Date: Tue, 1 Nov 1994 21:54:06 CST

From: salikoko mufwene mufw[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU

Subject: Re: offending idioms



In Message Tue, 1 Nov 1994 14:10:36 PST,

"Jim Ague, ague[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]redrck.enet.dec.com, Col Spgs, CO"

ague[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]redrck.enet.dec.com writes:



While here, he received his US citizenship, and of course considered himself a

true African-American, born in one, naturalized in the other. The twist to the

story is that Darryl, and Mattie, were descendants of British Colonialists that

had settled in in Northern Rhodesia several generations ago.



I did not know that in proposing that "African American" be used instead

of "Black American" the intention was to appropriate "African" for 'black'

only! The bottom line in this pseudo-intellectual insanity is: why should

you care how a particular group or subset thereof wants to be identified?

Who is trying to legislate language here: the user/speaker or the linguist?

Sali.

Salikoko S. Mufwene

University of Chicago

Dept. of Linguistics

1010 East 59th Street

Chicago, IL 60637

s-mufwene[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]uchicago.edu

312-702-8531; fax: 312-702-9861