American exceptionalism?

[Tom Zurinskas]

> No, no. With *other* countries it might be pompousness. But this is *America* we're talking!

I get it now. "American exceptionalism"
Other countries might think "American pompousness" while we think "American wonderfulness".

So the term DOES mean what we think it means, no matter what it means.

Tom Zurinskas, Conn 20 yrs, Tenn 3, NJ 33, now Fl 9.
See how English spelling links to sounds at http://justpaste.it/ayk




> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject: Re: American exceptionalizm?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Feb 22, 2012, at 12:20 PM, Tom Zurinskas wrote:
>
> > from thefreedictionary.com - It reads like it means an attitude of "American pompousness"
>
> No, no. With *other* countries it might be pompousness. But this is *America* we're talking!
>
> LH
>
> >
> > exceptionalism [ɪkˈsɛpʃənəlɪzm] n
> > (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) an attitude to other countries, cultures, etc. based on the idea of being quite distinct from, and often superior to, them in vital ways
> >
> >
>
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