• Kashif Shah@lemmy.sdf.org
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    8 months ago

    So, arguable, anti-semitism is also bigotry toward Arabs, we just have to wait for the language to catch up, got it.

    • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      You have that reversed. Etymology is the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history. The origin of Semite no longer applies to the word as it is used today.

      The only reason it’s unique to Jews is because it’s both a form of racism and religious persecution. One can be genealogically an Ashkenazi Jew but not practice Judaism, or vice-versa.

        • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          It’s possible. Language evolves. You’re likely not going to get it to catch on with root awareness. That’s hardly how English has evolved for the last century.

              • Kashif Shah@lemmy.sdf.org
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                8 months ago

                You know, I haven’t looked at anything linguistics related since taking Latin in college, but I am roughly aware of there being a trend of new words being added for sometimes popular usage reasons as opposed to true neologisms.

                Totally random, but one of my favorite things about studying Latin was finally understanding who/whose/which lol

                • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  Qui, quid, quod, cuem, cuius? I don’t know if I remember correctly myself. It was a nightmare to understand at first.

                  Yes, all dictionary updates are colloquially based. Meaning the word or alternate definition must be widely adopted in everyday language. All new admissions are based on what people use, not what words are “supposed to mean.”

                  • Kashif Shah@lemmy.sdf.org
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                    8 months ago

                    Aye, those be the ones. Cuius almost even sounds like “whose” if you chop off the k sound. Pheweee, by the end of the 4th semester, I was drowning in different ablatives.

                    Well, I’m going to keep on popularizing retro-definitions and roots, unless you have a different recommendation in this specific situation?

                    Should I keep reminding people the Arabs and Jews are both Semites? Or would you argue that only Jews are Semitic?