posted 22 years ago
There is nothing wrong with Turk, turkey, or Turkey. But, when you related all of them together (people can't help doing it), it make people uncomfortable, I know I do.
Really? That's surprising to me. Are you also disturbed by french fries and hamburgers? Frankfurters and wieners? Danishes for breakfast? What about eating off of fine china? Drinking scotch? Or using scotch tape?
Seriously, I don't think most people think of any connection at all between these words and the nations/regions that share names with them. At least, no more than between, say, "hear" and "here" (when listening, not reading.) Once I figure out which word or meaning is intended (usually obvious from context), any link to the previous alternate meaning is considered negligible. Perhaps this is more of an issue for some people who are still new to English? (That's just a guess - my apologies if that's not the case.) Or are other people here similarly bothered by the turkey/Turkey issue? Ersin for example - do you consider the name of the bird to be disturbing? (Hope not.) I really think this is a non-issue for most people, but perhaps I'm mistaken.
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister