On Mon, 30 Aug 2021 at 20:46, Rich Bowen <rbo...@rcbowen.com> wrote: > > > > On 8/30/21 3:36 PM, sebb wrote: > > If the analyses are to be useful, *all* the flagged words and phrases > > need to be linked to potential replacements. > > > > Very few are listed on the INI word list [1]. > > > > The following need suggested replacements: > > - sanity check > > - dummy value > > - grandfather > > - gr[ea]ybeard > > - insane > > - lame > > - man hours > > - retarded > > - whitehat, blackhat > > > > I think the fact that the INI initiative has only listed 4 words so > > far indicates that this is a non-trivial problem. > > > Yes, you are right. This is, indeed, a non-trivial problem. It is, in > fact, a very difficult problem, since context is so important. > > People expect to have a "replace this with that" list - it's indeed one > of the questions that comes up frequently in this conversation. But it's > seldom that simple - nor should it be. Again, this is why we call it > "conscious language", because word choices should be conscious, intentional.
That is not what I am suggesting. However it would be helpful to have some suggestions for each word in at least one context. > Some of these words, such as lame, insane, dummy - are just lazy word > choices, and *typically* should result in the sentence/paragraph being > rewritten to say what it means. A simple "swap this word with that one" > is seldom a useful answer. Agreed, but there can be some general guidance. > Others, such as "grandfather", are going to require some understanding > of what was trying to be communicated before an appropriate word could > be chosen. > > It's a hard problem, if all you're looking for is replacement word that > works everywhere, because in each of these cases, there's no universal > answer that will work for every project. Of course not, but there will be similar contexts in many projects. Does each project have to come up with their own solutions? Or can there be some co-operation to spread the work-load? > On the other hand, if the answer is "step back a bit, think about what > you were trying to communicate, and don't use lame or retarded in the > sentence", then it's a different mindset entirely. Not easier. Just > different. I have given it some thought, and have no idea how to replace "dummy value". This is a common computing phrase, so would benefit from some advice. > -- > Rich Bowen - rbo...@rcbowen.com > @rbowen --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: diversity-unsubscr...@apache.org For additional commands, e-mail: diversity-h...@apache.org
