Re: Gender in language

From: David desJardins <desj@math.berkeley.edu>

Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2002 07:07:58 +0000

Carol Mulholland writes:
>> The question is which is more important: the fact that the language
>> encourages and enables sex discrimination, or the fact that the language
>> is "forceful".  Different people can have different opinions about the
>> priority of those two things.
>
> I don't agree that it's a fact that English encourages and enables sex
> discrimination.

Sorry, that isn't what I meant to say.  I meant "fact" in the sense of
definition 3c of my American Heritage Dictionary of the English
Language, Fourth Edition, "Something believed to be true or real."  But
obviously that didn't come out clearly, so strike what I wrote before.

What I meant to say is this: I believe that using "man" in some contexts
for all humankind, and in other contexts for only males, does encourage
and enable sex discrimination.  And to me that's more important than
worrying about whether there are sufficiently "forceful" terms in the
language.  I find I don't have much trouble being "forceful" with any
available set of words.

David desJardins

References

Re: New: Zodiac fleet (free, open-ended, email, human, space)
"DJ" <flouric@highstream.net>
Sat, 09 Nov 2002 14:50:41 +0000
Re: New: Zodiac fleet (free, open-ended, email, human, space)
Carol Mulholland <carol@flagship-pbm.co.uk>
Sat, 09 Nov 2002 14:59:09 +0000
Re: Gender in language
Carol Mulholland <carol@flagship-pbm.co.uk>
Sun, 10 Nov 2002 11:12:27 +0000
Re: New: Zodiac fleet (free, open-ended, email, human, space)
Carol Mulholland <carol@flagship-pbm.co.uk>
Sun, 10 Nov 2002 00:01:03 +0000
Re: Gender in language
David desJardins <desj@math.berkeley.edu>
Sun, 10 Nov 2002 00:56:35 +0000
Re: Gender in language
David desJardins <desj@math.berkeley.edu>
Sun, 10 Nov 2002 17:56:56 +0000
Re: Gender in language
Carol Mulholland <carol@flagship-pbm.co.uk>
Sun, 10 Nov 2002 21:49:55 +0000
New: Zodiac fleet (free, open-ended, email, human, space)
lindahl@pbm.com (Greg Lindahl)
Fri, 08 Nov 2002 20:14:37 +0000
Re: New: Zodiac fleet (free, open-ended, email, human, space)
Carol Mulholland <carol@flagship-pbm.co.uk>
Sat, 09 Nov 2002 09:32:51 +0000
Re: New: Zodiac fleet (free, open-ended, email, human, space)
David desJardins <desj@math.berkeley.edu>
Sat, 09 Nov 2002 22:15:48 +0000

Referenced By

Re: New: Zodiac fleet (free, open-ended, email, human, space)
"DJ" <flouric@highstream.net>
Sat, 09 Nov 2002 14:50:41 +0000
Re: New: Zodiac fleet (free, open-ended, email, human, space)
Carol Mulholland <carol@flagship-pbm.co.uk>
Sat, 09 Nov 2002 14:59:09 +0000
Re: Gender in language
Carol Mulholland <carol@flagship-pbm.co.uk>
Sun, 10 Nov 2002 11:12:27 +0000
Re: New: Zodiac fleet (free, open-ended, email, human, space)
Carol Mulholland <carol@flagship-pbm.co.uk>
Sun, 10 Nov 2002 00:01:03 +0000
Re: Gender in language
David desJardins <desj@math.berkeley.edu>
Sun, 10 Nov 2002 00:56:35 +0000
Re: Gender in language
David desJardins <desj@math.berkeley.edu>
Sun, 10 Nov 2002 17:56:56 +0000
Re: Gender in language
Carol Mulholland <carol@flagship-pbm.co.uk>
Sun, 10 Nov 2002 21:49:55 +0000
New: Zodiac fleet (free, open-ended, email, human, space)
lindahl@pbm.com (Greg Lindahl)
Fri, 08 Nov 2002 20:14:37 +0000
Re: New: Zodiac fleet (free, open-ended, email, human, space)
Carol Mulholland <carol@flagship-pbm.co.uk>
Sat, 09 Nov 2002 09:32:51 +0000
Re: New: Zodiac fleet (free, open-ended, email, human, space)
David desJardins <desj@math.berkeley.edu>
Sat, 09 Nov 2002 22:15:48 +0000