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Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

A Way with Words, a radio show and podcast about language and linguistics.

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"these people" vs, "those people"
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2010/11/29 - 9:55am
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I just commented self-righteously on a blog that used the words "these people" applied to a random grouping that "those people" would be more appropriate. "These people" carries bigoted undertones, to my ear, while "those people" sounds more neutral. Am I crazy, or is there some precedent?

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2010/11/29 - 10:43am
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hm, to my ear the exact opposite would be true. I think it's because "those" distances the speaker from the group discussed, while "these" indicates proximity.

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