Date: Fri, 6 Sep 1996 08:56:46 -0700

From: Peter McGraw pmcgraw[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CALVIN.LINFIELD.EDU

Subject: Re: "Ami"



On Thu, 5 Sep 1996, Luanne von Schneidemesser wrote:



In message Thu, 5 Sep 1996 00:08:54 -0400,

Jason Wilke wilke[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]NJ2.N-JCENTER.COM writes:





BTW, where do you get "Ami" for "American"? That's a new one on me.

& how do you pronounce it?





I have been living in Germany. That's a colloquial term for Ami's in

Germany.



It's not derrogatory.



It is considered by many to be derogatory.



I second that -- at least it CAN be used in a derogatory manner. On a

trip through Austria just days after the post-WWII occupation ended, I saw

"Ami go home" painted on a wall. More indicatively, in a conversation at

the German Information Center (where I worked), a co-worker complaining

about jingoistic network coverage of the LA Olympics said sarcastically

that if the Amis did it, it would be covered. Other colleagues hushed him

in scandalized tones for using the word in my presence.



Peter McGraw

Linfield College

McMinnville, OR





Luanne

Luanne von Schneidemesser

Dictionary of American Regional English

6129 H.C. White Hall, 600 N. Park St.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison WI 53706

(608) 263-2748