Kinsao
Horizon Rider
- 8 May 2005
- 8,423
- 142
- 129
I think it is not good to use as an abbreviation for a person... for example, if there's a Japanese woman works in the office and you don't know her name but want to identify her to someone else, you might say "The Japanese woman" in the same way as you might say "The woman with the long hair" or something, but it would be really rude to say "That Jap". ☝
It's the same for other nationalities: you might say "The French guy who sits in the corner..." as a means of identification, but it would be rude to say, "That Frog..."
I think that holds good even if the abbreviation or nickname isn't derogatory in itself - for example, Pole is an acceptable way of talking about a Polish person, but if you were actually identifying a specific person, you would say "The Polish man/woman".
It just seems to be that if you say only "Pole" (or "Jap"... or whatever...) you are giving 'brush-off' to the person, without respect... whereas if you say "[country proper name] person", you are acknowledging that their nationality is only part of what makes them that person, in the same way as their hair colour or eye colour.
Dunno if that made any sense...
It's the same for other nationalities: you might say "The French guy who sits in the corner..." as a means of identification, but it would be rude to say, "That Frog..."
I think that holds good even if the abbreviation or nickname isn't derogatory in itself - for example, Pole is an acceptable way of talking about a Polish person, but if you were actually identifying a specific person, you would say "The Polish man/woman".
It just seems to be that if you say only "Pole" (or "Jap"... or whatever...) you are giving 'brush-off' to the person, without respect... whereas if you say "[country proper name] person", you are acknowledging that their nationality is only part of what makes them that person, in the same way as their hair colour or eye colour.
Dunno if that made any sense...