"chairman" gets neutered

[Jonathan Lighter]

In my day, or so it seems to me, chairpersons were at least as likely to be
"chairmen" as "chairs," regardless of sex.

Or do I mean "gender"?

JL

On Sun, Aug 7, 2011 at 9:17 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "chairman" gets neutered
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 8/6/2011 06:46 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >Today we went to a local production of _The Fantasticks_. The Chairman of
> >the Board of the theater group (in her late '30s, I'd guess) ...
> >
> >Note too, as a curiosity, that she described herself as "Chairman" rather
> >than "Chairperson."
>
> One could inform her that "chair" has a long and honored history for
> the meaning of "the occupant of the chair, the chairman, as invested
> with its dignity". going back to 1658,  and is "Now also used as an
> alternative for 'chairman' or 'chairwoman', esp. deliberately so as
> not to imply a particular sex."
>
> Joel
>
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