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I speak common American English, and I've always equated "amateur" with "not paid or licensed to do the thing," rather than "awful at the thing." It's neither
by bovermyer 7y ago
I speak common American English, and I've always equated "amateur" with "not paid or licensed to do the thing," rather than "awful at the thing."
It's neither positive nor negative most of the time.
Context: I've lived primarily in the Midwest and the East Coast, with a few years spent in New Zealand. I've also been either involved in or peripheral to a few hobbies that style themselves as "amateur X."
- mindcrime 7y agoI speak common American English, and I've always equated "amateur" with "not paid or licensed to do the thing," rather than "awful at the thing." Same here. Native English speaker, lived on the East Coast all of my life. I don't find "amateur" to necessarily have negative connotations, but clearly it depends on the context.