I hate that! It makes my mind have to work a little harder to figure out if they are talking about ppl from another country....or outer space. lol
Geez! Why do folks have to complicate things??? lol
2006-11-01 01:54:45 · 13 answers · asked by treefrog 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
Excellent Question - a little treefrog you maybe, but it sounds like you've been perching pretty high on the canopy.
Anyway, to answer your question: Perhaps because here in the States we think the entire planet belongs to us, so those who happen to live on Earth, but don't quite look, talk, or act as we do, are most likely "alien" life forms from outer space. Makes "perfect" sense, won't you say?!!!! ... A "foreigner", on the other hand, would be someone who was born and raised in Ohio, but works or goes to school in say, Indiana!!!!! LOL LOL LOL :-)
2006-11-01 06:28:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it has to do in part with the way the English language works. Have you noticed that English is in the habit of chopping off endings and beginnings of words and abbreviating words in other ways to make them shorter? It has to do with economy of effort. In these stressful time-challenged modern days we don't want to be wasteful with our words because to do so is to be wasteful with our time and energy. If there is a short way to say something and a longer way (even if only by a letter or two) most English-speaking people will choose the shorter way to accomplish their purpose. "Foreigner" has 9 letters and is harder to pronounce, spell and write than "alien" which has only 5 letters.So "alien" naturally wins out. This is a different way of seeing this issue than most here will, I know, but no less valid.
2006-11-02 10:54:09 · answer #2 · answered by Seeker 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Frankly I find the term 'alien' a little insulting when you are talking about another person. Only Americans seem to do this though.
2006-11-01 10:04:23 · answer #3 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An alien is someone who is new to a place or happening or an event.
The correct term for otter space aliens is extraterrestrial.
I really doesn't make a difference to me. Where i am from we just call them foreigners or tourists.
2006-11-01 09:59:54 · answer #4 · answered by Osunwole Adeoyin 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well in the Ancient days, people were using the word "Alien" where they saw people who were not from their trips.
Only few years ago where Star Wars was showing, and UFO than used the word "Alien".
So it is human confused human. In the Ancient days, they weren't confusion at all.
GOD bless
2006-11-01 10:09:52 · answer #5 · answered by Wenice W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because foreigner is one of the definitions of alien.
2006-11-01 10:06:20 · answer #6 · answered by Christina 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Really, you have to work that much harder to figure out if they mean foreigners or outer space....??
2006-11-01 09:56:17 · answer #7 · answered by kingstubborn 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
you are a "foreigner" if you are visiting a different country and intend to go back. You are a "alien" if you plan to live in a different country and don't recieve citizenship.
2006-11-01 09:59:18 · answer #8 · answered by johnbehrhart 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alien means "not from here". Get a problem.
2006-11-01 10:02:16 · answer #9 · answered by jymsis 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was turned into a racial epitath....by immigrant rights groups....they are now trying to make aliens a no-no word...and use migrants.
2006-11-01 10:06:09 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋