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Discontinue the use of 'powwow'.
Thread poster: scooke
Tom in London
Tom in London
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get-together Aug 31, 2014

get-together

 
Elizabeth Tamblin
Elizabeth Tamblin  Identity Verified
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. Aug 31, 2014

Tom in London wrote:

get-together


Perfect!


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
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Not meetup Aug 31, 2014

I don't like "meetup". It sounds like "me-tup".

 
Rachel Fell
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loth or loath Aug 31, 2014

Both can be used. But I would no use the word "meetup" - I would have it as two words or or a hyphenated term.

 
Elizabeth Tamblin
Elizabeth Tamblin  Identity Verified
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Right - Aug 31, 2014

- what about conclave - or would that offend Roman Catholics?

 
Paul Dixon
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Keep Powwow Aug 31, 2014

I vote to keep the term 'Powwow'. I see nothing wrong with it, and it has been around for many years. I have organised some powwows, and if I were to organise another I would use the term powwow, for sure. It is definitely different from congress, assembly and convention (some suggestions here made), and I don't like 'bunfight' (sounds like a fighting event).
So keep the word Powwow, please.


 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
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Someone is offended, so we should change it. Aug 31, 2014

If it were a term that offended women, I would be offended. Men might argue that there was another meaning for the term and it was not necessarily sexist, that the word has been in use for X number of years without anyone complaining, or that eliminating the word meant reducing the choice of words available, I would still be offended. So if anybody finds anything offensive we should listen carefully.

I personally like the term pow-wow, I remember being taught that it was a meeting
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If it were a term that offended women, I would be offended. Men might argue that there was another meaning for the term and it was not necessarily sexist, that the word has been in use for X number of years without anyone complaining, or that eliminating the word meant reducing the choice of words available, I would still be offended. So if anybody finds anything offensive we should listen carefully.

I personally like the term pow-wow, I remember being taught that it was a meeting to discuss matters, in which everybody was allowed to have their say, regardless of status or rank or age or sex or whatever. I remember feeling great respect for First Nations peoples for having instituted this system and wished I had had similar opportunities to express myself as a young girl.

However, if someone is offended, something must be done to repair this.

I vote for "get-together", and for "bun-fight", which I would probably organise in my garden, then the birds could eat up the crumbs after we'd had our fun.
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Kay Denney
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PS Aug 31, 2014

I see there's another thread about new terms and new usage of existing terms which I expect will totally disprove the argument that giving into PC will lead to an impoverishment of the English language

 
David Lin
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MODERATOR
"get-together" has my vote Aug 31, 2014

Michael Beijer wrote:

Whether you agree or not, the fact of the matter is that some people find the word offensive, or potentially offensive, and others think it's just poorly chosen. Instead of embarking on an endless series of back and forths about political correctness, why not put it to the vote?

1. powwow
2. get-together (one of my favourites)
3. meetup (another favourite; is actually quite commonly used for such events. see e.g.: http://www.meetup.com/cities/gb/bn2_3et/ )
4. conference
5. assembly
6. congress
7. convention
8. gathering
9. huddle
10. meeting
11. rave-up
12. thrash
13. knees-up
14. jolly
15. beanfeast
16. bunfight
17. beano
18. round table
etc.

Analyse people’s responses and choose accordingly.

Or better yet, ask us to come up with lists of synonyms and then create a poll using these.



[Edited at 2014-08-31 14:31 GMT]


I definitely choose "get-together" which is more universally and easily understood.


 
LilianNekipelov
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Absolutely--it should be changed. It is a real gaffe. Aug 31, 2014

I somehow never paid any attention to it, taking it for some kind of an abbreviation because the Native American term consists of two words. It is slightly less embarrassing than the Redskins, but still.

Native American cultures are very peculiar about terms and language in general and they do not like when people borrow any of their words for some other purposes, because words have a spiritual power, and are a part of a particular culture. you can trust me on that--I studied thei
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I somehow never paid any attention to it, taking it for some kind of an abbreviation because the Native American term consists of two words. It is slightly less embarrassing than the Redskins, but still.

Native American cultures are very peculiar about terms and language in general and they do not like when people borrow any of their words for some other purposes, because words have a spiritual power, and are a part of a particular culture. you can trust me on that--I studied their culture (officially) for quite a while.
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FarkasAndras
FarkasAndras  Identity Verified
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Really? Aug 31, 2014

LilianNekipelov wrote:


Native Americans ... do not like when people borrow any of their words

I'm not sure that's a good enough reason to change the name if there is nothing derogatory or patently offensive about the term itself. Not that it matters much either way, but the moral outrage dripping from the original post in this thread rubs me the wrong way. There are so many causes worth getting worked up about. This is not one of them.

[Edited at 2014-08-31 20:53 GMT]


 
Samuel Murray
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Three dictionaries say... Aug 31, 2014

scooke wrote:
The English word in question, 'powwow', ... is not a 'general' term now meaning any kind of meeting. I never come across this term except for actual powwows...


We all learn new terms all the time, or hear about meanings for words that we did not know about previously. Today is your day to learn about how "powwow" is really used in the world, outside of your own circle of friends.

Webster says:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/powwow
3a: a social get-together
3b: a meeting for discussion


Oxford says:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/powwow
A conference or meeting for discussion, especially among friends or colleagues.

Cambridge says:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/powwow
(humorous) a meeting where something important is discussed

Also, the people in what is now called North America are not all variations or tribes of one ethnicity called "Native Americans".


That fact has nothing to do with ProZ.com's use of the word "powwow".


 
philgoddard
philgoddard
United States
German to English
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You can't use "meet"... Aug 31, 2014

... because that derives from the Old English "moot", meaning "powwow", and is therefore offensive to those of us with Anglo-Saxon ancestors.

 
Samuel Murray
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Are modern Native Americans misusing the word too? Aug 31, 2014

John Holland wrote:
As Luis Arri Cibils noted above, a "powwow" is a sacred ceremony in Native or First Nations cultures. The term is derived from the Narragansett word powwaw, meaning "spiritual leader" (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powwow ).


If the word "powwow" as used in Native American parlance should always be used to refer to a sacred ceremony, then modern powwows by Native Americans shouldn't be called "powwows" either, for the events that currently go under that name are little more than minstrel festivals.


 
Samuel Murray
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@Phil Aug 31, 2014

philgoddard wrote:
You can't use "meet" because that derives from the Old English "moot", meaning "powwow", and is therefore offensive to those of us with Anglo-Saxon ancestors.


The same applies to "get-together", I'm afraid. Comes from the Old English "togædere", which means "powwow".


 
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Discontinue the use of 'powwow'.






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