Re: CHAT: silly names, prepositions

Andreas Johansson sikayal:

> I don't think anybody was even think about trying to force anyone anything.
> However, I, and it seems like I'm not alone, find it somewhat ambiguious to
> use "Americans" for "US citizens" since the word "Americans" looks like it
> refers to (any) inhabitants of the Americas, and is indeed sometimes so
> used.
No, it's not!  The fact remains that, ambiguous or not, the term
"American" is virtually always understood to refer to someone from the US.
People from the US use it that way.  People from foreign countries usually
understand 'American' that way, both in English and in whatever the local
language is.  The literal interpretation of the term may be misleading,
but since "American" is never understood literally, it's a moot argument.

Furthermore, the origin of the term "American" is not deliberately
arrogant.  There simply isn't any other common term available for
describing citizens of the US, and so "American" gets used.  Accusing
Americans of arrogance for this is unfair and rediculous, because
Americans can't change it and never meant anything by it in the first
place.

> Also, even tho' I'm not a native speaker, I do consider English to be "my"
> language,
<sarcasm> But *I'm* not from England and *I* speak English, too!  I demand
that those arrogant, imperialist Angles stop giving their name to all of
our language.  We should call it Anglo-Australio-Uso-Canadian, so that
everyone gets their share! </sarcasm>

This is insane.  Just like the term "American", the name "English" comes
from long in the past and is now so entrenched that to rail against it is
pointless.  Those that insist on calling it a symbol of arrogance simply
have a chip on their shoulders and should get over it.


Jesse S. Bangs jaspax@u.washington.edu
"It is of the new things that men tire--of fashions and proposals and
improvements and change.  It is the old things that startle and
intoxicate.  It is the old things that are young."
-G.K. Chesterton _The Napoleon of Notting Hill_
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