Library vocabulary

[Josh Wilson]

Will Ryan Wrote: 

>
How delicately put! Yes, that definitely includes me. When I was a boy 
the word 'Brit' was unknown. Then one began to become aware of it - it 
was used mostly by people, and newspapers, from former parts of the 
British Empire and was definitely disparaging, especially when used by 
Australian cricket commentators. An Egyptian friend, a professor of 
English, once told me that in Egypt it had the force equivalent to that 
of 'wog', as used by uncouth English speakers when referring to people 
of the Middle East, and could be accompanied by spitting. It is used 
much more commonly in the UK now and I agree has probably lost most of 
its pejorative flavour among people below 40-50. It still a colloquial 
form. As an editor I would not allow it except in reported speech.
>

And yet now the British government is supporting a tourism campaign with the
title "Be a Brit Different (on Vacation)." From an uncouth slur to official
slogan promoting interest in and travel to the homeland of the objects of
the slur... Amazing how quickly things can change. 

http://www.beabritdifferent.com/



Josh Wilson
Asst. Director
The School of Russian and Asian Studies
Editor-in-Chief
Vestnik, The Journal of Russian and Asian Studies
www.sras.org
jwilson at sras.org

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