Roboton
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We need a new word in English: "roboton"
The reason I thought of this is because it reflects my reaction to the constant, mindless, monotonous repetition of Chinese government spokespersons with ready-made responses to any should-be difficult questions that may be put to them. For example, "China maintains a position of strict neutrality in the Ukraine crisis and never does anything contrary to international law" (or words to that effect), as Mme. Mao Ning (Director of the Foreign Ministry Information Department of China) has said so many times.
When the word "roboton" popped into my mind to characterize Mme. Mao Ning's mode de parler, I just assumed that it already was an English word. But when the grammar / spell checker on my computer told me something was wrong, I looked up "roboton" and found that indeed it didn't exist in English. So I searched around and found that, as we all know, "robot" originates from the Czech word robota (forced labor, drudgery), introduced in Karel Čapek’s 1920 play R.U.R. ("Rossum's Universal Robots") to describe artificial, human-like machines. It refers to automatic, programmable machines performing tasks or, metaphorically, a person acting mechanically, a robotnik (forced worker).
So the "robot" part of my "roboton" was all right for what I wanted to say, but by "ton", in my mind I was thinking of something like an automaton, a zombie-like person who just says whatever he / she is programmed to speak when a certain button is pushed. We know full well that China has been measurably assisting Russia in its attack on Ukraine — there is hard, documented evidence of that. For Madame Mao to say otherwise is a blatant lie, but she had to say it because that is what she was programmed to say.
I was thinking of her speech as a "roboton litany".
Also, very much in my mind when I was inventing "roboton" was this song by Styx (1983):
Lyrics
どうもありがと Mr. Robotoどうもありがと Mr. Robotoまた会う日までどうもありがと Mr. Roboto秘密を知りたい
You're wondering who I am (secret, secret, I've got a secret)Machine or mannequin? (Secret, secret, I've got a secret)With parts made in Japan (secret, secret, I've got a secret)I am thee modern man
I've got a secret, I've been hiding under my skinMy heart is human, my blood is boiling, my brain IBMSo if you see me acting strangely, don't be surprisedI'm just a man who needed someone and somewhere to hide to keep me aliveJust keep me alive, somewhere to hide, to keep me alive
I'm not a robot without emotions, I'm not what you seeI've come to help you with your problems so we can be freeI'm not a hero, I'm not the saviour, forget what you knowI'm just a man whose circumstances went beyond his controlBeyond my control, we all need controlI need control, we all need control
I am thee modern man (secret, secret, I've got a secret)Who hides behind a mask (secret, secret, I've got a secret)So no one else can see (secret, secret, I've got a secret)My true identity
どうもありがと Mr. Robotoどうも (どうも)どうも (どうも)どうもありがと Mr. Robotoどうも (どうも)どうも (どうも)どうもありがと Mr. Robotoどうもありがと Mr. Robotoどうもありがと Mr. Robotoどうもありがと Mr. Roboto
Thank you very much, Mr. RobotoFor doing the jobs that nobody wants toAnd thank you very much, Mr. RobotoFor helping me escape, when I needed toThank you, thank you, thank youI want to thank youPlease, thank you, oh-oh-oh, yeah
The problem's plain to seeToo much technologyMachines to save our livesMachines dehumanize
The time has come at last (secret, secret, I've got a secret)To throw away this mask (secret, secret, I've got a secret)Now everyone can see (secret, secret, I've got a secret)My true identity
I'm Kilroy, Kilroy, Kilroy, Kilroy
Selected readings
- "Measure words for robots" (9/4/21)
- "Robotic copying" (2/27/19)
- "The first conversing automaton" (8/7/10)
[Thanks to June Teufel Dreyer]
Chris Button said,
January 30, 2026 @ 8:18 pm
Although ありがと is an informal form of ありがとう, I would expect どうもありがとう to always have う at the end. But the pronunciation in the song is another matter of course…
Chips Mackinolty said,
January 30, 2026 @ 9:10 pm
And of course in Australia we had the"Robodebt" scandal, in which manual processing of social security payments has been largely reinstated due to proven allegations of false or incorrectly calculated automated debt notices being issued, with serious concerns over impacts on the physical and mental health of debt notice recipients (including suicides), and questions around the lawfulness of the scheme.
Alexander said,
January 30, 2026 @ 9:37 pm
Makes sense to me as robot + automaton!
Victor Mair said,
January 30, 2026 @ 11:10 pm
Thanks, Alexander. That makes me feel a lot better.
Ted McClure said,
January 31, 2026 @ 1:00 am
Alternatively, "Chatty Cathy" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatty_Cathy). Pull the string and words come out.
JPL said,
January 31, 2026 @ 1:00 am
So what are the questions that have elicited that particular robotonic response?
BTW, I've noticed that Chinese diplomatic language, when supposedly responding to questions (or even just observations) construed as critical of government conduct, never address the problem pointed out (e.g., with a reasoned defense), but only the propriety of asking it. And then they threaten a hostile action in response. For example, their recent response to remarks by Takaichi Sanae about Taiwan were like that. They seem to have a standard form, and the spokespeople giving them sound like robotons. Whatever happened to the idea of working things out in the cordial give and take of interactive dialogue between equal autonomous agents? There. Now if somebody else uses it (you haven't yet used it publicly, only mentioned it and reported its original creative occurrence in your head), your coinage is officially a word.
JPL said,
January 31, 2026 @ 1:05 am
Ooh! S-V agreement error: "address" in line 3 of para 2 should be "addresses".