Asian = Oriental, etc.

[Benjamin Barrett]

I'm not sure what you're asking.

When I hear the word "Oriental," it sounds derogatory. It has the sound of
being bigoted. Something in my brain wonders why a slur is being used.

If you're asking which of the sounds in the word "Oriental" are offensive,
then I don't understand the point to your question. Sounds are not
offensive, but words as a whole can sound offensive.

Perhaps by replacing the expression "elicits a reaction in the brain which
indicates to the listener that the word just spoken is" with "sounds" will
clarify what I mean <g>.

The word "simply" indicates that I believe a simpler explanation is
available than that of the etymological explanation. Perhaps I was wrong ;-)

Benjamin Barrett
gogaku at ix.netcom.com

BTW, Dennis, your posts always come in pre-quoted.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On
> Behalf Of Dennis R. Preston
>
> >I am all ears (sorry, eyes) for elaboration on the phrase "simply
> >sounds derogatory." What is the "sound" or "oreiental" which makes
> >it "derogatory."
>
>
> dInIs (too long a dialectologist-sociolinguist to think of his eyes first)
> >-----Original Message-----

> >From: Behalf Of Frank Abate
> >
> >
> >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.
> >
> >---
> >That may be the PC objection, but there is another objection in that it
> >simply sounds derogatory. I'd never heard the etymological explanation
> >before, but I've always considered it derogatory.