Updating Our Language - Day 19
“Long time, no see”
There are two theories about where phrases like these came from.
One is that British & American militaries picked it up from Chinese people attempting to speak English. The other is from Indigenous people speaking English, as seen in old Western movies.
Either way, it’s safe to assume the origins involved mimicking non-English speakers attempting to communicate with English speakers.
Throughout July we will be making posts about updating our language.
We live in a society that has normalized using many words and phrases with racist origins.
Part of the anti-racist work involves acknowledging you have used them, beginning the process of eliminating them from your vocabulary, and gently correcting others when you hear them used.
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