15
   

Can we shorten "a Chinese person" as "a Chinese"?

Forums: English, Esl, Grammar
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InfraBlue
 
  3  
Reply Thu 20 Jun, 2013 01:13 pm
Just saying "Chinese" sounds incomplete to me because of its strong association with its adjectival meaning.

It's stronger than "Italian" and "Japanese."
hawkeye10
 
  1  
Reply Thu 20 Jun, 2013 01:29 pm
@InfraBlue,
InfraBlue wrote:

Just saying "Chinese" sounds incomplete to me because of its strong association with its adjectival meaning.

It's stronger than "Italian" and "Japanese."

calling things what they are quickly can become a problem for the FantasyLand advocates.
roger
 
  2  
Reply Thu 20 Jun, 2013 03:18 pm
@WBYeats,
That makes me think you are not a person looking for something to find offensive. Being in America, I would not say 'Chinaman'. It's not highly offensive, but let's just say the word has a certain amount of history.
0 Replies
 
InfraBlue
 
  2  
Reply Thu 20 Jun, 2013 03:23 pm
@hawkeye10,
hawkeye10 wrote:

InfraBlue wrote:

Just saying "Chinese" sounds incomplete to me because of its strong association with its adjectival meaning.

It's stronger than "Italian" and "Japanese."

calling things what they are quickly can become a problem for the FantasyLand advocates.

Ok, but that doesn't address the issue of the word being more associated with its adjectival meaning than its noun one.

"a Chinese" sounds incomplete, lending to expectations of a coming noun.
hawkeye10
 
  0  
Reply Thu 20 Jun, 2013 04:04 pm
@InfraBlue,
right...and I am saying that this sense you have might be born from you being conditioned to talk around reality. saying "this is a _________" sounds strange from lack of practice, we always want to hem, haw and hedge.
InfraBlue
 
  3  
Reply Thu 20 Jun, 2013 04:11 pm
@hawkeye10,
Simply, it's born more from the reality of using the word "Chinese" as an adjective more than a noun. There isn't any hemming, hawing or hedging involved.

"He's Chinese," "I'm Chinese" sounds more definitive than "a Chinese."
hawkeye10
 
  0  
Reply Thu 20 Jun, 2013 04:23 pm
@InfraBlue,
I agree that adding the "a" makes a ton of difference, but at least I have a theory as to why...
0 Replies
 
kettyjones
 
  1  
Reply Thu 20 Jun, 2013 11:36 pm
@oristarA,
It is not possible in today's era. There is no need of calling a person from china like " Chinese Person".. If you call "Chinese" only, it is enough to understand.
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Fri 21 Jun, 2013 12:11 am
@kettyjones,
kettyjones wrote:

It is not possible in today's era. There is no need of calling a person from china like " Chinese Person"..
If you call "Chinese" only, it is enough to understand.
Maybe, but its awkward.
Use a noun, not an adjective.
0 Replies
 
roger
 
  2  
Reply Fri 21 Jun, 2013 12:13 am
In the context of the original post, 'Chinese person' works much better.
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Fri 21 Jun, 2013 12:15 am
@roger,
I 'm used to hearing: " a Chinaman ".
roger
 
  2  
Reply Fri 21 Jun, 2013 12:16 am
@OmSigDAVID,
Does it work in the first post? I don't think so.
WBYeats
 
  1  
Reply Fri 21 Jun, 2013 02:13 am
Oxford:

-CHINK is a very offensive word for a Chinese person.

Do native speakers feel natural to leave out PERSON?
roger
 
  3  
Reply Fri 21 Jun, 2013 02:29 am
@WBYeats,
Well, I would normally say a person is Chinese, and would almost never say "a Chinese person", and I think that's pretty standard in American English.
Do keep in mind that the first post in the thread used "Chinese person" more or less as a legal title. I would keep it exactly as it was written.
WBYeats
 
  1  
Reply Fri 21 Jun, 2013 05:24 am
@roger,
Thank you, Roger.

Do you mean?

1. Using 'a Chinese person' is pretty standard in American English
2. Not Using 'a Chinese person' is pretty standard in American English
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Fri 21 Jun, 2013 06:48 am
@roger,
roger wrote:
Does it work in the first post? I don't think so.
For what reason ?
0 Replies
 
OmSigDAVID
 
  0  
Reply Fri 21 Jun, 2013 06:51 am
@WBYeats,
WBYeats wrote:
Thank you, Roger.

Do you mean?

1. Using 'a Chinese person' is pretty standard in American English
2. Not Using 'a Chinese person' is pretty standard in American English
Most ofen, we 'd refer to Someone, "who is Chinese."
0 Replies
 
ehBeth
 
  3  
Reply Fri 21 Jun, 2013 06:53 am
@OmSigDAVID,
OmSigDAVID wrote:

I 'm used to hearing: " a Chinaman ".


I don't think I've heard that variant in about 45 or 50 years and even then it was considered somewhat rude.
Ragman
 
  1  
Reply Fri 21 Jun, 2013 07:12 am
@ehBeth,
Curiously, no one has mentioned using the phrase 'Chinese national'.
Lordyaswas
 
  1  
Reply Fri 21 Jun, 2013 07:15 am
@Ragman,
Because that sounds like a bus service, imo.

 

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