Talk:westerner

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Latest comment: 13 years ago by 72.19.91.17 in topic capitalization
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I'm not really sure about definition number 3: what makes an inhabitant of the EU more of a westerner than, say, a Swiss? Nemesis973 18:12, 18 July 2010 (UTC)Reply

It does seem to be redundant to to sense 1, given that the EU is a subset of the West. I'll see what the folks at RfD make of it. Thryduulf (talk) 18:46, 18 July 2010 (UTC)Reply

Deletion debate[edit]

The following information has failed Wiktionary's deletion process.

It should not be re-entered without careful consideration.


westerner[edit]

Rfd-redundant: Sense 3 "a native or inhabitant of the European Union" seems redundant to sense 1 "a native or inhabitant of the West, especially of Europe and North America" given that the EU is subset of "the West". Thryduulf (talk) 18:48, 18 July 2010 (UTC)Reply

Yeah very strong delete. Mglovesfun (talk) 21:27, 18 July 2010 (UTC)Reply
Delete this sense.
I would add a new sense - a person from the Western region of the country, e.g. East Germans referring to West Germans (see Wessi), Ukrainians about inhabitants of Western Ukraine (Ukrainian: западенець zapadénec’), etc. This usage is common, at least with some countries where there is some cultural or political difference. I've seen it used in "quotes" or italicised too in this sense. --Anatoli 22:59, 18 July 2010 (UTC)Reply
Yes, it makes sense. In the UK we have (deprecated template usage) northerners and (deprecated template usage) southerners frequently, (deprecated template usage) midlanders and (deprecated template usage) westerners are less common but extant. I don't recall hearing (deprecated template usage) easterners though. Is it solely used at the country level though, or is it used for (large) regions as well? Thryduulf (talk) 13:23, 20 July 2010 (UTC)Reply
It does seem like a morphologically available term available to be drafted into service on demand in this sense. We already have the senses that are truly part of the lexicon. I doubt that we would want to treat every possible specific application lexically. In contrast, Wessi#German seems more truly lexical in the sense specified, though it may also have the general sense. I wonder, though, whether the specific senses of "westerner" haven't made it "unavailable" for general use. DCDuring TALK 15:14, 20 July 2010 (UTC)Reply
BTW, do the US terms (deprecated template usage) back East or (deprecated template usage) out West (not sure about capitalization) seem to meet WT:CFI? DCDuring TALK 15:28, 20 July 2010 (UTC)Reply
If the term ever refers specifically to an inhabitant of the EU — if you ever get "Westerners and Swiss", say, where the Westerners in question are from Romania — then keep.RuakhTALK 15:41, 20 July 2010 (UTC)Reply
I suppose that's the thing, I'd keep if it citable like that, but I think it's just a mistake by the contributor who added it. I don't think this is sensible enough to merit an RFV, I think it's just nonsense. Mglovesfun (talk) 16:05, 20 July 2010 (UTC)Reply
I certainly don't recall ever hearing or seeing that usage, and searching for it to verify it would be a nightmare. I also don't think that such a distinction would be understood. Thryduulf (talk) 16:09, 20 July 2010 (UTC)Reply
I've never heard it in the EU sense. I assume this line will be deleted in due course, or replaced with "an inhabitant of the western part of any region or country". Dbfirs 08:51, 9 August 2010 (UTC)Reply
Deleted (by an IP, no less). Mglovesfun (talk) 22:00, 24 September 2010 (UTC)Reply


capitalization[edit]

Should this be capitalized?--72.19.91.17 08:42, 5 December 2010 (UTC)Reply

Narrow definition[edit]

"Westerner" could also very well apply to Australians, New Zealanders, and (arguably) Latin Americans, certainly to many Argentines or Brazilians. Perhaps a better definition is "People or culture of European origin." 24.167.50.225