I've noticed a tendency for certain words used to distinguish females from males are dropping out. Actresses now refer to themselves as actors. Talk show hostesses as hosts. I've seen this also in Spanish where "poetisa" (female poet) has now become "poeta." Anyone aware of other examples?
**************************************************************
12-08-05, 03:34 PM
juanruiz
Loss of Gender Distinction?
I've noticed a tendency for certain words used to distinguish females from males are dropping out. Actresses now refer to themselves as actors. Talk show hostesses as hosts. I've seen this also in Spanish where "poetisa" (female poet) has now become "poeta." Anyone aware of other examples?
**************************************************************
12-08-05, 03:58 PM
coldfuse
Chairman --> Chairperson
Cleaning Lady --> Housekeeper
Anchorman or Anchorwoman --> Anchor
Steward or Stewardess --> Flight Attendant
Clergymen --> The Clergy
Congressman or Congresswoman --> Legislator, Member of Congress
Fireman --> Firefighter
Layman --> Layperson
Policeman --> Police Officer
Mailman --> Letter Carrier
Salesman --> Salesperson or clerk
Workman --> Worker

The Mrs. has developed her own gender-neutral vocabulary. Food is now served to us in a restaurant by "waitrons."
**************************************************************
12-08-05, 04:15 PM
juanruiz
I'm not so much referring to gender neutral nouns, nor to your wife's neologism, but rather to where the female noun is jettisoned in favor of the male noun.
**************************************************************
12-08-05, 04:16 PM
FredPuli

quote:
Originally posted by coldfuse:
Chairman --> Chairperson
Mailman --> Letter Carrier



Our chairpeople (?) in Britain are now simply 'chairs' . Saying that X is the chair of some commission sounds as though they are wooden,sometimes ornamental,are empty and only of use if sat on .

Come to think of it.... Wink And some have Queen Anne legs, too .

Our 'mailman' was always a 'postman' or 'postwoman' but is usually known as a 'postie'

Classical actresses here have styled themselves 'actors' and frowned upon the term 'actress' for many decades.

Waiters and waitresses have become 'servers' in the big chain restaurants.
**************************************************************
12-08-05, 07:35 PM
newnickname
'Mayor', instead of 'mayoress' - but didn't that happen some time ago?

Busboys have become 'bussers', too.
**************************************************************
12-08-05, 10:15 PM
jusork
Guys can now refer to both male or female in one instance. Something like this:

(To some girls): "so what are you guys doing tonight?"

Does that go along with what you're thinking about?
**************************************************************
12-08-05, 10:34 PM
juanruiz
Yes. But notice, in reference to girls, it is only used in the plural.
**************************************************************
12-09-05, 04:24 AM
Fourbrick2
We have now changed our "manholes" into "personholes" in order to be p.c.
**************************************************************
12-10-05, 07:46 PM
honilov
I've noticed that too Juan, especially actresses being referred to as actors, but I really thought it was either a mistake or ignorance to the correct term.
**************************************************************
12-10-05, 08:49 PM
DorianGreyed
"Servers" is from "Food Servers" and is more appropriate when speaking of or to a staff as a whole because many servers are male. There is nothing wrong with the terms "waiter" or "waitress," but both are limiting when referring to a staff. Individuals still accurately call themselves by either the appropriate term or the term server.
"Bartender" is, I'm sure, older than "barmaid", and refers to either sex. The term "barman" was old-fashioned even when I started out in the business, and, to the best of my knowedge, never has as wide a usage as "bartender."
**************************************************************
12-11-05, 05:46 PM
kittypal
There was some debate about changing things like snowman and gingerbread man to person, but if you change gingerbread man it will no longer rhyme in the story. Smile
**************************************************************
12-12-05, 03:39 AM
FredPuli
A letter writer to The Times here has a point, drily expressed. She writes that she has never felt her 'humanitarian' rights were infringed by her not being called 'an engineeress' Big Grin

There should be nothing demeaning in the feminising of a word. To insist on every job-title being neuter is to make a tacit acceptance that women are seen as inferior.This is the exact opposite of what any feminist should be arguing but it has, sadly, been put forward as a feminist argument for egalitarianism.That argument is better directed at the question of any woman being paid less than a man when she does the same job as a man,whatever the gender of their job-title.

We have no word 'engineeress' because there never were any female engineers. We don't have 'doctrix' either, and for the same reason. Those who argue for the neutral form should argue for the feminised form. After all, calling a person a waiter or waitress ackowledges that both sexes are qualified to do and do do the job. To call a female doctor 'doctor' rather than 'doctrix' perpetuates the old idea that only a man could be fit to be a medical practitioner.

Now, what should we call a male midwife?
**************************************************************
12-12-05, 03:59 AM
Karrow

quote:
Originally posted by Fourbrick2:
We have now changed our "manholes" into "personholes" in order to be p.c.


Fourbrick, your post was a surprise to me. You don't live far from me, but we haven't changed the name of manhole covers. They are still referred to as that.
**************************************************************
12-13-05, 04:35 AM
Fourbrick2
Sorry, K. I forgot the Wink
**************************************************************
12-13-05, 06:57 PM
Karrow

quote:
Originally posted by Fourbrick2:
Sorry, K. I forgot the Wink


Roll Eyes

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,