"ese" suffix insulting/racist?

[Peter A. McGraw]

--On Tuesday, April 8, 2003 4:25 PM -0700 Anne Gilbert
<avgilbert at PRODIGY.NET> wrote:

> Peter:
>
>> On the contrary, I hear "Chineece" and "Japaneece" a lot!  It always
>> strikes me as an affectation of some sort--spelling pronunciation,
>> maybe?? I don't remember hearing "Portugueece."  And I'm sure I've never
>> heard "journaleece" or "bureaucrateece."
>
> Where and in what context have you heard "Chineece" and "Japaneece"?  I'm
> curious, because the only person I ever heard talking this way(and it was
> *very* consistent)was my father.  And I suspect he "picked it up" from
> somewhere and "adopted" it for reasons of his own.
> Anne G

Y'know, I'm not sure where all I've heard it.  I've had it vaguely
associated in my mind with New York speech, but in recent years I've heard
it often enough (though still infrequently enough that I notice) here in
the Northwest as well, and from people who otherwise didn't sound like New
Yorkers.  I haven't had the opportunity to find out if those I've heard
here came from elsewhere, and if so, where.  I'm not sure how I connected
it with New York--it's not one of the features that comes immediately to
mind when I "play back" New York speech to myself.  Maybe some New Yorkers
will confirm or deny that it's common there.

Peter Mc.


****************************************************************************
                               Peter A. McGraw
                   Linfield College   *   McMinnville, OR
                            pmcgraw at linfield.edu