• JustAnotherKay@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    7 hours ago

    Ignorance this ignorance that.

    Language evolves. The words we used to refer to locations don’t exactly match what they did 250 fucking years ago, boohoo.

    Definitions come from how people use words, not the other way around.

    • FelixCress@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      6 hours ago

      Definitions come from how people use words, not the other way around.

      That’s how Trump can get away with his lies in the USA. 🙄

      Despite of what brainwashed USians may think, words do not create a reality.

      Person who lives in the USA is as much of an American as a person from Brazil, Mexico or Canada. The same as European means a person living in Europe, not necessarily in the European Union.

      • JustAnotherKay@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        5 hours ago

        Deceptive people can use words however they want!

        So can you or I. At least a quarter billion people say “America” and mean “United States of America” every day, and at least a quarter billion people hear them say it and understand what they mean. Therefore, the meaning of that word has skewed.

        If you picture an “American” in your mind I know damn well the first thing that pops into your head is not a resident of Brazil, and that is what language is actually about. Moving ideas, not definitions.