Re: Stickler 28/4/06 *Spoiler*



Peter T. Daniels wrote:
Philip V. Rose wrote:

The noose has got me!

The German Shephard was introduced to Britain when several were kept as
POWs during the First World War.

Rather than acknowledge the German source, they were named Alsatians.
The breed of dog would be more recognisable to us here, than the
inhabitants of a French region.


In the 1996 World Almanac (the one that happens to be at hand), the
German Shepherd is listed as the 3rd-most-popular registered breed in
the US (after Labrador Retriever and Rottweiler!). Alsatian doesn't
appear in the top 50. That suggests it is indeed not a particular breed;
but most of _our_ anti-German euphemisms of that era (such as "liberty
cabbage" for sauerkraut) were soon abandoned (and not even revived
during WWII).

Alsatian is the popular British term for German Shepherd. Only "dog" people tend to use the term German Shepherd.


Elsaß is a German region that happens to belong to France at the moment
... the University of Strassburg was one of the top German universities
at the turn of the last century.

It is a region where German and French are spoken, as is usual in border areas.

The last thing Europe needs is to start squabbling over Alsace and Lorraine again!



Phil.

Peter T. Daniels wrote:

Peter Biddlecombe wrote:



In practical terms, the effect is rather odd. A category like "Dog"
has many members, even when restricted to, say, 8 letters. But
words like ALSATIAN usually mean very few things other than "(type
of) dog".


'Native of Alsace' comes to mind before 'dog' ...



.

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