Negotiating in haste, and not at leisure
鈥淣egotiations鈥� have been filling our news pages of late, as they often do.聽
Negotiations over Britain鈥檚 exit from the European Union are under way. infers from a recent drop in the value of the pound that talks are off to a 鈥渞ocky start鈥� 鈥� even as British Prime Minister Theresa May EU President Jean-Claude Juncker is about to find out just how tough she can be.聽
Those looking forward to an exhilarating fiscal roller coaster ride this spring as the United States government faced a shutdown were perhaps disappointed when a was struck on a spending plan running all the way through Sept. 30.聽
On a happier note, the Writers Guild of America and Hollywood studios averted a strike earlier this month with a reached at the 11th hour 鈥� or maybe it was the 12th or 13th.聽
Perhaps closer to home, the consumer pages are full of tips on 鈥渘egotiating your in New York City鈥� (yeah, right) and negotiating an after a layoff, or even your salary for a first job.聽
鈥淎 salary negotiation is a conversation,鈥� a Florida International University professor was quoted as saying in a recent from the FIU news site. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a conversation with a positive ending, where we鈥檙e getting something and the employer is getting something, too鈥� 鈥� although that last point may sound a bit optimistic to a lot of boomeranging Millennials emailing out r茅sum茅s from their childhood bedrooms.聽
And, of course, the new US president prides himself on his own skills as a master negotiator.
So where does negotiation come from, etymologically speaking? And why does it begin with 鈥渘eg鈥�? Can that possibly be a positive sign?
It鈥檚 not, in fact. That 鈥渘eg鈥� is the very same element we see in negative. In both words, it means 鈥渘ot.鈥�
traces negotiation back into Latin, via Old French. There was a Latin verb form, negotiari, that meant to 鈥渃arry on business,鈥� but its meaning eventually expanded to cover 鈥渂argaining鈥� about anything.聽
No wonder 鈥渘egotiations鈥� are so often in the news.
And before negotiari, there was a noun, negotium, which meant 鈥渁 business, employment, occupation.鈥� But it also meant 鈥渄ifficulty, pains, trouble, labor,鈥� and specifically 鈥渓ack of leisure.鈥�
And bingo! This is where the 鈥渘egative鈥� side of negotiation comes in. The verbal roots of all these words covering dealmaking, doing business, carrying on, even specifically 鈥渁cting as a banker,鈥� are neg, meaning 鈥渘ot,鈥� and otium, meaning ease or leisure.
To negotiate is to be 鈥渘ot at leisure.鈥� It is, etymologically, hard work, taking pains. Thus the thunderings from Ms. May 鈥� and her EU interlocutors, too. Thus the drama of screenwriters in their negotiations with the studios, or the job candidates in their efforts with their prospective new bosses.
And no wonder the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has his work there a lot harder than he 颅expected.聽
