In a recent news broadcast, it was mentioned that someone used the term “Indian giver” and the Native Americans objected. If you wonder as I did where the term originated, visit this file on Wikipedia. You will learn that this terminology is not new but has a history that is centuries long. I am sure that the words have become so commonplace in the English language that most people do not stop and consider that they may be politically incorrect in using them.
Likewise, the term “to jew someone down” is often heard. I suppose anyone who belongs to the Jewish faith would be extremely perturbed at the phrase and indeed, I have heard of some people who do take offense. Commonly, it means to bargain for a more favorable price. Jews were always astute businessmen, a statement that does not seem to be a stereotype when we look at history. In Spanish society, they comprised a valuable class of traders… that is until the Spanish Inquisition came along and either tried to convert them all to Christianity, expel them or murder them. Yes, Jews have a long history of being persecuted. No wonder the phrase evokes a feeling of being picked on yet again.
My point is this: people are very sensitive to language but when one stops and thinks about this matter for awhile, language is constantly being transformed. Many new words have come into the English language in the last 50 years due to new activities. One of those is “camping.” It is such a new word, there is no equivalent in Spanish. It is called simply “el camping.” The space age engendered new words, too. I was around when folks FIRST started saying “okay,” mimicking the talk of astronauts! Wars create slang words that stay in place and each war has generated its own set of new words as well as phrases with newly-assigned meanings.
A book that I find fascinating is called War Slang: American Fighting Words & Phrases Since the Civil War by Paul Dickson. For your convenience, here is a link if you’d like to check it out. This volume provides many insights as to where terms originated and it is an amusing reference book.
