[Ads-l] Query on "huntress"

[Chris Waigl]

This is not a scientifically well-based comment, but as I live in a
place where hunting (for sport, personal use, and subsistence purposes)
is extremely common, I'm only ever hearing the (many many) women who
hunt being referred to as "hunters". There seems to be very little
reason to make a difference here, as the core of the thing, for those
who practice it seriously, is exactly the same.

Christine Cunningham, who writes a column for the Anchorage Daily News,
is always referred to as a hunter:
https://www.adn.com/author/christine-cunningham/

When you say huntress I think of a scene painted on an ancient vase.

Chris

On 3/22/19 8:16 AM, Cohen, Gerald Leonard wrote:
> Dear members of ads-l,
>
> Today I received an inquiry with several parts concerning the word "huntress."
> The message came from a woman writer wanting to clear up whether the word is
> sexist and if so why.
>
> Has anything been written on this?  Would anyone have any ideas/insight/etc. about
> the semantic development of the term? (e.g., is it politically incorrect to refer to a
> female hunter as a "huntress"?
>
> Any assistance would be much appreciated.
>
> Gerald Cohen
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org