Sami

[A. Vine]

Michael,

See bottom for point -

Michael Everson wrote:
> 
> At 11:02 -0800 2002-02-19, A. Vine wrote:
> 
> >I actually have no opinion on, nor publications to support using, Sami vs.
> >Saami.  I have only the interesting comment that the
> >country/people/organization of origin in another language specifying
> >the name in "English" does not necessarily hold sway over the
> >English name.
> 
> Indeed. And if Oxford says Sami and Encarta says Saami, I will say
> that I must side with the former authority.

This comes as no surprise.

> 
> >P.S.  Dictionaries are nice to support your example when they agree with you.
> >But they don't always reflect usage, especially not in a timely
> >manner.  Oxford is a dictionary.
> 
> Indeed, but I did show evidence of Oxford's transition of Sami as
> part of a note vs. their inclusion of it as a headword, evidence, in
> my mind, of its increased status as a lexical item in English.
> 
> >P.P.S. English - Germanic, sort of, but hardly categorically.
> 
> English is basically Germanic, and the question is, if one is going
> to choose a spelling for this particular kind of loanword, it seems
> sensible to yield to the practice of the Germanic language
> coterminous with the largest population of speakers than to a
> neighbouring Uralic language. Historically, there are more Norse
> loanwords in English than Finnic loanwords. Why diverge from that
> when the native designation is "Sámi"?

The point is - and I thought I was pretty clear - the absolutes that you have
been espousing are far from absolute when taking the entire English speaking
community as a whole.  I am trying to illustrate to the folks on this list who
are not aware of this that despite your credentials you do not speak for the
entire English speaking/writing community.

We do not all see "Sami" and either say "Sah-mee" or consult a dictionary. 
English is not categorically Germanic.  And not everyone is taught to write
accents on borrowed (or non-borrowed, for that matter) words in English. 
Sometimes, yes, all the time, no.

"Sami" is fine, as I said before, it's the absolutes all over the place that are
getting my dander up.

Andrea
(who has a few credentials too)