Ethnic-based terms of contempt

[Jonathan Lighter]

Most of these have a higher incidence in older slang dictionaries than in
"the field."

JL
On Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 12:33 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Ethnic-based terms of contempt
>
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>
> At 2/27/2009 10:07 AM, George Thompson wrote:
> >As to whether this is "uniquely American", if you can find a library
> >with a file of Reinhold Aman's Maladicta: the Journal of Verbal
> >Aggression, you will find plenty of examples from various languages.
> >
> >I dare say it's not widely held.  The first issues of this were
> >lambasted in TLS, and on the basis of that review, GAT ordered a
> >subscription for the Bobst Library, NYU.
>
> And at Harvard, of course, through vol. 13 (2004).
>
> Joel
>
>
> >GAT
> >
> >George A. Thompson
> >Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre",
> >Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at BELLSOUTH.NET>
> >Date: Thursday, February 26, 2009 3:45 pm
> >Subject: Ethnic-based terms of contempt
> >To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >
> > > The recent discussion of "shade-tree mechanic", which conveys, in some
> > > usages, contempt for the referent, naturally leads to the subject of
> > > other such expressions.
> > >
> > >  In US English many are ethnic -based, such as "Indian giver", "Dutch
> > > courage", "Chinese fire-drill", "French leave", "Irish pennant" (this
> > > one may be unique to the US Navy).
> > >
> > > How many others are there?  I'm wondering if this is uniquely
> > > American.  Probably not, but are we more predisposed to it?
> > >
> > > Bill Palmer
> > >
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