I hate to puncture her enthusiasm...

[conuly]

But, like I said, I don't think changing the language is as important as enforcing the current law.

Am I the only one who thinks that "enthusiasm" sounds like "orgasm"? Well, it's better than Ms. Kaplan, my bio teacher from the 9th grade, who never could say the word "organism" properly....

(She told guidance that she thought I was crazy, and the few times I handed in a lab report, failed it because I got the wrong results. WTF? I did the lab, I wrote down what happened, what did you want, for me to lie? So I don't mind mocking her.)

Comments

[ex-chaos-by-699.livejournal.com]

This is one of my major beefs with political correctness. I have no problem with calling someone what they prefer to be called, to me that's just a matter of respect. But insisting on euphemisms like "differently abled", or spelling "woman" as "womyn" seems like a waste of energy. I'd rather see those efforts go towards fighting for real change like disability rights and fighting domestic violence and rape. It seems like we live in a world where everything sounds nicer, but nothing ever actually changes.

[cumaeansibyl.livejournal.com]

Hell, it's not even the "Disabled Americans Act," it's the "Americans With Disabilities Act" -- good ol' person-first language. Aren't you cripples and retards ever satisfied?

[conuly]

Well, ADA looks better than DAA ever does.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

for some reason, the original batman theme popedinto my brain, but with the Daa sound.

*giggle*

[leora.livejournal.com]

But I am disabled.

I'm so-so on handicapped. It sounds like I should get something to balance things out, and I don't really. So, it's not a fair handicapping scheme. Or worse, that everyone else should be sunk to my level, and I don't want that. Besides, then who'd be able to fetch me drinks when I need them?

Blind works, except that then everyone assumes that I can't see. But that's a matter of education, not language. Or maybe the two combined. It's also incomplete.

So gimp, cripple, or disabled it is, I suppose.

[conuly]

Of course, just being blind wouldn't make you a gimp or a cripple, would it? I thought that only applied if you had problems walking...?

[leora.livejournal.com]

I'm multiply disabled! :)

Being blind doesn't make me identify as gimp/crippled. But being blind is usually what I consider my third most disabling issue. Number one is the not getting enough air when I breathe feeling. Not sure exactly what the problem is, the doctors say my breathing is normal. But I breathe, but I don't have enough air. I get lightheaded, I need to lie down to not collapse. When it happens, I often can only lie down until it passes. This is pretty massively disabling, plus incredibly uncomfortable. It pops up more when I'm more fatigued.

Then there is the fatigue, which is really two issues. One is general tiredness all the time. I sleep more than most people, yet I'm still tired all the time. Plus, my limbs are all weak. This is a large part of the difficulty walking. I use my stick to help me walk, because if my legs try to support my weight for long periods of time they will ache massively for days afterwards.

Plus a few other minor conditions that sometimes affect my ability to walk, such as vertigo. I don't get it too often, and sometimes it passes quickly, but it can be a bit of a problem.

I'm full of exceptionalities :)

[conuly]

Oy vey. Is there anything you *don't* have?

[leora.livejournal.com]

The vitreous in my right eye.

I really wanted to answer with "my appendix" but I still have my appendix and tonsils. I've only had one normal body part removed.

And as to disabilities - yes, lots of them. I have a bunch, but obviously there are countless I don't have. I can move my limbs under my own control almost all of the time (sometimes the fatigue is an issue, but usually it's not, and usually I can borrow against future spoons if I really need to get something done), I can usually speak normally, and reasonably well understand speech (if there are too many sounds going on, it's an issue, but..) I have a lot of issues that are far from the severe end of the spectrum. So, there's muscular weakness, but I can walk. I'm blind, but I can see really well for a blind person. I get tired, but I can function for a few hours a day and look normal. When people meet me, they generally would assume I was fully healthy if I didn't have my stick handy. I can pass really well. It's just later in the day, I seem awfully tired for someone my age, and well, I use a stick to get around, and if there are too many sounds going on or too much activity it starts really getting to me in a way I cannot explain but I think most autistics would understand and I just want out, and the next day I may be in awful shape for overexerting myself.

But really, I can do an amazing amount generally and seem quite normal. Which is why I've had to put up with so much, but why don't you do stuff?

[conuly]

You know, the last sentence, I thought you were asking me why I don't do stuff for a second, and wondered if I had seriously offended.

And *hugs*. That's not much, but, seems appropriate. Plus, I'm always trying to hug people, but they whine (except Ana, the sweetie, and her bear)

[leora.livejournal.com]

*smiles*

As odd as it is, I'm really more or less okay with being disabled. If I could afford to be, it wouldn't even bug me much, since I could still work on things that matter to me (such as writing) and could buy various aids and entertainments to compensate. The disabilities themselves aren't so bad. What gets to me are the social reactions and the beaurocratic ones, along with the constant economic struggle. If I could just change three things, it really wouldn't be that bad. Just change stupid reactions, red tape, and poverty. I admit those are big things to change, but the level of ability itself is generally okay for my needs. The difficulty reading normal books gets to me now and then, and I really wish I could read graphic novels (they just came out with The Cartoon History of the Universe Part III too, damn them), but it's not a huge issue, and it's mostly get aroundable with Braille and audiobooks. Except that Braille books and audiobooks are both fiendishly expensive. Audiobooks can be borrowed for free though. Braille books can too, but the Braille quality is so poor unless it's a print/Braille book.

[farraige.livejournal.com]

Do tell two things.
(a) Do you have yod coalescence after a dental fricative in 'enthusiasm'?
(b) Does GenAm have an epenthetic phonetic schwa in the [zm] cluster?

[ex-chaos-by-699.livejournal.com]

This is one of my major beefs with political correctness. I have no problem with calling someone what they prefer to be called, to me that's just a matter of respect. But insisting on euphemisms like "differently abled", or spelling "woman" as "womyn" seems like a waste of energy. I'd rather see those efforts go towards fighting for real change like disability rights and fighting domestic violence and rape. It seems like we live in a world where everything sounds nicer, but nothing ever actually changes.

[cumaeansibyl.livejournal.com]

Hell, it's not even the "Disabled Americans Act," it's the "Americans With Disabilities Act" -- good ol' person-first language. Aren't you cripples and retards ever satisfied?

[conuly]

Well, ADA looks better than DAA ever does.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

for some reason, the original batman theme popedinto my brain, but with the Daa sound.

*giggle*

[leora.livejournal.com]

But I am disabled.

I'm so-so on handicapped. It sounds like I should get something to balance things out, and I don't really. So, it's not a fair handicapping scheme. Or worse, that everyone else should be sunk to my level, and I don't want that. Besides, then who'd be able to fetch me drinks when I need them?

Blind works, except that then everyone assumes that I can't see. But that's a matter of education, not language. Or maybe the two combined. It's also incomplete.

So gimp, cripple, or disabled it is, I suppose.

[conuly]

Of course, just being blind wouldn't make you a gimp or a cripple, would it? I thought that only applied if you had problems walking...?

[leora.livejournal.com]

I'm multiply disabled! :)

Being blind doesn't make me identify as gimp/crippled. But being blind is usually what I consider my third most disabling issue. Number one is the not getting enough air when I breathe feeling. Not sure exactly what the problem is, the doctors say my breathing is normal. But I breathe, but I don't have enough air. I get lightheaded, I need to lie down to not collapse. When it happens, I often can only lie down until it passes. This is pretty massively disabling, plus incredibly uncomfortable. It pops up more when I'm more fatigued.

Then there is the fatigue, which is really two issues. One is general tiredness all the time. I sleep more than most people, yet I'm still tired all the time. Plus, my limbs are all weak. This is a large part of the difficulty walking. I use my stick to help me walk, because if my legs try to support my weight for long periods of time they will ache massively for days afterwards.

Plus a few other minor conditions that sometimes affect my ability to walk, such as vertigo. I don't get it too often, and sometimes it passes quickly, but it can be a bit of a problem.

I'm full of exceptionalities :)

[conuly]

Oy vey. Is there anything you *don't* have?

[leora.livejournal.com]

The vitreous in my right eye.

I really wanted to answer with "my appendix" but I still have my appendix and tonsils. I've only had one normal body part removed.

And as to disabilities - yes, lots of them. I have a bunch, but obviously there are countless I don't have. I can move my limbs under my own control almost all of the time (sometimes the fatigue is an issue, but usually it's not, and usually I can borrow against future spoons if I really need to get something done), I can usually speak normally, and reasonably well understand speech (if there are too many sounds going on, it's an issue, but..) I have a lot of issues that are far from the severe end of the spectrum. So, there's muscular weakness, but I can walk. I'm blind, but I can see really well for a blind person. I get tired, but I can function for a few hours a day and look normal. When people meet me, they generally would assume I was fully healthy if I didn't have my stick handy. I can pass really well. It's just later in the day, I seem awfully tired for someone my age, and well, I use a stick to get around, and if there are too many sounds going on or too much activity it starts really getting to me in a way I cannot explain but I think most autistics would understand and I just want out, and the next day I may be in awful shape for overexerting myself.

But really, I can do an amazing amount generally and seem quite normal. Which is why I've had to put up with so much, but why don't you do stuff?

[conuly]

You know, the last sentence, I thought you were asking me why I don't do stuff for a second, and wondered if I had seriously offended.

And *hugs*. That's not much, but, seems appropriate. Plus, I'm always trying to hug people, but they whine (except Ana, the sweetie, and her bear)

[leora.livejournal.com]

*smiles*

As odd as it is, I'm really more or less okay with being disabled. If I could afford to be, it wouldn't even bug me much, since I could still work on things that matter to me (such as writing) and could buy various aids and entertainments to compensate. The disabilities themselves aren't so bad. What gets to me are the social reactions and the beaurocratic ones, along with the constant economic struggle. If I could just change three things, it really wouldn't be that bad. Just change stupid reactions, red tape, and poverty. I admit those are big things to change, but the level of ability itself is generally okay for my needs. The difficulty reading normal books gets to me now and then, and I really wish I could read graphic novels (they just came out with The Cartoon History of the Universe Part III too, damn them), but it's not a huge issue, and it's mostly get aroundable with Braille and audiobooks. Except that Braille books and audiobooks are both fiendishly expensive. Audiobooks can be borrowed for free though. Braille books can too, but the Braille quality is so poor unless it's a print/Braille book.

[farraige.livejournal.com]

Do tell two things.
(a) Do you have yod coalescence after a dental fricative in 'enthusiasm'?
(b) Does GenAm have an epenthetic phonetic schwa in the [zm] cluster?