Purists like me would object to Chai being referred to its redundant form Chai Tea :)

You're not a purist, you're just incorrect. We are speaking English, so saying that it is redundant isn't true. Just like how Hound means generic dog in German but hunting dog in English, or rouge means red in French but means a kind of makeup in English, Chai doesn't mean tea in English and thus there is no redundancy here.

Chai means (Indian) tea with milk. It’s a borrowed term in English that already includes the meaning. Just like you don’t use “yoga exercise” in English because yoga already means a form of exercise. Or the usage of “karma” in English. You don’t say “karma fate”.

You might want to revisit who’s incorrect.

Yes, loanwords don't operate consistently when brought from one language to another. That does not mean that one way they work is "wrong" and the other way is "right", it just means language is complicated. You're the one coming here and telling people they are wrong.

Edit: Like in Italian Latte just means milk, but in English it means an espresso with steamed and then frothed milk on top, what would be called a cappuccino in Italy usually. Americans calling it a latte aren't wrong, they're just using a loanword to mean something different then the original language.

How is chai tea used differently in America then? If I ask for it in a coffee shop, I usually get chai (tea) with steamed milk, which is exactly what the original usage is.

Looking at the Starbucks app right now for example on their menu: Chai tea is black tea with clove, cardamom, cinamon, and ginger and no milk by default, Chai Tea Latte is that black tea and spices with steamed milk. You'll also see Chai sometimes to refer to the spice mix sold without any tea.

In my local coffee shop, I get black tea with steamed milk (called chai tea).

They also sell masala chai, which is the above + spices added.

Starbucks uses chai tea and chai tea latte to mean something else.

Some grocery stores (Trader Joe's?) sell chai as just a spice mix.

So Americans aren't really using it "differently" as much as they're using it wildly inconsistently. That's not really the same as cappuccino vs latte, is it? Latte is at least used to mean the same thing across the country.

Pedants* like you.

Everyone knows what chai tea is referring to. In the same way they understand what naan bread is.

> Everyone

I suspect that if we venture into the streets of an American city and interview random passers-by, fewer than 10% will know that "chai" is a word that already means "tea".

Right, but they will know what "chai tea" refers to, ie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masala_chai

Masala chai works for me; it nicely distinguishes it from Earl Grey chai, rose hip chai, or camomile chai.

Incorrect people* like PP, who don't understand the difference between Hindi and English.

Doesn’t mean it’s correct!

In this case, I would argue that it does. "Sahara" means "desert", but "Sahara Desert" is still the proper name for that place. "Naan" means "bread", but it's also the name we use for the kind of bread originally made by the people who speak the language where "naan" means "bread". Likewise, "chai tea" is a perfectly fine name for tea made in the style of the people whose word for "tea" is "chai". Languages do this all the time.

> Likewise, "chai tea" is a perfectly fine name for tea made in the style of the people whose word for "tea" is "chai".

In India, chai specifically means tea with milk. It’s not just any “tea”. It’s fine to use, but not entirely accurate.

Yes, and if you go to a coffee place in the US and ask for a "chai tea", you'll get a drink made with black tea, spices, and steamed milk.

That’s not a given in many coffee shops. Adding spices makes it “masala chai”, which some sell as a separate drink. Some don’t put spices and call it “chai latte”.

So the usage is all over the place.

> In India, chai specifically means tea with milk.

Citation needed with the part of India referred to here.

See second sentence in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masala_chai:

> Masala chai is a popular beverage throughout South Asia, originating in the early modern Indian subcontinent. Chai is made by brewing black tea (usually CTC tea) in milk and water and then sweetening with sugar. Adding aromatic herbs and spices creates masala chai, although chai is often prepared unspiced.[2][3]

just call it a chai latte piss off everyone

It's great to refer to things by their proper names, never mind the corruption that English has adopted.

Still, rude to correct someone for using what's essentially a colloquialism. If enough people use a word 'wrong' then, well, that's a new usage that we can't ignore or get prescriptive about. Because prescriptive usage is from some point of view after all. The Chai tea people have their point of view, and are correct within their community.

Except you're wrong, and this type of construction is extremely common. Take "pine tree" for example. There's nothing "incorrect" about calling it chai tea.

English is a descriptive language; if enough people say something, it automatically becomes correct!

why? you can have Chai in coffee as well. I found out when I wasn't paying attention and ordered a Chai latte instead of a Chai Tea latte.

a chai latte doesn't contain coffee; a chai latte with an espresso shot added to it is referred to as a dirty chai

all I know is someone came back from Starbucks with a Chai coffee instead of a Chai tea. After that, I learned to be much more specific.

That's not chai tea, that's chai tea flavored syrup.

Can't let a purist ruin a pun.

Chai (or a variation) is the name for tea in half of the world [1], so if you say "chai" you are just saying "tea", while if you say "Chai Tea", if I understand correctly, you are probably referring to a specific beverage [2]

[1] https://qz.com/1176962/map-how-the-word-tea-spread-over-land...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masala_chai

Chai = Tea (e.g. Assam tea) with milk

Masala Chai = Chai + spices (masala)

What about a place that served you baklava in a balaclava?

Served by hungry Hungarians.

That is the most clever and hilarious thing I have read in a long time.

Probably not original. From a 1989 episode of The Simpsons:

https://tv.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/c1743b56-f791-49a9-9d22-0bd5...

Pointing out "The Simpsons did it" is also not original.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simpsons_Already_Did_It

Pointing out something that's true and relevant can be valuable even what that thing has been true and relevant before and thus is not "original."

I wasn't trying to be original - the Simpsons is the first place I became aware of the joke.

Well, original or not original, it still gave me a good chuckle. I don't watch The Simpsons, so I guess that is why I didn't register it in my brain.

Great artists steal

Tai Chi and Cha?