Language is Important

As a nation of immigrants it is important to pronounce geographic or personal names the way an immigrant or descendent intends and not to complain when a name doesn’t comport with expectations. As an example, consider Botetourt County The pronunciation can be surprising for some. Instead of Bot e tort, it is pronounced ˈbɒtətɒt/ BOT-ə-tot

The use of words also evolves, along with society. The Edwin Washington Society has already begun to use Black, vs African-American. We also are migrating to enslavement or to enslave, vs slave. See this link for a good rationale.

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