[Ads-l] Latinx

[Chris Waigl]

On Mon, Aug 17, 2020 at 11:21 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I believe that turning an aesthetic issue like spelling into a political
> issue like bigotry is wrongheaded and potentially destructive.
>

First reaction: What is this supposed to mean? Spelling isn't purely
aesthetic. (Spelling systems would look quite different if it were.)
Bigotry exists. The Latinx terminology is an effort to deal with a tiny
aspect of how bigotry creeps into language. It may or may not be successful
in the long term, nonetheless it fulfils its purpose at least for some.
What's destructive about this?

Second reaction: As someone who grew up in a time and place where it was
fully acceptable react with speeches about the intrinsic and objective
lesser aesthetic quality of the female voice each time a female politician,
newscaster or sports announcer, let alone expert, was on TV, I have a tired
sigh for the idea that the way we voice our aesthetic judgements is
inherently free from and unrelated to bigotry.



> It's a way of othering.
>

I find that sneering down one's nose at other people's language choices
that address topics outside one's own problem sphere is pretty much
self-othering behavior.

Chris


-- 
Chris Waigl . chris.waigl at gmail.com . chris at lascribe.net
http://eggcorns.lascribe.net . http://chryss.eu

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