> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sunnanvind [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Thursday, 13 January 2000 22:05
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: RE: [issues] Re: Demographics - Reprise
>
>
> On Thu, 13 Jan 2000, Michelle Peglar wrote:
> > I'm personally in favour of the webadmin idea. I don't
> really see a need
> > for gender specific language in any job title or generic
> name.. It's one
> > of my personal soap box topics - I think we should all get
> rid of using
> > gender specific language when referring to something or
> someone that could
> > possibly be male or female.
>
> I disagree - imagine having two regents instead of a king or
> a queen, or hm..
> perhaps it's not such a bad idea in english after all.
> Surely it will avoid sillinesses like 'mistress', which used
> to mean 'lover' in
> auld england if I'm not guessing totally wrong.
> How about the priest/priestess thing? We certainly can have a
> male priestess,
> but what to call that person?
Well, I think a lot of English words really just tack on the ending "ess" - i.e. priest - priestess, waiter, waitress, actor, actress. I just don't see the need for such a distinction. King and Queen are fine. I don't think that would need to be changed. Just like I do not see a reason to change husband and wife. I think if this were to happen, we would have to make sure we were not pedantic.
So anyway, I think just drop the -ess words. A woman or a man - the person is still a priest. Or an actor. Or a waiter. Or a firefighter. Or a doctor. Or a nurse. Hey that brings up another point. There are no Doctoress'! I wonder why not. Maybe because the woman who first began occuplying that position were firm in the understanding of their equality.
I never stopped to think what it would be like in another language to make the language uniform. It's kind of hard to balance respect for people in language (make it uniform in the titles etc) and to also keep the "culture" of the language alive. It would be horrible if the beauty of the French language were lost to modern political correctness.
Anyhow, I am probably totally off topic.
Michelle
>
> Anyway, in Sweden I think it's generally tacky. That's such a
> tangled web you
> wouldn't believe unless you went to like, France where it's
> nine times worse.
>
> Sunnan
> --
> http://home.swipnet.se/sunnanvind
> I am you.
>
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