New euphemisms for old
A question arising from the following article:Bill to nix 'outdated' terms for people with disabilities This is the sentence that interested me:"We need to change the way people are described to be...
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Doesn't seem to have worked in the past IMHO. Change the word for a group that is looked down upon and eventually the new word will become a derogatory term.
View ArticleRe: New euphemisms for old
I do believe it can happen. But first, those wanting us to use new terms must be the first to start using the terms sincerely themselves. If they believe in the policy, then it has a chance to work.We...
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There's a linguistic theory, the Sapir-Whorff hypothesis, that people can be shaped by their language.In fact, there's a great sf book on this theme, Languages of Pao by Jack Vance, in which a...
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BTW a very interesting piece on 'X-phemisms' (euphemisms amd dysphemisms) here.
View ArticleRe: New euphemisms for old
I once read an essay about how the British molded their subjects in India by coming up with the word and concept of "Hindu," which originally referred to all persons in the subcontinent having...
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There is little evidence that Sapir-Whorf is correct, at least in to any significant effect. Rote memorization appears to be easier when we can assign a thing a name, but few other thought processes...
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"We need to change the way people are described to be responsive to who they really are, which will change how society views people with disabilities."In the immortal words of Dan Ackroyd, "Jane, you...
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I basically agree with the foregoing except...When dealing with people en masse and at a distance, as the lawmakers are doing in the article, it IS possible to forget that they are human beings. A...
View ArticleRe: New euphemisms for old
And the fact that we have to keep changing the politically correct term for a disadvantaged group as the newer terms become derogatory shows the opposite tends to be true. Who exactly decides that it...
View ArticleRe: New euphemisms for old
Locking the thread. It's straying out of linguistics and into politics.
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