LL-L "Gender" 2003.05.14 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 14.MAY.2003 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Dana Lockhart <lockhdr at wku.edu>
Subject: LL-L "Gender" 2003.05.14 (04) [E/LS]

words like "actress" and "waitress" are making way for neutral
"actor" and "waiter" (or "waitperson"),

Actually Ron, Waiter and Waitress have been almost universally replaced
(at
least in an 'official context') with the neutral 'server' in American
English.
It is comparable to what happened to steward and stewardess. I had an
English
teacher in high school who was a major proponent of politically correct
and
gender-neutral speech. He always maintained that it was better to
utilize a
'new' non-biased word than modify an existing 'baised' term. That seems
to be
the trend throughout the country, especially in terms of occupations:

Policeman/woman/person = Police Officer
Fireman/woman/person = Fire Fighter
Secretary=  Administrative Assistant
Garbageman/woman/person= Sanitation Worker
Postman/woman/person= Postal Carrier
uzw.

Attaching 'person' to an occupation is seen by many as a 'intermediate
step'
between to old term and the emergence of a new 'PC' term, at least in
America.
With English teachers such as mine running amuck, handing out failing
grades
for using 'sexist' speech, it is no wonder that not a single job title
taught
to me in kindergarten is allowable on a college paper today (and I'm
only a
third year student).

Dana Lockhart

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From: globalmoose at t-online.de (Global Moose Translations)
Subject: LL-L "Gender" 2003.05.14 (10) [E]

Fiete,

how odd - since I happen to know that your first wife hails from the
same
little town where I was born and where I learned that gender differences
hardly matter...

... but since she "belonged" to you, although she was obviously foolish
enough not to "do what she was told", things may have been different for
her.

OK, Ron, I guess I've pushed it far enough... I don't want that neutron
bomb
dropped on my head... :-)

Back to the/a subject: your mention of "male prostitutes". This reminds
me
of my favourite American euphemism: "exotic dancer". Yeah, right.

In Lower Saxon and Dutch, things are usually called exactly what they
are,
sometimes rather bluntly. What about other Lowlands languages? It seems
to
me that they are all rather down-to-earth and that American English,
where
you go to the "restroom" instead of the loo, is the only exception... or
am
I mistaken?

Gabriele Kahn

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