On Wed, 19 Mar 1997, Kathleen Hunt wrote:
> Does this sort of evolution toward offensiveness inevitably
> occur with EVERY word that starts out as a simple classificatory word for
> a downtrodden group of people? (e.g. "moron" and "idiot" became
> derogatory, then the replacement "retarded" became derogatory, and now
> even the gentle replacement "special" has become derogatory).

Again, one of the driving forces behind many of the recent name changes
is a standardization of British and American names, as Michael Price and
others have noted. I think the PC discussion is a corollary, but it may
not be the entire reason for the change. Personally, I like the idea of
great northern divers, though the grebe names seem odd as does the
dreaded goosander (these would be next).

Some examples of this trend include:
Sparrow Hawk to American Kestrel
Pigeon Hawk to Merlin
Duck Hawk to Peregrine Falcon
Marsh Hawk to Northern Harrier
Grey-headed Chickadee to Siberian Tit

I'm sure there are more. RK

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ray Korpi "A cat without hairballs is only half a cat."
Hm: Portland, OR --Ren Hoek
Wk: Clark College
Vancouver, WA
rkorpi at clark.edu