Labels for Locals - by Paul Dickson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Travel the world of names and discover the fascinating lore and history behind the terms used for people from selected locales, regions, and countries. Take a light-hearted look at unusual geographical monikers, or take a more serious look at how to use names accurately when you travel. It's fun and functional too!

Dijon, France--Dijonese.Kankakee, Ilinois--Kankakeean.Nooyawker--Traditional nickname for a resident of New York.Yorkshire, England--Yorkshireman or Yorkshirewoman. The slang term is Yorkie. A Yorkist is one who belonged to or supported the English royal House of York against the Lancastrians in the "War of the Roses."

From the Back Cover

In our globally interconnected age, misnaming where someone is from or the cultural group to which they belong often constitutes more than a harmless social gaffe. Labels for Locals provides guidance on the preferred, and sometimes disdained, names for selected locales, cities, regions, countries, and ethnic groups worldwide.

Review Quotes

"A fascinating and useful tour de force." - Charles Osgood
"For lovers of eponyms and toponyms, information artist Paul Dickson offers a tasty new morsel: the demonym. Filled with tantalizing trivia and fascinating facts, this book will be savored in reference rooms and bathrooms everywhere." - Mardy Grothe, author of Viva La Repartee and Oxymoronica
"Whether you need to find out what to call people from your neighboring state or from half-way around the earth, Paul Dickson is ready with the answer. Labels for Locals is an essential reference book that deserves to be on everyone's bookshelf." - Anu Garg, founder of Wordsmith.org and author of Another Word a Day
"Dickson's done it again with another book that no classroom or newsroom should be without. Only Dickson tells you what to call someone from Beijing (a "Beijinger") or where in the world a Nunavummiut hails from (the Canadian province of Nunavut)." - Grant Barrett, Project Editor Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Oxford University Press
"Yes, please do call me, or anyone else who lives in Massachusetts, a Bay Stater. But I didn't know that Connecticut residents are Nutmeggers. Or that people who live in Cheshire, England, are officially Cestrians, and unofficially Cats. Labels for Locals is loaded with surprising, entertaining, and even useful tidbits like this." - Barbara Wallraff, author of Word Fugitives and Word Court
"Labels for Locals is loaded with surprising, entertaining, and useful tidbits." - Barbara Wallraff, author of Word Fugitives and Word Court
"Filled with tantalizing trivia and fascinating facts, this book will be savored by word loveres everywhere." - Mardy Grothe, author of Viva La Repartee and Oxymoronica
"Dickson's done it again with another book that no classroom or newsroom should be without." - Grant Barrett, Project Editor Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Oxford University Press