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9780897892209

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One of the most fascinating branches of etymology is ethnic labeling. Did you know, for example, that WASP originally stood for White Appalachian Southern Protestant? The first half of the book surveys slurs the author considers familiar. Readers encountering them for the first time will be pleasantly surprised with their own lack of bigotry. Do you know what a guappo is? A Mexican breakfast? A dee-donk? A Mister John? The second part of the book brings out the sociologist in its author, who examines current, euphemistics slurs: the capitalization of Black (but not white); the use of ethnic to exclude blacks, Jews, Irish, and become a code word for city-dwellers who oppose residential integration; the evolution of the word poor to needy to culturally deprived to under-privileged to disadvantages to underclass. Eminently readable fare for language buffs and sociologists. -Booklist ?One of the most fascinating branches of etymology is ethnic labeling. Did you know, for example, that WASP originally stood for White Appalachian Southern Protestant? The first half of the book surveys slurs the author considers familiar. Readers encountering them for the first time will be pleasantly surprised with their own lack of bigotry. Do you know what a guappo is? A Mexican breakfast? A dee-donk? A Mister John? The second part of the book brings out the sociologist in its author, who examines current, euphemistics slurs: the capitalization of Black (but not white); the use of ethnic to exclude blacks, Jews, Irish, and become a code word for city-dwellers who oppose residential integration; the evolution of the word poor to needy to culturally deprived to under-privileged to disadvantages to underclass. Eminently readable fare for language buffs and sociologists.?-Booklist

?One of the most fascinating branches of etymology is ethnic labeling. Did you know, for example, that WASP originally stood for White Appalachian Southern Protestant? The first half of the book surveys slurs the author considers familiar. Readers encountering them for the first time will be pleasantly surprised with their own lack of bigotry. Do you know what a guappo is? A Mexican breakfast? A dee-donk? A Mister John? The second part of the book brings out the sociologist in its author, who examines current, euphemistics slurs: the capitalization of Black (but not white); the use of ethnic to exclude blacks, Jews, Irish, and become a code word for city-dwellers who oppose residential integration; the evolution of the word poor to needy to culturally deprived to under-privileged to disadvantages to underclass. Eminently readable fare for language buffs and sociologists.?-Booklist One of the most fascinating branches of etymology is ethnic labeling. Did you know, for example, that WASP originally stood for White Appalachian Southern Protestant? The first half of the book surveys slurs the author considers familiar. Readers encountering them for the first time will be pleasantly surprised with their own lack of bigotry. Do you know what a guappo is? A Mexican breakfast? A dee-donk? A Mister John? The second part of the book brings out the sociologist in its author, who examines current, euphemistics slurs: the capitalization of Black (but not white); the use of ethnic to exclude blacks, Jews, Irish, and become a code word for city-dwellers who oppose residential integration; the evolution of the word poor to needy to culturally deprived to under-privileged to disadvantages to underclass. Eminently readable fare for language buffs and sociologists. -Booklist

?One of the most fascinating branches of etymology is ethnic labeling. Did you know, for example, that WASP originally stood for White Appalachian Southern Protestant? The first half of the book surveys slurs the author considers familiar. Readers encountering them for the first time will be pleasantly surprised with their own lack of bigotry. Do you know what a guappo is? A Mexican breakfast? A dee-donk? A Mister John? The second part of the book brings out the sociologist in its author, who examines current, euphemistics slurs: the capitalization of Black (but not white); the use of ethnic to exclude blacks, Jews, Irish, and become a code word for city-dwellers who oppose residential integration; the evolution of the word poor to needy to culturally deprived to under-privileged to disadvantages to underclass. Eminently readable fare for language buffs and sociologists.?-Booklist

Author Information

IRVING LEWIS ALLEN is Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut. He is the author of some forty articles including The Sociology of Slang in The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics.

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