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Joined: May 2001
Posts: 28
newbie
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newbie
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 28 |
Robyn Lakoff (and others) have pointed out that titles like chairperson are markèd - the semiosis here being one of negation. We're pointedly NOT saying chairMAN, so we are referring to the woman in the (biggest) chair. "Chair," in and of itself, is the unmarked varietal.
One wonders, however, whether or how rapidly other sex-marked words will wither and die. What kind of list of -woman or -man words can we generate? These would be words that have no _logical_ gender; merely an "associative" one.
In reference to Rod's immediately previous post - perhaps in this wired world of ours, alternatives like "waitron" aren't far off?
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Sparteye wonders: Am I sure I don't mean Chicago?
Well, maybe at the Bittburger Essenplatz on N. Clark.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
Here's a good link from CBC (Canada's national public broadcaster and WAY better than PBS  ) about their use of "fisher" instead of "fisherman" in their stories. There are other good word discussions on that site if anyone is interested. http://cbc.ca/news/indepth/words/fishermen.html
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Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773 |
Around here, the waiter/waitress dichotomy often gives way to "server." Most actresses I know refer to themselves as actors. Administratrix and executrix are no longer used.
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
common sense often goes out the window with this stuff and it's difficult to know where to draw the line (as with fisherman in the CBC link). there is no Very Good Reason for having a special word for a female waiter or aviator or executor. on the other hand, why should I have to specify the gender of actor I need for my leading lady when the perfectly serviceable word actress is at hand? "And the Oscar® for Best Actor in a Woman's Role goes to..."
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146 |
Around here, the waiter/waitress dichotomy often gives way to "server."Which, given what they're usually paid, would be more appropriate since "server" must inevitably derive from servus, the Latin word for "slave"! 
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Joined: Nov 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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In one NH town, Louisa Woodman, a professional woman and staunch believer in women's rights, was the first woman elected chairman of the Planning Board. The Vice-Chair of the Board asked if she wanted to be addressed as Chairman or Chairperson.
She replied : "Chairman is fine, thank you, I have no intention of changing my name to Woodperson."
Now, personally, I have no objection to "Ladies" in situations where, for example, a Maitre d' is gesturing a group of women to a table. Ladies and Gentlemen is fine as a general address to a group.
I think a lot of it has to do with age. If a man in his 70s or over uses girls or ladies, it doesn't seem as offensive as when a younger man treats women as "girls" ... A friend and I were attending a formal dinner for a professional organization and one man at the table asked us : "What do you girls do?"
(Good thing I didn't have a pie to hand.)
Overall, some things like "cleaning lady" are so ingrained that it will take awhile - and an imaginative mind - to think of a phrase to replace it, others like "actor" for both male and female will be changed because those in the profession will keep using the term they prefer until it is part of the language.
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Joined: Nov 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I was diappointed that it was not patterned on "Name your poison".
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
Bill, that is because you are an old fashioned gentleman-- who would insist on calling us all ladies-- no matter what the occation!
(I like mine like whiskey-- strong and neat!)
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