[Ads-l] Latinx

[Bethan Tovey-Walsh]

Evidently, there’s a large enough group of people who find the term useful and acceptable as a representation of their identity. Telling them that the word they’ve settled on is absurd and unnecessary and has a far more grammatical alternative is insensitive as well as missing the point. It’s their word. It’s no more good or bad than any other word adapted to fill a need.

No argument that a word’s spelling is unreasonable can hold much water in English, of all languages. The pronunciations “lateen-ex” or “latin-ex” are both perfectly reasonable. They’re not conventional according to English orthotactic/phonotactic rules; but we settled on ways to pronounce “Czech” and “gateaux” and “shih tzu”, so I think we can do the same with “Latinx”.

Bethan

___________________________________________________
Dr. Bethan Tovey-Walsh

Myfyrwraig PhD | PhD Student CorCenCC
Prifysgol Abertawe | Swansea University

CV: LinkedIn

Croeso i chi ysgrifennu ataf yn y Gymraeg.
On 17 Aug 2020, 13:47 +0100, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>, wrote:
> I heard it on MSNBC yesterday pronounced as "Latin X."
>
> "Latine" is obviously the superior choice, assuming one is even necessary.
>
> JL
>
> JL
>
> On Mon, Aug 17, 2020 at 8:27 AM Michael Everson <everson at evertype.com>
> wrote:
>
> > It makes absolutely no sense. And is it [laˈtinɛks] or [laˈtiŋks]? Anyway
> > the obvious third choice given “latino” and “latina” is “latine” [laˈtine].
> >
> > M
> >
> > > On 14 Aug 2020, at 15:45, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Huh?
> > > https://news.yahoo.com/latinx-mostly-unknown-term-even-035021574.html
> > >
> > > (Ironic "huh?" Of course I'm familiar with it! But this spelling is
> > > absurd.)
> > >
> > > JL
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > truth."
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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