[Ads-l] odd use of "civilian"

Dave Hause dwhause at CABLEMO.NET
Mon Nov 2 23:38:35 UTC 2015


"Odd" - sort of, to me, but not new.  My NOAD, 2nd ed., says roughly, 'not a 
member of military or police.'  My long term employment history went Army - 
police - Army and I think of civilian as only "not military."  But my usage 
sense for others is, "not one of us" however "us" is defined.

Dave Hause, dwhause at cablemo.net
Waynesville, MO

-----Original Message----- 
From: James A. Landau
Sent: Monday, November 2, 2015 8:14 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: odd use of "civilian"

http://theweek.com/articles/572910/life-under-isis-caliphate

<begin quote>
Since ISIS poses a mortal threat to journalists — it has killed dozens of 
mostly local reporters, as well as its high-profile Western victims — the 
job of exposing the group's barbarity has fallen to civilians. In April 
2014, a group of student activists set up Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered 
Silently inside the ISIS capital. Its two dozen or so members post written 
reports and videos — often filmed on mobile phones hidden in the sleeves of 
jackets — documenting daily life under ISIS control. 

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



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