Chimney (and "nation" and "community")

Charles Doyle cdoyle at UGA.EDU
Wed Jan 24 18:35:59 UTC 2007


Doug's phrasing--"the real-estate selling community, such as it is"--made me think:

Somewhat analogous to the use of "nation" in its expanded sense (though without the frequent--and saving--lightheartedness) is the rampant current use of "community."  I wonder what kinds or degrees of commonality qualify a number of persons to be called a community?

A few years ago in the English department to which I belong, the old "Black English" course was being revised. The individual who would be teaching the reformed course proposed naming it "English in the African American Community." I opined that "English in African American Communities" (or, more concisely, "African American English") would make more sense--that residents of Jamaica, Toronto, New Orleans, Harlem, Watts, Sapelo Island, and rural Alabama hardly constitute a single community. (As is usual in such debates, I lost!) I suppose calling an assortment of persons a community makes things seem sociable and harmonious . . . .

--Charlie
____________________________________________

---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 10:32:35 -0500
>From: Doug Harris <cats22 at FRONTIERNET.NET>
>Subject: Re: Chimney
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
> . . . Members of the National Association of Realtors call themselves Realtors. Many people commonly misuse that term (to the occasional displeasure of NAR members) to refer to any member of the real estate-selling community, such as it is . . . .

>--doug

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