Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997 10:14:07 -0500

From: wachal robert s rwachal[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]BLUE.WEEG.UIOWA.EDU

Subject: Dutch: ethnic slur compounds



What allows such terms to exist is the prevailing social attitude for a

given county or given social class at a given time, but I'm no expert.



But note the British "French letter" for condom

the French "le vice anglaise" for sad-masochism.



In academic circles I don't hear "to jew someone down" but occasionally

"welch/welsh on a bet"



"Chinese fire drill" seems OK to some (not to me), so maybe it has to do

with salience of the group being put down.



These kinds of terms passed for wit (and some still do( when I was a lad

in the '30's, back when my people ("Bohunks") referred to "sheenies"

(Jews).



I think that politcal correctness has done a lot for this aspect of

language behavior, while often being silly in other contexts.



Oh, well, what the fuck!



Bob Wachal