Re: Why is it dangerous?

jameskuyper@xxxxxxxxxxx said:

Richard Heathfield wrote:
jameskuyper@xxxxxxxxxxx said:

Richard Heathfield wrote:
[OT]
...
I accept that "American" is a correct description of citizens of the USA
- just as it is a correct description of Canadians, Colombians, Cubans,
and Chileans. Nevertheless, a more localised adjective is useful (just
as it is for Canadians, Colombians, Cubans, and Chileans). If "Usanian"
is offensive for some bizarre reason, fine, someone coin another word.
(I did

Most of them see no reason to coin another word, because they see no
fault with the one they are currently using. The fact that you
disagree wouldn't matter to them.

Understood. Nevertheless, to co-opt a term that describes the population of
a whole continent - nay, *two* whole continents - and apply it only to an
admittedly large minority of that population is self-aggrandising, and it
should not surprise us to learn that those who seek self-aggrandisement
are not going to be best pleased by the introduction of a term which
neutralises it.

They would be just as insulted as a
British citizen might be at being called an Englishman,

I can't see how that would be an insult.

if he wasn't actually English

Ah, that would do it. :-) But I don't see the parallel. I use the term
"Usanian" only to apply to those who are citizens of the USA. Those who
are not citizens of the USA have no grounds for being offended by the
term, since I'm not applying it to them. (And those who are, have no
grounds either, since there's nothing remotely offensive about it.)

There is an exact parallel: in both cases they would be objecting to
being called by a name that they considered to be incorrect.

That's quite a weak parallel. A stronger parallel would be that of the
English (or, if you prefer, the British) deciding that the term "European"
should apply uniquely to them, and considering as incorrect the idea that
"European" might apply to others. (My own view is rather different, in
that I don't consider the UK to be part of Europe - but that's merely a
symptom of a self-consciously parochial affectation, adopted for its
amusement value, and in any case it's by the by.)

If the British were to co-opt the term "European", accepting it only as a
self-description, the French, German, Italian, Spanish and other European
populations would be (rightly) scathing.

Whether
or not you agree that the name is incorrect, its perceived
incorrectness is precisely the reason they would consider it
offensive.

It has long been my experience that people are rarely offended by
incorrectness. Otherwise, they would speak more carefully, write more
carefully, drive more carefully, think more carefully, and possibly even
vote more carefully.

There is a difference, of course - many British citizens would object
to being call English for reasons in addition to it being an incorrect
term, based upon their own personal feelings about the English.
Obviously, that wouldn't be an issue with Usanian, because the average
US citizen has never even heard the term, and therefore has no
negative associations to connect with it.

Right. Let's take a parallel term that I've seen noised around the place -
"Ukian" - I've never seen a formal definition, but it seems reasonable to
assume that it is intended to describe the people of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

I consider "Ukian" to be an ugly word, and I don't use it myself. But I'm
not *offended* by it. That would be ludicrous.

<snip>

All
I can say about the difference between those meanings and yours are
that you're speaking a different but closely related language from the
one that they are speaking, and that I'm fluent in both languages.

Ah, I'm afraid my multilingual skills pale in comparison to yours. :-)

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php>
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
.

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