Oh, yes, I AM an American

When I passed the streetside sign "Community Theatre" I knew where it was and wondered if a stranger would be able to find it in the odd cul de sac. But as I continued on and glanced to the left as the sign indicated I saw a marque and knew that would draw any theatre-goer with no problem. Then as other foreign words do, it struck me that we use many words right out of the language of foreign countries. And I thought, - how practical because it is simpler than inventing an American word to explain a signboard of present attractions.
Other countries have adopted American words for the same reason. Think of Zwischenlandungen. In Germany you use that word when asking if there are many stops on the bus route you anticipate. And look at their words for airport, airplane and others. It occurred to me that mixing words within languages among countries is not so odd after all. We all have background from other countries. Oh we claim to be Americans which is ironic since all our ancesters emmigrated here at one time or another and did everything in their power to squat on the territory and push out or eliminate the aborigines who inhabited the land for century upon century. And to add insult to injury we didn't call them Americans, we called them Indians. In fact it took centuries to even recognize their race and longer to designate them as human beings with equal rights.
Oh well, I am an American and resigned to the use of some foreign words. It is easier than to learn to use an entire foreign language in some other country. Linguists look even deeper than present pronounciation and find common origins in unusual regions of the earth. Humanity has deeper roots in the earth than physical resemblance, for sure. Language may just bring us back together again. At least through the internet.
Naomi Sherer