Re: Exonyms [Re: English syllable structure]

Quoting Tristan Alexander McLeay <anstouh@...>:

> > Just like there's really nothing we can do about the other rude
> > things people from other countries call us like gringo, dabizi,
> > gaijin (though those last two would include Aussies, too.)
>
> Yes, but `other rude'? You aren't telling me you're offended by it?
I think there's a good number of Americans who'd be offended
by it, yes.  Most would interpret it as being simply a short
form of "yankee" which, as I've already said, most Americans
don't consider themselves to be.  I would have similar
hesitations about calling all citizens of the UK "Brits",
although most citizens of the UK *are* Britons.

It's said that many years ago, back when Thanksgiving was
a holiday still connected with New England, the Texan governor
was asked to declare to Thanksgiving a state holiday as well.
He refused, saying: "It's a damn *Yankee* holiday!"

=====================================================================
Thomas Wier <trwier@...> <http://home.uchicago.edu/~trwier>
                     "...koruphàs hetéras hetére:isi prosápto:n /
Dept. of Linguistics  mú:tho:n mè: teléein atrapòn mían..."
University of Chicago "To join together diverse peaks of thought /
1010 E. 59th Street   and not complete one road that has no turn"
Chicago, IL 60637     Empedocles, _On Nature_, on speculative thinkers

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