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The Etymology Of Problematic Words
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- Mar 2008
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More recently, "British Isles" seems more common in the English media, incl at the BBC/Graun/Indy end of the spectrum. Is it just blissful ignorance of Irish feelings, or more sinister?
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- Mar 2008
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Originally posted by Duncan Gardner View PostMore recently, "British Isles" seems more common in the English media, incl at the BBC/Graun/Indy end of the spectrum. Is it just blissful ignorance of Irish feelings, or more sinister?
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Originally posted by Duncan Gardner View PostMore recently, "British Isles" seems more common in the English media, incl at the BBC/Graun/Indy end of the spectrum. Is it just blissful ignorance of Irish feelings, or more sinister?
The phrase is best avoided, given its (understandable) unpopularity in the Irish Republic. Alternatives adopted by some publications are British and Irish Isles or simply Britain and Ireland
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I never use 'oriental' in English because I'm now aware it's a problematic term, but I too was surprised to discover this as the same word is widely used in French with no such connotations, generally as a synonym for 'eastern' e.g. Pyrénées Orientales and the like.
I also had to tell my mam (whose English is not all that, to be fair) not to use the word 'paki', which she had assumed to be as anodyne as 'Brit' or 'Scot'.
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Originally posted by Duncan Gardner View PostTo be fair to Mme La Budget, 'Paki' is widely used in some variants of English eg in Australia
Don't like it myself, as associate with generic racism from 30-40 years ago...despite having Muslim heritage.
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I got a lecture once for using 'rule of thumb' in a sentence.
"You know, that comes from back in Victorian times when you could beat your wife, but only with a switch that was no thicker than your thumb."
"So....every time I use that phrase, some Victorian woman gets beaten or something?"
"Well no, but....you should just be aware."
"Okay."
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Last time I looked into that phrase, it was disputed as to whether that was the case. It may well tbe an urban myth. Some detailed but inconclusive discussion here
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/rule-of-thumb.html
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Originally posted by Reginald ChristAn old teacher of mine used to use the phrase "North Atlantic Islands" but none of us had the geographical knowledge at the time to suggest to him that could have potentially meant anything from the Azores to the Faroes.
To my shame, I'm guilty of this. As recently as a few years ago I was (innocently, I must protest) still using the term "Oriental" to refer to people from East Asia. I was genuinely unaware it's now considered an offensive term. Not having any friends from that part of the world probably didn't help.
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Originally posted by Fussbudget View PostI never use 'oriental' in English because I'm now aware it's a problematic term, but I too was surprised to discover this as the same word is widely used in French with no such connotations, generally as a synonym for 'eastern' e.g. Pyrénées Orientales and the like.
I also had to tell my mam (whose English is not all that, to be fair) not to use the word 'paki', which she had assumed to be as anodyne as 'Brit' or 'Scot'.
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British people at the Tory end of the spectrum tend to lecture me on "British Isles" being purely a geographical name, and not a political one.
But there's no difference between a geographical name and a political name, is there? All names for regions on this Earth were all given by certain groups of people and not necessarily with the consent of all people in that region ("King of the Britons? Who are the Britons?"). So all names of all regions are, by their very nature, inherently political.
Even longitude could be construed as political, because zero longitude is defined as going through Greenwich.... which was decided on a vote amongst powerful countries, with the French abstaining.
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Originally posted by antoine polus View PostBritish people at the Tory end of the spectrum tend to lecture me on "British Isles" being purely a geographical name, and not a political one.
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