[Ads-l] Query on "huntress"

[Laurence Horn]

> On Mar 22, 2019, at 3:36 PM, Chris Waigl <chris at LASCRIBE.NET> wrote:
> 
> 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

Yes, it’s a bit like “priestess” (conjuring up a female presider over ancient rites) vs. sex-neutral “priest” (as in the Episcopal/Anglican tradition).  “Huntress” for me conjures Artemis/Diana, not Sarah Palin.  Of course whether it’s appropriate to describe Ms. Palin as a hunter at all when she shoots moose from a low-flying aircraft is another question…

LH

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

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