Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:19:55 +0530 From: Frederick Noronha <[email protected]>
It's apparently not only us Goanese (oops, sorry!) who get into a tizzy every now and again over what we are called. Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:54:40 -0800 (PST) From: Carvalho <[email protected]> Sometime during the Napoleonic wars of 1799, Britain briefly occupied Goa for approximately 13 years. Now the English were a strange people who despite routinely dispatching people to the gallows also hailed them as heroes. Mario observes: Yeah, yeah, yeah. We all know the Brits are strange - which often seems to rub off on others who live there - but what's the matter with you Goanese, ...er, Goan, people, who are behaving just as strangely, some without even having lived in England:-)) Presumably you are all somewhat familiar with the English language, though sometimes it's hard to tell. This language is even more strange than the people who invented it. Those who are familiar with English would know that its words and pronunciations often have no rhyme or reason. You just have to know what they are, how to spell them and how to pronounce them. Thus, "tall" is pronounced the same as "call", but "put" is pronounced differently from "but". Why? Just because! And so on. Therefore, by the strange and capricious illogic of English, people of Burma are Burmese, China are Chinese, England are English, Scotland are Scots, Wales are Welsh, Nepal are Nepalese, Kenya are Kenyans, Ghana are Ghanaians, Canada are Canadians, America are Americans, Argentina are Argentinians, Turkey are Turks, India are Indians, and Goa are Goans. Why? Just because! Q.E.D. Case closed. Or, is it?
