Book Review: LA Times -- re 'the N word'

[Wilson Gray]

Actually, he said, "I know what chitterlings are." He asked me about
the ethnicity of his name, [Something]owski, and I told him that it
was Polish. When he came to work the next day, he said that he had
told his father what I'd said and the old man had gone up in smoke,
claiming that the family was of PRUSSIAN ancestry, NOT Polish! The
poor kid didn't know enough about Central European history to be able
to tell me whether his dad meant the original Baltic Prussians or the
later German "Prussians."

I made a point of suggesting to 'Ski that he not bother his father
with this basically unaswerable question.

-Wilson

On 4/2/07, Dennis R. Preston <preston at msu.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Book Review: LA Times -- re 'the N word'
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Flaczki he probably called it.
>
> >---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >-----------------------
> >Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> >Subject:      Re: Book Review: LA Times -- re 'the N word'
> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >Interesting. However, I'd like to point out that the word,
> >_chitterling_, in print since c1280, at least, predates slavery and
> >the eating of it is not some use magically discovered by slaves in
> >their hour of need. Rather, they probaably learned it from those white
> >people with whom they were in contact. I've met plenty of white people
> >who know how to prepare chitterlings for human consumption. E.g., way
> >back in 1967, I had a Polish-American colleague originally from some
> >farm in Kansas - we met in Los Angeles - who was as fully cognizant
> >with the chitterling and the manner of its preparation and consumption
> >as any black person, including your humble correspondent.
> >
> >-Wilson
> >
> >On 4/2/07, Doug Harris <cats22 at frontiernet.net> wrote:
> >>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> >>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>  Poster:       Doug Harris <cats22 at FRONTIERNET.NET>
> >>  Subject:      Book Review: LA Times -- re 'the N word'
> >>
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>  Here's the page link.
> >>  http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/cl-bk-kaplan1apr01,0,3443816.sto
> >>  ry?track=ntothtml
> >>
> >>  (the other) doug
> >>
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> >
> >
> >--
> >All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
> >come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> >-----
> >                                                       -Sam'l Clemens
> >
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> >you through times of no dope.
> >-----
> >                                          -Free-Wheeling Franklin
> >
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                                      -Sam'l Clemens

Dope wil get you through times of no money better than money will get
you through times of no dope.
-----
                                         -Free-Wheeling Franklin

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org