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<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><FONT size=2><SPAN class=890371717-22022005></SPAN>W<SPAN
class=890371717-22022005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=3>ayne and
Thapelo,</FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005></SPAN></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><FONT size=2><SPAN class=890371717-22022005><FONT
face=Arial color=#0000ff size=3>Where do we draw the line? If we have a
politically correct dictionary, </FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>certain
entries will be marked sexist, racist, or homophobic or not
even</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>be
mentioned. Of course, there are dictionaries of certain
subcultures,</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>slang
or argot dictionaries.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>But if
we want to produce a GENERAL dictionary for the whole
population</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>of an
ethnic group, where do we draw the line about what to include
and/</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>or what
to mark as slang etc.? The "positive social role" you are talking
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>about,
Wayne, cannot consist of expunging
</SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005>unwanted words and
expressions</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005>("unwanted" by dictionary-makers who have a certain
political or whatever </SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>agenda; impartiality does not
really exist in these matters, as far I am</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005>concerned).</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>Certain
great books (the Bible) or authors (Shakespeare) have enriched
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>the
vocabulary of English enormously. Can biassed dictionary-makers
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005>expurgate </SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>the English language because such
and such expressions are </SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>from
the </SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005>Bible or from a "white dead male" (Shakespeare)? A
certain </SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>Thomas <I>Bowdler</I>, an editor in
Victorian times tried to rewrite Shakespeare, </SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005>removing all profanity so as not to offend the
</SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005>sensibilities of the audiences
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>of his
day (hence the term "to bowdlerize"). It did not
work.</DIV></SPAN></FONT></FONT>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005>Thapelo, can you tell me more about Terry Eagleton's
position in the</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>chapter
of "Literary Theory"?</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005></SPAN></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>Fritz
Goerling</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><FONT size=2><SPAN class=890371717-22022005>
<P>></P></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=890371717-22022005> </SPAN><BR></DIV></FONT></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thapelo,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My own thought is that a thorough dictionary can,
and perhaps should, include all derogatory information, but I think
lexicographers can have a positive social role and clearly mark such lexical
entries as rascist.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Wayne</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>-----<BR>Wayne Leman<BR>Cheyenne website: <A
href="http://www.geocities.com/cheyenne_language">http://www.geocities.com/cheyenne_language</A></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV>How would such derogatory information be represented in dictionaries?
"Its all Greek to me", may not be as offensive as "work like a Black" and I
would think that "work like a slave" would also be less offensive. And does
a lexicographer have a responsibility in challenging steretypes through
dictionary entries? Or his role should be better seen as that of a scientist
from without looking in as it were, merely describing the uses of
language that he sees. But does impartiality really exist in these
matters or one is either challenging the status quo or endorsing it (a
Terry Eagleton position in the later chapter of Literary Theory )? Put
differently, are certain entries like 'work like Black' racist when
used by racist communities and also racist when entered and discussed by
lexicographers? In this case the lexicographer guilty of participating in
the development and sustainance of racist views. On the other hand, would it
be accurate to leave ! them out from a dictionary?<!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| --></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
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