From: floyd@... (Floyd L. Davidson) Date: 2006-09-01T04:40:31+09:00 Subject: Re: How to spy on the Japanese Rubists Dr Nic wrote: >Paul Robinson wrote: >>> For one, I heared that Eskimos use some tens of various words for >>> different kinds of snow and ice. You get the idea. >> >> They're called inuits, not eskimos - calling somebody an eskimo is >> like calling them a nigger, i.e. highly offensive - but I'm aware of >> what you mean by the snow/ice thing. > >I never knew that Eskimos was a derogatory term. The things you learn on >the Ruby forum :) It would help a great deal if what you learned were true though, and *none* of the above is. There are two Eskimo languages, and each of them has just about the same number of terms for snow that English does. Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Russian all most certainly have an equal number too. As for "Inuit", keep in mind that not all Eskimos are Inuit, and the others (not to mention some who actually *are* Inuit), distinctly do *not* like to be called Inuit. The Inuit in Canada and Greenland would prefer to be called Inuit, and since there are no Yupik Eskimos there, it makes sense. But in Siberia all Eskimos are Yupik. And in Alaska there are both Inuit and Yupik, so we use the term Eskimo with regularity. In particular because the Inuit Eskimos in Alaska do *not* like the term Inuit, and call themselves Inupiat! Regardless, the term Eskimo is *not* derogatory, and happens to be the one an the *only* term in the English language which encompasses all Eskimo cultures, languages, or peoples. -- Floyd L. Davidson Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@apaflo.com