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<h1 id="gmail-page-title">Not quite the end of mankind</h1>
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<div class="gmail-uq-core-image gmail-large gmail-right gmail-horizontal"><div class="gmail-image-crop"><img src="https://www.uq.edu.au/news/filething/get-styled/large/143300/books back.PNG?itok=lhpBaN2z" alt=""></div></div><span class="gmail-date-display-single">13 June 2018</span><div class="gmail-field gmail-field-name-field-core-body"><p>The
University of Queensland does not have gender-neutral language policy,
or list of banned words. This has been misreported in the media.</p>
<p>School of Political Science and International Studies Head Richard Devetak responds:</p>
<p>Outrage is a powerful emotion, but is not always helpful when
analysing the facts. Let me employ some common sense and dispassionate
reason to respond to recent stories about university essay guides.</p>
<p>Has the University of Queensland banned the use of words such as
‘mankind’ and ‘workmanship’? No, and there is no evidence they have,
despite the lurid headlines. Does the University deduct marks
specifically for using gendered language? No, not as a rule. And no one
has presented me with any evidence that marks have been deducted for
gendered language in essays. Can the use of gendered language affect the
overall quality of an essay? Perhaps, but only at the margins, and it
depends on the extent.</p>
<p>The truth is that there is no university policy to ‘mark down’
student essays for using gendered language any more than there is for
splitting infinitives, misplacing apostrophes, or committing any other
grammatical infelicity, as Acting Executive Dean of the Faculty of
Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor Julie Duck, pointed out.</p>
<p>The public quite rightly expects universities to uphold high
standards when it comes to formal communication. Naturally, these
standards will differ from what’s expected in other parts of life.
What’s acceptable in the pub may not be appropriate in a newspaper.
What’s acceptable in a newspaper may not be appropriate in a piece of
academic writing. This is just plain common sense and has nothing at all
to do with political correctness. It is about informing students of
professional standards and expectations across different fields.</p>
<p>Professional environments both inside and outside universities have
writing conventions. Universities have a responsibility to inform
students about these conventions and expectations, which is why they
issue guidelines to help a highly internationalised and diverse student
body. They guide students in their formal academic writing, they do not
dictate how they communicate in other contexts.</p>
<p>If students wish to ignore grammar and revert to using the passive
voice or splitting infinitives, if they choose to use colloquialisms and
slang, or if they insist on using gendered, racist or foul language in
other settings, that is their business. But in an academic essay, as in
many other professional contexts, it is best to avoid them.</p>
<p>So, are universities pushing an ‘agenda’, as Minister Birmingham
implies, by upholding widely accepted writing conventions? No, of course
not. To suggest otherwise is simply a convenient fiction to create
outrage. The awkward truth is that universities are following style
guides used in many professional organisations, including the
Commonwealth Government and News Ltd.</p>
<p>The Minister might care to consult the sixth edition of the <em>Style Manual</em>
published by the Australian Government as a guide to its publications
since 1966. This includes the same advice about inclusive language as is
found in university guides.</p>
<p>Readers of the <em>Courier Mail</em> may also like to consult the third edition of News Ltd’s <em>Style: The Essential Guide for Journalists and Professional Writers</em>,
edited by long-time News Ltd editor, Kim Lockwood. It says: ‘Avoid
words or phrases implying men are viewed as the norm and women as the
exception’.</p>
<p>Ironically, as it turns out, both Minister Birmingham’s own
government departments and News Ltd are dictating “nanny state stuff”
and “lingo lunacy” through their style guides too.</p>
<p>It is important that universities defend their autonomy and integrity
against the assault on academic standards, and maintain good writing
practices. To do this, we must not allow shrill culture warriors to
twist the truth and turn common sense writing conventions into weapons
of fake news.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://small-change.uq.edu.au/blog/2018/06/words-are-deeds">Read
more: philosophy, language and gender experts Associate Professor
Deborah Brown and Dr Dino Willox apply critical thinking to
gender-neutral language.</a> </strong></p>
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<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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