “on y va” can also denote action.
“On y va”
On starts with philosophy by inclining us to think about the duality of life. Then it progresses to language and art by encouraging us to frequently express our duality via the words we speak every day of our lives. Lastly, on commands us to act as one as “We Go There.” We must stand up for our humanity, and fight back against systemic ethnocidal oppression.
At SCL, we believe that sustainable progressive change starts with philosophy, then expands into art, and culminates into action. We call this our Philosophy-In-Action Framework, “Pia” for short, but we could also call it “on y va.”
As Americans take to the streets to protest the murder of George Floyd, they are fighting against American Ethnocide. The severity and necessity of the fight is so profound that they are willing to forge it during a deadly pandemic. This is a continuation of the fight for freedom that Freecano people have waged since the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade as Europeans used terror to build ethnocidal societies in the Americas. America has a dystopian, ethnocidal status quo whose horrors have been concealed and made banal. Americans right now are yearning for the chance to make an Eǔtopian society, and liberate ourselves from the dystopian one that lives off of the destruction of our bodies.
This week for The Daily Beast, I wrote about how ethnocide murdered George Floyd and many others. You can access the column here ‘I Can’t Breathe’ Is the New American Anthem: Here’s How We Change That, and I encourage you to post, comment, and share with your community because we need to get this language of naming the terror we live with into our individual and collective consciousness. Please tag us @scl_community and we’ll drop by to spread empowering and liberating language. On y va.
Reflection
The assignment for this week is to try thinking about the duality of on, the importance of being both singular and plural, and the necessity of using your philosophy and language for action. How differently might you see the world (and how different might America be) if our language encouraged us to constantly articulate that we are one and that we need to go places and act together?
Please share your thoughts with us via email, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter using #TheWord. We will be hosting a Live Q&A session on our Instagram today at 5PM EDT so that we can answer your questions about on. We hope to see you there.