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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jerome Foster said:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial
size=2>>></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Re what to call
Chinese and Japanese- the current PC term is Asian. Seems it<BR>was once Asiatic
but that lost favor sometime after WWII. Then it was<BR>Oriental but that went
out for some reason though my local supermarket sells<BR>Oriental food and there
is a market that sells only Oriental food run by<BR>Asians who don't seem to
object to the term. And as for "colored" The NAACP<BR>has not seen fit to change
its name....</FONT><BR><<</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The PC objection to "Oriental" is based on
etymology (from Latin _oriens_ 'rising'; that is, in the direction of the rising
sun) -- that it labels people from a Western perspective.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I contend that arguments for or against certain
usages that are based on etymology are weak, as word origins are not
generally in people's awareness as they use language. Etymology is a
fascinating study, but has little to do with everyday usage
decisions.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In the case of fixed compounds that contain non-PC
elements -- e.g., "Negro spiritual", "NAACP", "cigar-store Indian", "Indian
summer", "Dago red", "Guinea T", or "Oriental food" -- such combinations are
naturally difficult to change because any substitution diminishes or
destroys their value as designators. In some instances no good
alternative can be used without substantial explanation.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Frank Abate</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dictionary & Reference Specialists
(DRS)<BR>Consulting & Lexicographic Services<BR>(860) 510-0100, ext
2311<BR><A
href="mailto:abatefr@earthlink.net">abatefr@earthlink.net</A></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>