In the last many months Diane ‘Kyle and I have been talking about “precision of language”… I think it is one of our reactions to the last four years of incivility in the country… We are always trying to watch our speech for sexism, racism, ages… All these kind of things that we say and take for granted.… For example “you guys” which is something everyone up here says in the Northeast… Including me. I’m constantly reminded that not everyone I’m addressing our “guys”It’s funny because English doesn’t have an official second person informal plural. I grew up in the south where “y’all” is acceptable… In Pittsburgh they say Yunz. . In other languages like Spanish you have Vosotros . In Germany you have Euch or Sie.

It’s funny how many things we say have those elements like “black list”…Or “master bedroom”… Or like my role at work which is “fellow”… Though several (not enough) are women

Anyway I was thinking about that today. I was talking to a professor at Virginia tech who was also a tribal Elder In the first people’s band down there. I was telling her about a project I’m working on that is looking at how to better serve “low resource” languages… That is languages that have very few speakers and little or no written or recorded record.

The professor was wise and very helpful… Near the end of the conversation she had some advice to give me.… In the course of our conve rsation I had used Phrases like that we were trying to “capture languages” And “extract stories”

She gently mentioned to me at the end of that at the moment any native American heard me use language like that the conversation would be over.… She also said most would not even tell me they were offended. She actually gave me a gift by letting me know how my unintended slip had sounded

I think you’re very much for her advice… And I’ve been thinking about it all day sense… How often are we accidentally offending our friends and neighbors

I truly appreciate The gentle correction I received today

Night all, night sam

-me