Re: ,Language' in language name?

John Cowan wrote:
>Andreas Johansson scripsit:
>
> > In school I was thought that nouns in -ese have a zero plural marking,
>so
> > "one Japanese", "two Japanese" is correct. Native speakers don't feel
>this?
>
>The use of -ese nouns to refer to persons is mildly archaic.  Seventy years
>ago
>or so, Ogden Nash (American comic poet) could still write "How very polite
>is
>the Japanese/He always says 'Excuse it, please'", but that seems bizarre
>now.
>Nowadays, "Japanese" without "the" refers to the Japanese language, and
>"the
>Japanese", with the article, refers to the people of Japan considered
>collectively.  Neither of these uses can be pluralized, of course.
And I assume the same goes for all other people-names in -ese? Sigh.
>
>And using "English" as a individual personal noun is and has always been
>impossible; one must say "person from England" or "English-speaking person"
>as the case may be.  (Except in a restaurant, where Americans can order
>"two English", meaning English muffins!  Here, of course, there is no
>plural
>marker because the noun has been elided.)
I do hope "an Englishman" is still acceptable? Or has the feminists purged
that?

                                                   Andreas

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