Non-Sexist Language
24 April 2007
Some suggestions on How to Use non-sexist language
1. Eliminate the generic use of He, His or Him unless the antecedent is obviously male by:
a) using plural nouns
traditional: The lawyer uses his brief to guide him.
Suggestion: The Lawyers use their briefs to guide them.
b) deleting he, his and him altogether, rewording if necessary
Traditional: The architect uses blueprint to guide him.
Suggestion: The architect uses a blueprint as a guide.
c) substituting articles (a, an, the) for his; using who instead of he
Traditional: The writer should know his readers well.
Suggestion: The writer should know the readers well.
d) using one, we or you
Traditional: As one grows older, he becomes more reflective.
Suggestion: As one grows older, one becomes more reflective.
e) using the passive voice
Traditional: The manager must submit his proposal today.
Suggestion: The proposal must be suggested by the manager today.
2. Eliminate the generic use of Man, instead, use People, Person(s), Human(s), Human being(s), Humankind, Humanity, The Human race.
Traditional: ordinary man, mankind, the brotherhood of man
Suggestion: ordinary people, humanity, the human family
3. Eliminate sexism in symbolic representations of gender in words, sentences, and text by:
a) Taking the context of the word, analyzing its meaning, and eliminating sexism in the concept
Traditional: feeling of brotherhood, feelings of fraternity
Suggestion: feelings of kinship, solidarity
Traditional: the founding fathers
Suggestion: the founders, the founding leaders
Traditional: the father of relativity theory
Suggestion: the founder of relativity theory
4. Eliminate Sexual stereotyping of roles by:
a) using the same term for both genders when it comes to profession or employment
Traditional: salesman, stewardess
Suggestion: sales agent, flight attendant
b) using gender fair in lexical terms
Traditional: sportsmanship
Suggestion: highest ideals of fair play
c) treating men and women in parallel manner
Traditional: I now pronounce you man and wife
Suggestion: I now pronounce you husband and wife
d) avoiding language that reinforce stereotyping images
Traditional: a man’s job, the director’s girl Friday
Suggestion: a big job, the director’s assistant
e) avoiding language that catches attention to the sex role of men and women
Traditional: working mothers, spinsters o old maids
Suggestion: wage-earning mothers, unmarried women
Traditional: busboys, chauvinist pigs
Suggestion: waiter’s assistants, male chauvinists
5. Eliminate sexism when addressing persons formally by:
a) using Ms. instead of Mrs.
Traditional: Mrs. Smith
Suggestion: Ms. Smith
b) using married woman’s first names instead of her husband’s
Traditional: Mrs. John Smith
Suggestion: Ms. Karen Holmes-Smith
c) using the title of the job or group in letters to unknown persons
Traditional: Dear Sir
Suggestion: Dear Editor, Dear Credit Manager, Dear Colleague
Dangling Modifiers
26 March 2007
Modifiers
Every part of the sentence should be so placed that its relation to the rest of the sentence is clear and unmistakable. Modifiers should be placed as close as possible to the words they modify. In shifting the position o placement of modifiers, meaning may change, as in the example given in the previous post.
Things to remember:
1. One-word modifiers are used as adjectives and are placed before the nouns they modify.
eg. Mr. Rogers is the first speaker in the occasion yesterday.
Dick met Arvin walking at the hospital’s corridor.
After eating lunch, Christine slept for two hours.
2. One-word adverb modifiers particularly those of time, place and manner can be placed anywhere in the sentence. They may be placed at the beginning, in the middle or end of the sentence as the meaning allows.
Sometimes, we have to be reminded to say “thank you.”
We sometimes have to be reminded to say “thank you.”
We have to be reminded to say “thank you” sometimes.
a) Adverbs of frequency such as already, ever, never, seldom, occasionally, frequently, still, and always are generally placed before the verb or between auxiliary and main verb. However if the main verb is a form of the verb be (is, are, was, were) the adverb comes after the verb.
eg. Our neighbor frequently travels. (before the verb)
Roger has already been to Canada. (between the auxiliary and the main verb)
Rey is never late to meeting called by the General Manager. (after the verb be)
b) Adverbs of degree and intensity such as quite, too, very and extremely are placed before the adjectives or adverbs they modify.
eg. Edward is extremely interested in the project.
He will be very willing to contribute to it.
3. A phrase or elliptical clause modifier is said to dangle when it does not modify the word which is common sense tells it should, or when it modifies no word in the sentence.
eg. At thee years, the father taught his son how to draw.
Should be: At three years, the son was taught by his father how to draw.
or When the son was four year old, the father taught him how to draw.
Modifier makes the idea vivid
5 January 2007
We are making sure that our sentences express the right view we are trying to point out. By using descriptive words, it makes the idea vivid for the reader. But most of the time we are not aware about the placement of the modifier, even professionals (not all) commit this mistake. Thus the need to understand the rules of modifiers should be taken seriously.
In the ESL world I’ve learned that when you express your thoughts by way of speaking and you commit mistake(s) is not a big deal (speaking the second language), but when you express your thoughts by way of writing and you commit the same mistake, this is considered a mortal sin (under ESL only).
Why?
Under speaking it is forgivable because it is obvious that you can not undo anymore the damage, but of course you can say it again in a better and more appropriate manner. While under writing it is a mortal sin because you have all the time to review and rewrite your sentences and yet you still commit mistake, do you think this is a simple o normal offense? Of course not. Therefore we have to be careful in writing especially if there are lots of modifiers needed to make the idea vivid.
Let us analyze this sentence:
“The boy was lost in a cowboy suit yesterday at the plaza.”
At first glance you might say the sentence is correct. Also, if we listen about it being spoken, it is correct. Is it correct?
Be aware where you put your modifiers.. I’ll be posting more topics about dangling modifiers.
My students (3rd yr high school) reacted vehemently about this sentence. I laughed too. And you know what happened next? They become motivated, their eagerness to learn more about the modifiers grew more intense.
Later on, they’d learn that “in a cowboy suit” is a modifier modifying the “boy” as the subject. Thus the sentence goes like this:
“The boy in a cowboy suit was lost yesterday”
I’ll be posting more topics about dangling modifiers for you to express your ideas better.
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