hyphenated; was Re: Re: Hyphenated Americans

[Thomas Paikeday]

I agree about sensibilities. In my view, based only on the evidence in my
private database, without googling the word or examining the dictionaries,
adj. "hyphenated" means "of divided loyalties." It is a derogatory term used
against the other guy, not about oneself. "I'm a hyphenated American" is not
normally idiomatic. Of course it could be self-deprecatory or ironic, but
"He/she is a hyphenated American" is quite idiomatic. But, of course, that
was not Bob Wachal's question!

Tom Paikeday, lexicographer
www.paikeday.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan Lighter" <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 8:21 AM
Subject: Re: Hyphenated Americans


> ---------------------- Information from the mail
> header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Hyphenated Americans
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Anybody who's a citizen is an American. So naturalized citizens count.
>
> In theory. In practice, it helps to be born here. A naturalized citizen is
> more likely, I think, to be described as "from the Czech Republic," "from
> Africa," etc.
>
> My guess is that the actual application of "hyphenated" national terms
> depends entirely on the sensibility of the speaker.
>
> JL
>
> Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail
> header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Wilson Gray
> Subject: Re: Hyphenated Americans
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On 11/13/05, Robert Wachal wrote:
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail
>> header -----------------------
>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>> Poster: Robert Wachal
>> Subject: Hyphenated Americans
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> >Does a term like Czech-American apply to immigrants or only to people of
>> >Czech descent born in the U.S.?
>>
>
> The same question can be asked WRT African-American.
> --
> -Wilson Gray
>
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