From: Tony Raven on
Ivor Jones wrote on 19/08/2006 20:21 +0100:
> "Tony Raven" <junk(a)raven-family.com> wrote in message
> news:4kp56sFd3p9vU1(a)individual.net
>>
>> OED: European n.
>>
>> B. 1. A native of Europe.
>>
>> Ergo you are a European and saying otherwise will not
>> change the fact.
>
> I'm not a native of Europe, there is no such country. I can only be a
> native of a country, not a continent.
>

Since a native is "A person born in a specified place, region, or
country, whether subsequently resident there or not " you can be a
native of a continent.

Did you know that British soldiers sent to India under British rule were
officially designated "European" to distinguish them from the native
troops, not British or English?

>> You still haven't said whether you recognise the terms
>> American, Asian, African or Australian.
>
> That's not relevant.
>

Well surely if you deny the existence of Europeans you must logically
deny the existence of these other designations.


--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci
From: Paul {Hamilton Rooney} on
On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 19:50:24 +0100, Tony Raven <junk(a)raven-family.com>
wrote:

>Paul {Hamilton Rooney} wrote on 19/08/2006 09:58 +0100:
>>
>> You hear it on the BBC now. There was a time when those anals wouldn't even
>> split an infinitive.
>
>Although it's grammatically perfectly OK to split an infinitive
>(Cambridge Grammar of the English Language Chapter 4)

Indeed.
>
>>
>> Usage is usage. Neither accurate nor inaccurate. That's how language works.
>>
>
>It has to be more than just usage otherwise writing "guvf vf n ybnq bs
>yvathvfgvp gbfu" would be considered perfectly acceptable English.

Eh?

--

Paul Rooney

"Rooney is one of these vandals and has done his utmost to help trash dl and the
other groups which he regularly crossposts to. He's created a false FAQ
and charter" (Chris Lawrence in uk.rec.walking)

"Also long time d.l. reader but never feel robust enough to post much,
especially since Rooney wrecked the group." (Rachel Sullivan in uk.rec.walking)

"Low life scum doesn't even begin to describe you. You are the most loathsome
individual ever to cross the threshold of d.l." (JK in demon.local)
From: Paul {Hamilton Rooney} on
On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 20:05:20 +0100, Tony Raven <junk(a)raven-family.com>
wrote:

>Brimstone wrote on 19/08/2006 19:53 +0100:
>>
>>> It has to be more than just usage otherwise writing "guvf vf n ybnq bs
>>> yvathvfgvp gbfu" would be considered perfectly acceptable English.
>>
>> For which I, and others I expect, would need a translation.
>>
>
>No translation needed. According to Paul's usage criterion, since I am
>English and used it, it is English.

Hmmmm. look up 'usage'.
And you nationality isn't relevant.

--

Paul Rooney

"Rooney is one of these vandals and has done his utmost to help trash dl and the
other groups which he regularly crossposts to. He's created a false FAQ
and charter" (Chris Lawrence in uk.rec.walking)

"Also long time d.l. reader but never feel robust enough to post much,
especially since Rooney wrecked the group." (Rachel Sullivan in uk.rec.walking)

"Low life scum doesn't even begin to describe you. You are the most loathsome
individual ever to cross the threshold of d.l." (JK in demon.local)
From: Ivor Jones on
"Brimstone" <brimstone(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:He6dnWUtrqQf-3rZRVnyig(a)bt.com
> "Ivor Jones" <ivor(a)despammed.invalid> wrote in message
> news:4kp6lrFda5s5U1(a)individual.net...

[snip]

> So you know better than the Oxford English Dictionary?

I don't live my life defined by a dictionary.

> > > You still haven't said whether you recognise the terms
> > > American, Asian, African or Australian.
> >
> > That's not relevant.
>
> So that's a "yes" then is it?

It's a "not relevant"

Ivor


From: Ivor Jones on

"Chris Slade" <uce(a)ftc.gov> wrote in message
news:4kp7d8Fcf335U1(a)individual.net
> Ivor Jones wrote:
>
> > I'm not a native of Europe, there is no such country. I
> > can only be a native of a country, not a continent.
>
> There's your problem. You simply don't understand simple
> English. You can be a native of much more than just a
> country.
>
> See e.g. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/native

So you expect me to take notice of a website that anybody can modify..?

> > > You still haven't said whether you recognise the terms
> > > American, Asian, African or Australian.
> >
> > That's not relevant.
>
> It might show if you were consistently wrong. I can
> understand why you might not want to admit that though.

I am not consistently wrong. I am not a European, end of story.

Ivor