#omg thats an offensive name for italians | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

smute · 1 year

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i am 31 years old. i've been learning english for 25 years. ive been speaking english on a daily basis for at least 15 years. i have a degree in english literature and im currently working on a second one. and after all these years i still keep finding out about hidden meanings behind completely innocuous phrases or how some random expression can actually be super offensive in the right (wrong) context. american english especially is a fucking minefield when it comes to racial overtones or like. downright racist connotations. and literal slurs oh my god just pick 2 vowels and a few consonants, arrange them in any order, and there's a 70% chance that the result will be an ethnic slur

#the tone of this poast is more astonishment than frustration #it's fascinating in a way #its just like... you find out about something like that #and then you wonder like oh my god have i ever used this word in that way?#how many people have i offended #entirely unwittingly #like #youre doing vocal stims and an american hears you and goes #omg thats an offensive name for italians #like SORRY #and no i wont be giving any examples thank you for asking #&

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