Cat goes meow, and the elephant goes toot.
For camel and rhinoceros noises, see Kipling’s "Just So Stories".
Well, I am glad to see the fine people of the Eastern part of the world now have the right to be grouped more specifically.
Having said that, can we do something about these damned Boreals? Screaming out windows at all hours, eating their meat far too rare, and who knows what they’re up to with that infernal contraption at the University? It’s not cricket.
It’s too bad that boreal, occidental, and austral aren’t used more often. They’re so much more colorful than northern, western, and southern. I suppose the history behind ‘oriental’ put them in an awkward spot.
[li][color=#009900]Shoshanna is a riff, like so much else, on the Waste Land, but even innocent intention can look weird on the Internet.[/color]
[/quote]
I had no idea. And Death By Water was staring me right in the face, too! I need to read more carefully. [/li]
Thank you for making this choice, Alexis. Now I can recommend this game to my Asian-descended friends without worrying about annoying them. Which, to me, is the crucial thing about matters of language – not excluding people. ("A gentleman is one who is never unintentionally offensive.")[li]
[li][color=#009900]Shoshanna is a riff, like so much else, on the Waste Land, but even innocent intention can look weird on the Internet.[/color]
[/quote]
I had no idea. And Death By Water was staring me right in the face, too! I need to read more carefully. [/li]
Thank you for making this choice, Alexis. Now I can recommend this game to my Asian-descended friends without worrying about annoying them. Which, to me, is the crucial thing about matters of language – not excluding people. ("A gentleman is one who is never unintentionally offensive.")[li][/quote][/li]
Wait, no idea of what? What does Death by Water have to do with Shoshanna?
As a chinese, I can’t say I was ever offended by the whole orient thing. To me it just added to the victorian flavor. On the other hand, I have pretty thick skin about this sort of stuff unless its intentionally malicious. In practical terms its just one less connection I have to worry about maintaining so sure, why not.
It’s not gone, just renamed.
[li][color=#009900]Shoshanna is a riff, like so much else, on the Waste Land, but even innocent intention can look weird on the Internet.[/color]
[/quote]
I had no idea. And Death By Water was staring me right in the face, too! I need to read more carefully. [/li]
Thank you for making this choice, Alexis. Now I can recommend this game to my Asian-descended friends without worrying about annoying them. Which, to me, is the crucial thing about matters of language – not excluding people. ("A gentleman is one who is never unintentionally offensive.")[li][/quote][/li]
Wait, no idea of what? What does Death by Water have to do with Shoshanna?[/quote]
She’s probably meant to equate with Madame Sosostris, the fortuneteller in ‘The Waste Land’ who first makes reference to the sailor whose death is chronicled in the Death By Water section.
[quote]
Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyante,
Had a bad cold, nevertheless
Is known to be the wisest woman in Europe,
With a wicked pack of cards. Here, said she,
Is your card, the drowned Phoenician Sailor,
(Those are pearls that were his eyes. Look!)
[code][/quote]
edit: now with less forum breaking
[/code]
edited by Leraika on 11/29/2013
[li][color=#009900]Shoshanna is a riff, like so much else, on the Waste Land, but even innocent intention can look weird on the Internet.[/color]
[/quote]
I had no idea. And Death By Water was staring me right in the face, too! I need to read more carefully. [/li]
Thank you for making this choice, Alexis. Now I can recommend this game to my Asian-descended friends without worrying about annoying them. Which, to me, is the crucial thing about matters of language – not excluding people. ("A gentleman is one who is never unintentionally offensive.")[li][/quote][/li]
Wait, no idea of what? What does Death by Water have to do with Shoshanna?[/quote]
She’s probably meant to equate with Madame Sosostris, the fortuneteller in ‘The Waste Land’ who first makes reference to the sailor whose death is chronicled in the Death By Water section.
[quote]
Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyante,
Had a bad cold, nevertheless
Is known to be the wisest woman in Europe,
With a wicked pack of cards. Here, said she,
Is your card, the drowned Phoenician Sailor,
(Those are pearls that were his eyes. Look!)
[code][/quote]
edit: now with less forum breaking
[/code]
edited by Leraika on 11/29/2013[/quote]
Oi, thanks!
[li]
TBH I think it’s the British English vs American English thing that Alexis mentioned. "Oriental" is a less problematic word in Britain because we’re already using "Asian" for people for South Asia, so at least it avoids confusion. I kinda miss it on census forms since since it’s fallen somewhat out of favour the section for East Asians tends to default to "Chinese" and I’m left ticking "Other", which I find more problematic than "Oriental".
I hadn’t noticed, I don’t mind, I think it makes sense, I like the word Orient purely because it allows me to use Occident occasionally. I like the thought that if Leyton Orient move to Ealing, they could become Leyton Occident.
Are the Gaels and Welsh on the Surface delighted that London is now farther from them?
[li]
No, it makes immigrating a lot harder.
I was wondering who this Widow woman was. Here I thought I’d made a new acquaintance, but no. No it’s just an old acquaintance tarted up a bit by the times.
It’s the Prussian affair all over again.
I think it’s an excellent change, although I will miss the mention in the FAQ that linked to an article interviewing the game developers about racism. Does anyone have that link?
I do find it odd there’s be any backlash against political correctness, but as an American I see many pundits and a few politicians seeming to think political correctness is worth fighting AGAINST. I suppose an argument can be made for “freedom of speech,” but at the end of the day, why are you fighting so hard for your right to be a jerk? Call people what they want to be called. It’s a little sacrafice that goes a long way towards showing respect.
Though from a linguistic point of view I tend to agree with the jerks. If I was taught a word as a child, and then later it’s decided that that word is bad when I always considered it to be neutral, it’s going to annoy me when I have to learn a new word with the same meaning as the old word just because other people say so. It feels completely natural to resist change imposed by other people.
"We’re altering the language. Pray we don’t… Well, we’re just going to keep altering it. Resistance is futiculous."
@Gillsing: I go back to saying it’s a small sacrafice, simply learning a new word. I’ve had moments where I used a term that I didn’t realize had negative connotations, and was corrected (sternly at first, but that response usually softened when they realized it had been an accident that I am eager to correct.) I realize now that using the term “jerk” wasn’t doing me any favors, and it came after skimming the comments to see people agreeable to the politically correct jargon change. I don’t think Fallen London writers were jerks for using “Oriental” to begin with, since it seemed more like a cultural misstep than an intentional attack.
Oh, I assumed that the “jerks” you were referring to were the politicians and the pundits. Who might very well have sinister intentions with whatever words they defend. And I wasn’t defending my annoyance at having to learn new words, I was just explaining it. I’m a slacker. I just don’t like having to keep up with reality as it changes.
Yup, the jerk status does go more to the politicians and pundits, due to how influential they are. I am lazy and slack off in many ways, but learning new words generally takes 30 seconds, compared to the 30 minute conversation you will have over and over every time you offend someone.
Here’s the link to that online article I loved so much regarding how race is handled in Fallen London: Border House Blog
I understand why it’s not in the FAQ anymore, but I missed enough to dig through interwebs for it.