Re: NEWS: MicroSoft's Spanish language problems

In a message dated 09/17/2002 11.13.31 AM, Kou (latinfrench@SAGESCHOOL.ORG)
writes:

>For me, "native American" first conjurs up images of members of the
>Iroquois nation, the Sioux, etc. In recent years that has expanded to
>include also native peoples who live in the Great White North. I
>don't, however, as yet visualize people south of the border, so
>people of Mayan or Aztec heritage would not be immediately included,
>though technically speaking, there is no logical reason they
>wouldn't/shouldn't be covered by the term, but who promised logic
>with these kind of labels. "American Indian" sounds passé to me;
>"Amerindian" too forced. And alas, I know no one from said
>demographic to clue me in as to what grates and what swings.
    Recently I have seen "Mesoamericano" used to describe peoples who use to
be called "Latin American Indians" (versus "Iberoamericano" those who are of
self-proclaimed pure Spanish descent). AKAIK Meso-americano kind of fits into
word forms like "chicano."
    Be interesting to know what Brazilians think of this issue of labels and
identities - as they are not Spanish (well, most of them) and they have an
entirely more racially/culturally mixed[-up] demographic (note on Brazilian
national identity/pride: I have met Brazilians who joke that God must be
Brazilian cuz one can find nearly every possible ethnic/cultural mixture on
earth in Brazil. "It's not like United States of tossed salad," one
wisecracker said, "Brazil is the _real_ steaming stew." I think she meant
"melting pot", but then, again, she plays with words [she's part Dutch]).

    Anyways ...   :)

€º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€€º°`°º€ø,¸-~-
>
Hanuman Zhang
---------------------

    "Those at the top of the social order are apt to preach benevolence and
righteousness to those at the bottom. Yet those at the top have typically
stolen their position from others. They are the greatest thieves, because
they have stolen the greatest amount of land and other property. So words
about benevolence and righteousness are usually the fruit of robbery." -
Chuang Tzu/Zhuangzi

"O wise humanity, terribly wise humanity! Of thee I sing. How inscrutable is
the civilization where men toil and work and worry their hair gray to get a
living and forget to play!" - Lin Yutang, _The Importance of Living_

    "...So what is life for? Life is for beauty and substance and sound and
colour; and even those are often forbidden by law [socio-cultural
conventions]. . . . Why not be free and live your own life? Why follow other
people's rules and live to please others?..." ~Lieh-Tzu/Liezi, Taoist Sage
(c. 450- c. 375 BCE)

    "Logic, organization, government should all be forgotten inasmuch as they
begin themselves by making us forget the essential. ... We should learn to
live without working. That would mean we would have to live creatively."
        ~~~ John Cage, composer/thinker (1912-1992)

=> To Thine Own Self Be True <=

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