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Political Correctness From The Cambridge Encyclopedia , 3 rd ed., Edited by David Crystal. Cambridge: Cambridge U.P., 1997 POLITICAL CORRECTNESS A pejorative term for the view which demands that all instances of real or perceived linguistic discrimination against social groups should be eradicated. The movement emerged strongly in the 1980s, espoused especially by political liberals, and has focused on those aspects of language which seem to preserve demeaning attitudes towards disadvantaged or oppressed groups, such as the use of man to mean ‘humanity’ (thereby perpetuating the subordinate role of women) or the use of black with negative overtones. The most sensitive domains have to do with race (racism), gender (sexism), sexual affinity, ecology, and (physical or mental) personal development. The view was at first supported by many moderate members of progressive or activist groups, concerned with the rights of minorities, but by attracting hard-line extremists it has attracted increasing antagonism and ridicule (e.g. people who are less than beautiful might be described as ‘aesthetically challenged’). The inflexible condemnation of ‘incorrect’ vocabulary has itself been condemned for its intolerance, reminding some of the ‘thought police’ of futuristic novels. Language & Culture [from Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English , s.v. gender, p. 535] POLITICALLY CORRECT LANGUAGE Ways of talking about men and women When you are writing or speaking English it is important to use language that includes both men and women equally. Some people may be very offended if you do not. Jobs The suffix -ess in names of occupations such as ACTRESS , HOSTESS and WAITRESS shows that the person doing the job is a woman. Many people now avoid these. Instead you can use ACTOR or HOST , (although ‘actress’ and ‘hostess’ are still very common) or a neutral word, such as SERVER [AmE] for waiter and waitress . Neutral words like ASSISTANT , WORKER , PERSON or OFFICER are now often used instead of -man or -woman in the names of jobs. For example, you can use POLICE OFFICER instead of POLICEMAN or POLICEWOMAN , and SPOKESPERSON instead of SPOKESMAN or SPOKESWOMAN . Neutral words are very common in newspapers , on television and radio and in official writing , in both BrE and AmE. When talking about jobs that are traditionally done by the other sex, some people say: a MALE secretary / nurse / model (not ‘man’) or a WOMAN / FEMALE doctor / barrister / driver / writer . However this is now not usually used unless you need to emphasize which sex the person is, or it is still unusual for the job to be done by a man/woman: • My daughter prefers to see a woman doctor . • They have a male nanny for their kids . • a female racing driver . The human race MAN and MANKIND have traditionally been used to mean ‘all men and women’. Many people now prefer to use HUMANITY , THE HUMAN RACE , HUMAN BEINGS or PEOPLE . Pronouns HE used to be considered to cover both men and women: • Everyone needs to feel he is loved , but this is not now acceptable. Instead, after EVERYBODY , EVERYONE , ANYBODY , ANYONE , SOMEBODY , SOMEONE , etc. one of the plural pronouns THEY , THEM , and THEIR is often used: • Does everybody know what they want? • Somebody's left their coat here . • I hope nobody's forgotten to bring their passport with them . Some people prefer to use HE OR SHE , HIS OR HER , or HIM OR HER in speech and writing: • Everyone knows what's best for him or herself . HE/SHE or (S)HE can also be used in writing: • If in doubt, ask your doctor. • He/she can give you more information . (You may find that some writers just use ‘ she ’.) These uses can seem awkward when they are used a lot. It is better to try to change the sentence, using a plural noun. Instead of saying: • A baby cries when he or she is tired you can say • Babies cry when they are tired . POLITICAL CORRECTNESS From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Political correctness (adjectivally, politically correct ; both forms commonly abbreviated to PC ) is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, handicap, and age- related contexts. HISTORY Early usages Early usages of the phrase "politically correct" have been found in various contexts, which may not relate to the current terminology. [4] [5] Examples of the term can be found as early as the 18th century. The previous meaning was 'in line with prevailing political thought or policy'. The term previously used 'correctness' in its literal sense and without any particular reference to language that might be considered offensive or discriminatory. That usage dates back to the 18th century. For example, J. Wilson's comments in U.S. Republic, 1793: "The states, rather than the people, for whose sake the states exist, are frequently the objects which attract and arrest our principal attention... Sentiments and expressions of this inaccurate kind prevail in our common, even in our convivial, language... ‘The United States’, instead of the ‘People of the United States’, is the toast given. This is not politically correct." [6] In New Left rhetoric By 1970, New Left proponents had adopted the term political correctness .[1] In the essay The Black Woman , Toni Cade Bambara says: “. a man cannot be politically correct and a [male] chauvinist too”. The New Left later re-appropriated the term political correctness as satirical self-criticism; Debra Shultz says: “Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the New Left, feminists, and progressives used their term politically correct ironically, as a guard against their own orthodoxy in social change efforts”. [1][2][7] Hence, it is a popular English usage in the underground comic book Merton of the Movement , by Bobby London, while ideologically sound , an alternative term, followed a like lexical path, appearing in Bart Dickon’s satirical comic strips. [1][8] Moreover, Ellen Willis says: “…in the early ’80s, when feminists used the term political correctness , it was used to refer sarcastically to the anti-pornography movement’s efforts to define a ‘feminist sexuality’ ”. [9] Current usage Widespread use of the term "politically correct" and its derivatives began when it was adopted as a pejorative term by the political right in the 1990s, in the context of the Culture Wars. Writing in the New York Times in 1990, [10] Richard Bernstein noted "The term 'politically correct,' with its suggestion of Stalinist orthodoxy, is spoken more with irony and disapproval than with reverence. But across the country the term p.c., as it is commonly abbreviated, is being heard more and more in debates over what should be taught at the universities." Bernstein referred to a meeting of the Western Humanities Conference in Berkeley, California, on " 'Political Correctness' and Cultural Studies", which examined "what effect the pressure to conform to currently fashionable ideas is having on scholarship". Bernstein also referred to "p.c.p" for "politically correct people", a term which did not take root in popular discussion. Within a few years, this previously obscure term featured regularly in the lexicon of the conservative social and political challenges against curriculum expansion and progressive teaching methods in US high schools and universities. [11] In 1991, addressing a graduating class of the University of Michigan, U.S. President George H. W. Bush spoke against “…a movement [that would] declare certain topics ‘off-limits’, certain expressions ‘off-limits’, even certain gestures ‘off- limits’, ” in allusion to liberal Political Correctness. [12] The most common usage here is as a pejorative term to refer to excessive deference to particular sensibilities at the expense of other considerations. The converse term "politically incorrect" came into use as an implicit term of self- praise, indicating that the user was not afraid to give offense. The central uses of the term relate to issues of race and gender, and encompass both the language in which issues are discussed and the viewpoints that are expressed. Proponents of the view that differences in IQ test scores between blacks and whites are (primarily or largely) genetically determined state that criticism of these views is based on political correctness.[13] Examples of language commonly criticised as "politically correct" include: [14] • "African-American" in place of "Black", "Negro" and other terms • "Native American" in place of "Indian" • “Gender-neutral” terms such as "firefighter" in place of "fireman" • Terms relating to disability, such as "visually challenged" in place of "blind" • "Holiday" in place of "Christmas" (see Christmas controversy) More generally, any policy or factual claim opposed by the political right, such as the claim that global warming is a serious problem requiring a policy response may be criticized as "politically correct". [15] World-wide Versions of the term politically correct are popular in several Scandinavian countries (politiskt korrekt abbreviated PK ), in Portugal, Spain, and Latin America (Sp., políticamente correcto | Port., politicamente correcto ), France (politiquement correct ), Germany (politisch korrekt ), Poland (poprawno ść polityczna , poprawny politycznie ), Slovenia (politi čno korekten ), the Netherlands and Flanders (politiek correct ), Italy (politicamente corretto ), Russia (политкорректность , политкорректный ), and New Zealand,[18] . These terms are calques or loan translations derived from the recent pejorative use of the term in English. [19] EXPLANATIONS As a linguistic concept In addressing the linguistic problem of naming, Edna Andrews says that using “inclusive” and “neutral” language is based upon the concept that “language represents thought, and may even control thought”. [20] This claim has been derived from the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, which states that a language’s grammatical categories shape the speaker’s ideas and actions; although Andrews says that moderate conceptions of the relation between language and thought are sufficient to support the “reasonable deduction .
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