[Ads-l] Latinx

Mon Aug 17 15:42:20 UTC 2020

Louise Pound talked about this tendency back in 1923 ("Spelling-manipulation and Present-day Advertising”, Dialect Notes 5.6), though I don’t recall that she has any “Q” examples - I wonder whether there’s any rational chronological sequence dictating which letters come to be used in this way over time?

BTW

___________________________________________________
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, 16:02 +0100, Marc Sacks <msacksg at GMAIL.COM>, wrote:
> There is a trend in new words to pronounce a letter as its name. Latin-x is
> an example. I think the trend is mostly driven by marketers. Examples
> Xfinity (pronounced ex-finity) and Qdoba (cue-doba).
>
> Marc Sacks
>
> On Mon, Aug 17, 2020 at 10:50 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject: Re: Latinx
> >
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Except that {Latinx}looks like, and by every rule of orthography ought to
> > be pronounced, "latinks," which is self-defeating, no? {Czech}, on
> > the other hand, had no equally confusing rival pronunciation, because the
> > "cz" spelling was a simple importation. Approximations like "tsek" or
> > "sek" are hardly analogous to "latinks."
> >
> > There's nothing insensitive about saying a spelling is absurd, especially
> > one created ad hoc by presumably lsensitive people. What rule says that
> > {Latinx} should not be pronounced "latinks"? Of course, by purely
> > linguistic reasoning, "latinks" should be fine, but I doubt it would gin up
> > much enthusiasm. Myself, I'd hesitate to use it, for fear of being called
> > obtuse.
> >
> > I wonder too what proportion of Hispanic people have ever heard of (or,
> > more to the point, use or pronounce properly) {Latinx}, or object to the
> > existing terminology. What's wrong with the thoroughly established
> > "Hispanic," "Latin" or, if thought necessary, the suggested / lae 'tin/ ?
> > If we're restricting ourselves to spelling, I vote for {Latinex}, like
> > {Latex}. (Much better than {Latin-Ex}. Which group of speakers, precisely,
> > insists on "Latinx"?
> >
> > By the way, switching (or compelling people to switch) to "Latinx" (however
> > pronounced) will not create a single new job, raise anybody's pay, or do
> > thing one to eliminate racism or sexism or any other plague.
> >
> > It will annoy people. We have proof of that.
> >
> > So if that's the purpose (aka "microaggression"), it's a great choice. It
> > reminds me of those who say that the "correct" name for citizens of the
> > United States is "USers" or "USians," for too obvious reasons. (There are
> > such people.)
> >
> > PS: Consider my tone energetic but not sarcastic.
> >
> > On Mon, Aug 17, 2020 at 9:43 AM Bethan Tovey-Walsh <accounts at bethan.wales>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Evidently, there=E2=80=99s a large enough group of people who find the
> > te=
> > rm useful
> > > and acceptable as a representation of their identity. Telling them that
> > t=
> > he
> > > word they=E2=80=99ve settled on is absurd and unnecessary and has a far
> > m=
> > ore
> > > grammatical alternative is insensitive as well as missing the point. It=
> > =E2=80=99s
> > > their word. It=E2=80=99s no more good or bad than any other word adapted
> > =
> > to fill a
> > > need.
> > >
> > > No argument that a word=E2=80=99s spelling is unreasonable can hold much
> > =
> > water in
> > > English, of all languages. The pronunciations
> > =E2=80=9Clateen-ex=E2=80=9D=
> > or =E2=80=9Clatin-ex=E2=80=9D are
> > > both perfectly reasonable. They=E2=80=99re not conventional according to
> > =
> > English
> > > orthotactic/phonotactic rules; but we settled on ways to pronounce
> > =E2=80=
> > =9CCzech=E2=80=9D
> > > and =E2=80=9Cgateaux=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cshih tzu=E2=80=9D, so I think
> > =
> > we can do the same with =E2=80=9CLatinx=E2=80=9D.
> > >
> > > 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 [la=CB=88tin=C9=9Bks] or [la=
> > =CB=88ti=C5=8Bks]?
> > > Anyway
> > > > > the obvious third choice given =E2=80=9Clatino=E2=80=9D and
> > =E2=80=9C=
> > latina=E2=80=9D is =E2=80=9Clatine=E2=80=9D
> > > [la=CB=88tine].
> > > > >
> > > > > 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."
> > > > > >
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> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > > truth."
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
> >
> > --=20
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> >
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> >
>
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