View Full Version : Learning an oriental language - need help!
For my upcoming trip to Japan later this fall, I thought that I would learn some key phrases. I am using Duolingo which is great in its approach. I had no idea how different Japanese would be. Has anyone any hints that might help as the sounds as well as the script are so new to me?
Is this language set up the same way as Romance languages? Perhaps Bae with the Nordic influence might have some insights.
Help!
Ultralight
8-10-18, 1:23pm
Oriental? In the US that is not PC at all...
I studied Arabic and found it very different from English or the Romance languages. I really don't have any idea how I got through a year of it, I was such a lazy student.
I imagine rote learning of a few key sentences will get you through, and your effort will probably be appreciated. Watch a lot of Japanese videos; that should help.
rosarugosa
8-10-18, 2:36pm
Oriental? In the US that is not PC at all...
I was thinking the same - it is my understanding that "Asian" is appropriate.
I always thought that the word 'Orient' had a mystic magical image so was shocked to read UL's post. i did a little research. It sounds as though someone made a mountain out of a molehill and passed it into law. There may also be some emotion remaining from the war in Vietnam.
I am wiser now and actually glad of that information when I am going with a group and would have innocently used the word possibly causing someone some discomfort. Asian it is from now on.
NOW back to the OP. One site I visited advised - "above all else place the verb at the end if every sentence". i just want some simple phrases including the sounding of the words.
My Research:
"From this perspective it all boils down to Eurocentric implications as viewing everything in relation to cultural and historical influence suggesting predominance of the European culture and race.
Is oriental then simply an issue of racial discrimination? Where people of black origins were referred to as Negro to what is preferred today as African American or Black African? It is fascinating to note that oriental when referred to a certain food, oriental dish or object such as an oriental rug is not considered derogatory as opposed to calling someone, ‘that Oriental man,¯. The acceptable term used for oriental especially in Northern America is Asian. Asian, meaning: Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Mongols, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Malaysians, Indonesians, and etc.
Why is oriental offensive? Is it a matter of general opinion where the preference of the majority dictates what is offensive? Does personal opinion no longer count in the general scheme of society? It is interesting to know that the word oriental if spoken in Asia whether being referred to a person or not is not considered offensive at all. I cannot speak for everybody but being an Asian myself with oriental ancestry, the word oriental has never occurred to me as offensive.
Source:
https://www.knowswhy.com/why-is-oriental-offensive/
AND
It is now politically incorrect to use the word "Oriental," and the admonition has the force of law: President Obama recently signed a bill prohibiting use of the term in all federal documents. Rep. Grace Meng, the New York congresswoman who sponsored the legislation, exulted that "at long last this insulting and outdated term will be gone for good."
As an Oriental, I am bemused. Apparently Asians are supposed to feel demeaned if someone refers to us as Orientals. But good luck finding a single Asian American who has ever had the word spat at them in anger. ..
And why should it be? Literally, it means of the Orient or of the East, as opposed to of the Occident or of the West. Last I checked, geographic origin is not a slur. If it were, it would be wrong to label people from Mississippi as Southerners."
Source: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-tsuchiyama-oriental-insult-20160601-snap-story.html
I am pretty good at languages and began learning Spanish in the sixth grade; still intermediately fluent. HOWEVER, I tried to learn Japanese, and it confounded me.
ApatheticNoMore
8-10-18, 3:40pm
maybe Asian should be offensive too, I mean isn't that lumping a lot of people from a lot of different countries, that often really didn't like each other very much (neither did Europeans oftentimes), into one category? Oriental does sound archaic to refer to people, but not so much languages.
happystuff
8-10-18, 5:02pm
Merriam-Webster: Definition of oriental
1 or Oriental : of, relating to, or situated in the orient
2 or Oriental : of, relating to, or coming from Asia and especially eastern Asia oriental food oriental art —now sometimes considered offensive especially when used to describe a person
3 Oriental : of, relating to, or constituting the biogeographic region that includes Asia south and southeast of the Himalayas and the Malay Archipelago west of Wallace's line
4 a : of superior grade, luster, or value
b : being corundum or sapphire but simulating another gem in color
My children are Korean and we only used "oriental" to refer to objects - not people. We always referred to people as "Asian" in general, or the specific ethnicity (i.e. Korean) if known.
Again, that's just how we used it.
I speak a moderate amount of Japanese.
It is not similar to Romance languages (much), but it isn't terribly difficult to learn in an immersive environment, at least to be able to speak at the level of a child or barbarian. The "real" language is quite a bit more nuanced, but you are not generally expected to understand or be able to use the subtleties - for instance, there are ~15 first personal singular pronouns.... It has some really fascinating features.
I'd think an English speaker with a good ear could become proficient enough to order food/find the restroom/apologize/ask for directions without much trouble. It's the effort of trying that seems to count - pretty much everyone my age or younger in Japan, in the urban areas, speaks much better English than I speak Japanese. The younger folks also seem to be dispensing with much of the overly formal parts of the Japanese language.
Have fun!
Ultralight
8-10-18, 5:23pm
I was thinking the same - it is my understanding that "Asian" is appropriate.
Right, like Asian culture, Asian cuisine, Asian rugs.
I'd think an English speaker with a good ear could become proficient enough to order food/find the restroom/apologize/ask for directions without much trouble. It's the effort of trying that seems to count - pretty much everyone my age or younger in Japan, in the urban areas, speaks much better English than I speak Japanese. The younger folks also seem to be dispensing with much of the overly formal parts of the Japanese language.
This is my experience as well. I actually took two classes (at work) in Japanese and found it very different from English. The alphabet, sentence syntax, the whole relative-pronoun thing (often the difference between singular and plural is determined by conversational context; there's the ways of numbering items based on their shape [flat, cylindrical, etc.]), and more.
Fortunately, basic Japanese follows a fairly consistent form, so if you learn how to ask where the JR station is, you also know how to ask for the post office, the sushi-ya, etc. We got along decently in Japan (three visits) making a little effort to find English-language subway maps, staying at hotels at which English was spoken, and learning a few key phrases ("Sumimasen!" "Excuse me!"). We got lost a few times and, as long as we could point to the address or the name of the place we wanted (in Japanese) people were very happy to help. Doesn't hurt to learn a few social customs, either, like using both hands to hand something to someone (or receive an item from someone) or finding out how to say "That was delicious" after omakase. :)
(can you tell going back to Japan is my bucket-list trip?)
rosarugosa
8-10-18, 6:21pm
I always thought that the word 'Orient' had a mystic magical image so was shocked to read UL's post. i did a little research. It sounds as though someone made a mountain out of a molehill and passed it into law. There may also be some emotion remaining from the war in Vietnam.
I am wiser now and actually glad of that information when I am going with a group and would have innocently used the word possibly causing someone some discomfort. Asian it is from now on.
NOW back to the OP. One site I visited advised - "above all else place the verb at the end if every sentence". i just want some simple phrases including the sounding of the words.
My Research:
"From this perspective it all boils down to Eurocentric implications as viewing everything in relation to cultural and historical influence suggesting predominance of the European culture and race.
Is oriental then simply an issue of racial discrimination? Where people of black origins were referred to as Negro to what is preferred today as African American or Black African? It is fascinating to note that oriental when referred to a certain food, oriental dish or object such as an oriental rug is not considered derogatory as opposed to calling someone, ‘that Oriental man,¯. The acceptable term used for oriental especially in Northern America is Asian. Asian, meaning: Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Mongols, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Malaysians, Indonesians, and etc.
Why is oriental offensive? Is it a matter of general opinion where the preference of the majority dictates what is offensive? Does personal opinion no longer count in the general scheme of society? It is interesting to know that the word oriental if spoken in Asia whether being referred to a person or not is not considered offensive at all. I cannot speak for everybody but being an Asian myself with oriental ancestry, the word oriental has never occurred to me as offensive.
Source:
https://www.knowswhy.com/why-is-oriental-offensive/
AND
It is now politically incorrect to use the word "Oriental," and the admonition has the force of law: President Obama recently signed a bill prohibiting use of the term in all federal documents. Rep. Grace Meng, the New York congresswoman who sponsored the legislation, exulted that "at long last this insulting and outdated term will be gone for good."
As an Oriental, I am bemused. Apparently Asians are supposed to feel demeaned if someone refers to us as Orientals. But good luck finding a single Asian American who has ever had the word spat at them in anger. ..
And why should it be? Literally, it means of the Orient or of the East, as opposed to of the Occident or of the West. Last I checked, geographic origin is not a slur. If it were, it would be wrong to label people from Mississippi as Southerners."
Source: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-tsuchiyama-oriental-insult-20160601-snap-story.html
Razz: That was the only reason to bring it up. You clearly aren't a bigot and we wouldn't want to see you unintentionally give offense. Isn't that what friends are for?
Has anyone studied Yiddish? I have an opposite concern. I took German classes before. Would the languages be so similar that I would confuse the two?
I can't address the Yiddish/German thing, but I studied Spanish and Italian, and only rarely got them mixed up. In fact, I had four distinct language classes in a row on a daily basis and was able to switch pretty readily.
Has anyone studied Yiddish? I have an opposite concern. I took German classes before. Would the languages be so similar that I would confuse the two?
I don't think so - I know several Germanic languages, and it has only been helpful to have more, not terribly confusing at all.
Ultralight
8-10-18, 10:45pm
Razz: That was the only reason to bring it up. You clearly aren't a bigot and we wouldn't want to see you unintentionally give offense. Isn't that what friends are for?
I was not offended!
ToomuchStuff
8-11-18, 12:16pm
Years ago, I learned a very few things from Shogun. Later, I inherited some stuff, which included WWII Japanese phrasebooks, which taught me some more. While those might not be so appropriate now, I wonder if there are still any government surplus book stores that might have guides and such, like we used to have around here?
That said, if I really wanted to learn it, there are a few people I know that could teach me (Japanese chef, his ex wife who has had a crush on me, friend that was a consulate driver and raised by a neighbor as his mother wanted him to learn good English). I've been told that women teach it more and there are subtle difference between the way a man and a woman might say something.
But speaking it and learning to read it, are very different things.
But speaking it and learning to read it, are very different things.
Indeed. I can read Japanese (somewhat sorta) in Romaji but can only differentiate kana characters in written Japanese. But I think many people find it easier to be functional speaking a language than reading and writing in it.
I can't address the Yiddish/German thing, but I studied Spanish and Italian, and only rarely got them mixed up. In fact, I had four distinct language classes in a row on a daily basis and was able to switch pretty readily.
In high school my geology class took a road trip to mexico for spring break. One of my fellow students spoke pretty good Italian. She could understand the Spanish spoken to her pretty well, but was often not understood when she tried to respond with Italian.
I'm actually a bit confounded by why "Oriental" is offensive, but it is, so I use Asian. But "Asia" itself is huge. "Asia includes the middle east and even Russia.
I'm actually a bit confounded by why "Oriental" is offensive...Me too, and I didn't even realize it was considered offensive until reading this thread. I did a little research and it now makes more sense, it seems that influential white people decided it so, and now it is whether anyone from the Orient (literally the East) agrees or not. I suspect they think we Occidentals are full of ourselves.
Right, like Asian culture, Asian cuisine, Asian rugs.
Crazy rich Asians.
I suppose it doesn't surprise me that people in the straight white majority fail to understand why minorities might not want to be described with outdated terms that were used to describe them in the past. But sure, feel free to describe me as homosexual. The reason for my annoyance will be the same as the Asian American you call Oriental or the African American you call negro after you've been asked not to. And if you do it it will say more about you than it does about us.
I suppose it doesn't surprise me that people in the straight white majority fail to understand why minorities might not want to be described with outdated terms that were used to describe them in the past. But sure, feel free to describe me as homosexual. The reason for my annoyance will be the same as the Asian American you call Oriental or the African American you call negro after you've been asked not to. And if you do it it will say more about you than it does about us.
Well, I suppose I'm not surprised to find the term offensive only in the United States, and further suppose that if we Occidentals want to impose our preferences beyond our borders, we've got a lot of work to do.
And i suppose we can make jokes about minirities finding pejorative terms offensive.
And i suppose we can make jokes about minirities finding pejorative terms offensive.Remember when we used to be able to laugh at our self importance? I do.
Remember when we used to be able to laugh at the calgon commercials? I do.
As a slur, or even an insensitive term, “oriental” seems like pretty weak tea. I can’t ever recall hearing it used as a deliberate insult. I remember a few years ago Chrissy Teigen said she wasn’t offended by it, and got widely attacked by people who were offended by her failure to be offended.
I’m not interested in offending anyone (except as individuals in their own right), so I try to use the right terms. But it seems to be getting more difficult to keep up. Not long ago someone cautioned me against using “Hispanic” because it was too broad a term. Who gets to decide what is and isn’t acceptable? Where is the sociolinguistic Emily Post we can turn to?
I don’t want to offend but I also don’t want to submit to a sort of weaponized hypersensitivity either.
Ultralight
8-17-18, 4:57pm
For me, what matters is intent and meaning. What does a person say when they use a term like "oriental?"
ApatheticNoMore
8-17-18, 5:05pm
For me, what matters is intent and meaning. What does a person say when they use a term like "oriental?"
maybe that they are old, as I don't think the term has been in currency for awhile to refer to people (maybe not in anyone livings lifespan) although people still know what it means. But maybe it was at one point, I don't know. So maybe it's all about age. But languages are not even people so it seems a stretch.
For me, what matters is intent and meaning. What does a person say when they use a term like "oriental?"Does it matter? I think the perceived offense is in what a person hears when the term is used.
maybe that they are old, as I don't think the term has been in currency for awhile to refer to people (maybe not in anyone livings lifespan) although people still know what it means. But maybe it was at one point, I don't know. So maybe it's all about age. But languages are not even people.
My grandfather used to say “colored” all the time, often in reference to ball players he admired. I don’t think any offense was intended. Of course he also often referred to people as “gay”. The only group he ever referred to hatefully were “Huns”; who in fairness handled him pretty roughly in France in 1918.
I suppose it doesn't surprise me that people in the straight white majority fail to understand why minorities might not want to be described with outdated terms that were used to describe them in the past. But sure, feel free to describe me as homosexual. The reason for my annoyance will be the same as the Asian American you call Oriental or the African American you call negro after you've been asked not to. And if you do it it will say more about you than it does about us.
I thought the preferred term is black again. Isn't that what the Black Lives Matter activist who took Bernie Sanders's mike told him, and the woman who had the cops called on her for trying to use a coupon told the store clerk?
What's with this term African-American jp1?
ApatheticNoMore
8-17-18, 5:38pm
I use black, I think it is the preferred term, I don't think African American is considered offensive though, certainly it used to be the preferred term. Of course I didn't know homosexual was offensive.
I had thought including negro in my examples would enable people to connect the dots but apparently not. Homosexual was the term of choice imposed on gay people by straight people during the 50’s/60’s/70’s when the majority of straight people considered gay people to be deviant and sick. Negro was the term chosen by whitw people at a time when black people were believed by many white people to be inferior. Oriental was the term chosen by white people at a time when Asian Americans were viewed by many white people to be strange/inferior. Is it really that hard to understand why the people in these minorities would rather not use a term that was originally used to describe them negatively? I get that non-gay, non-black, non-asian people may not be aware of this but to get pissy about it when asked not to use a certain term is obnoxious.
As i said before feel free to call me homosexual. But know that when you do it will bring to my mind all the times i heard that word used as a slur when i was a closeted teenager trying to figure out what to do about what I, at the time, perceived to be a shameful problem with myself. That’s why i’d rather you use gay or LGBT.
Oriental has probably not been used negatively as recently as himosexual but for Asian Americans the word has just as mych crappy baggage.
Ultralight
8-17-18, 6:12pm
Is white trash acceptable? What about redneck?
When I talk about someone half-assed fixing something I say: "They redneck rigged it."
Ultralight
8-17-18, 6:14pm
I had thought including negro in my examples would enable people to connect the dots but apparently not. Homosexual was the term of choice imposed on gay people by straight people during the 50’s/60’s/70’s when the majority of straight people considered gay people to be deviant and sick. Negro was the term chosen by whitw people at a time when black people were believed by many white people to be inferior. Oriental was the term chosen by white people at a time when Asian Americans were viewed by many white people to be strange/inferior. Is it really that hard to understand why the people in these minorities would rather not use a term that was originally used to describe them negatively? I get that non-gay, non-black, non-asian people may not be aware of this but to get pissy about it when asked not to use a certain term is obnoxious.
As i said before feel free to call me homosexual. But know that when you do it will bring to my mind all the times i heard that word used as a slur when i was a closeted teenager trying to figure out what to do about what I, at the time, perceived to be a shameful problem with myself. That’s why i’d rather you use gay or LGBT.
Oriental has probably not been used negatively as recently as himosexual but for Asian Americans the word has just as mych crappy baggage.
Would you be offended if someone referred to you as a "gay homosexual?"
Would you be offended if someone referred to you as a "gay homosexual?"
I'd think they were redundant and repetitive.
I had thought including negro in my examples would enable people to connect the dots but apparently not. Homosexual was the term of choice imposed on gay people by straight people during the 50’s/60’s/70’s when the majority of straight people considered gay people to be deviant and sick. Negro was the term chosen by whitw people at a time when black people were believed by many white people to be inferior. Oriental was the term chosen by white people at a time when Asian Americans were viewed by many white people to be strange/inferior. Is it really that hard to understand why the people in these minorities would rather not use a term that was originally used to describe them negatively? I get that non-gay, non-black, non-asian people may not be aware of this but to get pissy about it when asked not to use a certain term is obnoxious.
You do know that the terms you've listed in modern times have a much longer history don't you? As an example, the term Oriental predates America by eons so it seems a little strange to me that Americans can decide that it may not be used to describe people from the Orient. I've heard my entire life about 'ugly Americans', I don't know why we must spend so much effort living up to the moniker.
It's OK with me if Asian Americans would rather not be referred to as Oriental even if I think the reasoning is off base. I think Asian or Asian American is more specific anyway, especially considering the vastly varying geography of "The East". What seems pissy to me is when people start making an issue of simple mistakes based on not being up-to-date on the outrage of the day, especially when no offense is intended. If a term is deemed to be acceptable by the rest of the world, without bias/ridicule or slander, who are we to declare victimization to the non-victimized, we appear to be full of ourselves.
Based on my online research and other comments, the word oriental is only considered offensive and dated when referring to a person. Otherwise it is still in use today as in oriental food dishes, oriental lilies etc. And yes, I was simply separating the orient from the occident world.
Oriental derives from sunrise and, the antonym, occident is falling or sunset which are timeless terms.
iris lilies
8-17-18, 8:51pm
Based on my online research and other comments, the word oriental is only considered offensive and dated when referring to a person. Otherwise it is still in use today as in oriental food dishes, oriental lilies etc. And yes, I was simply separating the orient from the occident world.
Oriental derives from sunrise and, the antonym, occident is falling or sunset which are timeless terms.
well, they arent gonna take “Oriental” away from the North American Lily Society because it is a technical name for a group of lilies. That group is separate and distinct from “Asiatic” lilies.
I guess we could just start calling them Ching Chong's...
http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/402216-democratic-state-senate-candidate-called-asian-opponent-ching-chong
After all this, I was talking to a friend whose DH had worked in Japan. I asked him for the simple everyday terms for greeting and thanking and he stated them simply and easily. I went online and found them even including the way to sound them out so I can copy them into my iPhone and have them handy. OK, now I am all set and have a sense of direction for practicing.
It has been an interesting discussion. I still love the term Orient with the sense of mystic and magical adventure. Nothing negative in my view at all.
Do you have the google translate app on your phone? You can point the camera at text and it will translate it instantly. In Paris last summer I found it incredibly helpful for reading the little signs in museums that weren't in English.
It seems easy enough just to call people what they want to be called, without throwing a tantrum about it.
It seems easy enough just to call people what they want to be called, without throwing a tantrum about it.
But majority-splaining to minorities why their opinions and feelings are wrong is so much fun.
happystuff
8-20-18, 6:43am
Do you have the google translate app on your phone? You can point the camera at text and it will translate it instantly. In Paris last summer I found it incredibly helpful for reading the little signs in museums that weren't in English.
A friend had something similar to this in Korea. It was very helpful when reading the directions on the washing machine - lol.
iris lilies
8-20-18, 12:04pm
I am old, and have been through numerous preferred language changes for people with African origins who reside in the United States.
Negroes—> Blacks —>Afro Americans—>African Americans—>?
For those who admonish us oppressors for being peevish at these seeming small changes in language preference because what is it to you, anyway? keep in mind that real people do real work with real consequences based on what can seem like the whim of the moment.
I remember when we were commanded by the Library of
Congress to use the subject heading “ African Americans “ in library cataloging, a change from “Afro Americans.” That was a change from the imprecise “Negroes. “
http://www.loc.gov/cds/notices/notafro.html
You can imagine the disruption of efficency in a library when the same thing had two or three different names, and when our goal in cataloging was to save the time of the user by picking one term to describe all instances of that thing. In the days before computer manipulation of data, these changes led to chaos. Even after decent systems to replace outdated data came into being, only parts of these elaborate records were updated by a computer. I also remember early in my career sitting with piles of catalog cards and white-out to update terms like this. Stupid work, for sure. (Oddly, I didnt mind it.)
There are still controlled vocabulary headings in library records all over the country for outdated terms “Negroes” and “Afro Americans” because the technology,know how, and will do not exist to change them.
All of that said, it is important to be respectful of minority groups. I think reasonable people can agree on what is an obvious disrespectful term, but it is the terms that are emerging to be disrespectul that we can argue about as well as the vehemence with which “I am right” “No, *I* am right! And you are a Philistine!” is argued.
I cant wrap my head around ”illegal immigrant” as being a disrespectiful term that trumps the factual accuracy. I CAN understand, however, that the “illegal” part is a minor issue in the eyes of many, and I suppose I can see that reasonable people do not wish to place emphasis on that illegal status. So here we are with “undocumented worker.” Sigh.
In my first job at a library near the Mexican border I was horrified to find catalog cards with the heading “Wetbacks.” That was in 1980. Some untrained doobie had substituted her own preferred language for the Library of Congress standard term. That was one of those instances of me sitting at a desk with white out and a handful of catalog cards, changing the offensive term. Probably the correct LC term back then was “Illegal immigrant” but I dont rememberfor sure, I just know that it was not “Wetback.”
Not that anyone cares about more i formation, haha, but our changing language provides much fodder for discussion and most importantly, for academic papers that propel the author into tenure -land! One such work is here:
http://eprints.rclis.org/8831/1/ethnicgroups.pdf
Based on my online research and other comments, the word oriental is only considered offensive and dated when referring to a person. Otherwise it is still in use today as in oriental food dishes, oriental lilies etc. And yes, I was simply separating the orient from the occident world.
Oriental derives from sunrise and, the antonym, occident is falling or sunset which are timeless terms.
I don't know... I never hear food referred to as oriental food.
iris lilies
8-20-18, 1:18pm
I don't know... I never hear food referred to as oriental food.
And as an Asian foodie, it is damned imprecise! Boy there is a difference between
thai and Vietnamese cuisines. I love both of them and for difference reasons.
I am not fond of Japanese cuisine because I think it is bland, although I do buy bland sushi regularly at our local grocery store. The sushi maker is Asian, and I doubt that he is
japanese, but who knows. I often wonder how and why he was selected as their sushi maker, and is it racist to put him behind the sushi counter? He always says “Thank you!” When
I pick up a package of
sushi.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-tsuchiyama-oriental-insult-20160601-snap-story.html
As an Oriental, I am bemused. Apparently Asians are supposed to feel demeaned if someone refers to us as Orientals. But good luck finding a single Asian American who has ever had the word spat at them in anger. Most Asian Americans have had racist epithets hurled at them at one time or another: Chink, slant eye, gook, Nip, zipperhead. But Oriental isn't in the canon.
And why should it be? Literally, it means of the Orient or of the East, as opposed to of the Occident or of the West. Last I checked, geographic origin is not a slur.
I’ve never heard food called this either. Possibly because, as iris liky mentions ina later comment, with the differences between Asian countries’ cuisines it would make even less sense than if we created a food category called North American food.
IL your wetback story reminded me a of when a manager called in an order to a coworker at a former job. Frustrated she finally called him back. "I've checked and checked and I just can't find Towelhead Engineering in the system".
He couldn't believe that she thought that was the real name of the business, and that wasn't familiar with the large ethnic account we had. But I guess some people really would list an account or catalog card that is offensive.
iris lilies
8-20-18, 10:31pm
IL your wetback story reminded me a of when a manager called in an order to a coworker at a former job. Frustrated she finally called him back. "I've checked and checked and I just can't find Towelhead Engineering in the system".
He couldn't believe that she thought that was the real name of the business, and that wasn't familiar with the large ethnic account we had. But I guess some people really would list an account or catalog card that is offensive.
ack!
Teacher Terry
8-21-18, 12:08am
IL, glad you fixed it. Being referred to in that way is horrible.
Has anyone studied Yiddish? I have an opposite concern. I took German classes before. Would the languages be so similar that I would confuse the two?
Well despite Askenazi surnames amongst her ancestors my mother's DNA test turned up no Jewish ancestry, and I have lost my motivation to learn Yiddish. But Dado Potato's borscht post did get me thinking about the language. I associate Russia with borscht, but he wrote "schmecht" which is German, and maybe Yiddish too? The Borscht Belt is Jewish.
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