Language Changes

Language Changes

1. language changes below our awareness

2. consious attempts to regulate the language

   • successful
     • introduction of the term Ms (blend of Mrs and Miss)
     • introducing terms like server (for waiter), chair (for chairman), police officer, firefighter, flight attendant etc.
     • using he/she or they instead of generic he
     • gradual introduction of the word 'human capital' instead of 'manpower'
   • unsuccessful
     • concerns about the words reliable and colonize
     • debate on changing pronunciation of the word balcony
     • (partially unsuccessful) introducing generic, gender-neutral pronouns
     • introducing 'firstyear' instead of 'freshman'
   • STUDIES
     • generic 'man' and 'he'
       • 1970s : first investigation on usage of 'man' and 'he' as generic terms
       • stereotypes about professions being typically male (although the same happens for 'female' professions like stewardess)
       • 1975 Robin Lakoff: Language and Woman's Place
     • false etymology: history = his + story
     • conceptual metaphor
       • Caitlin Hines
         • women as a dessert = women are consumable
         • women as small animals = animals that are hunted, possesed, controlled and domesticated
           • men as animals = refers to men's sterhgth and incontrolled abilities
     • derogatory terms
       • Julia Stanley (Penelope) studied the number of words used to refer to women as prostitutes
       • 1988, Debra James: derogatory terms for men focus on their accomplishments - competences, mental and physical abilities while dereogatory terms for women focus on sexuality, including their attractiveness to men, their faithfullness and availability
       • these days, there are terms for criticising men who are promiscuous
       • while men are discussed in terms of how they treat everyone, women are judged in terms of how they treat men

3. alignment of social and policial movements with attempts to change the language

   • reappropriation/linguistic reclamation
     • 1960s-70s: neutral use of the term 'gay'
       • gradual reappropriation of the word 'queer'
     • prefering the term 'black', over the word 'negro'
     • 19th century: using the word 'women' instead of 'ladies'