Fireman VS. firefighter

Question

Hi,I've heard that some words in English have become archaic and no longer in widespread use.For example the words such as: gentlewoman,firefighter,policeman,...First of all, Am I right?Second, if yes, would you please provide me with other instances?Any help is highly appreciated in advance,Iman

MalRey · Accepted Answer

In general that's true but the words you mention about haven't become archaic.

Due to rampant political correctness in the U.S. some words have become, well, politically incorrect.

Pretty much any word that ends in "man" or "men" is verboten in the U.S. these days. Some examples:

Mailman/mailmen, fireman/firemen, policeman/policemen, congressman/congressmen, chairman/chairmen, well I'm sure you get the idea.

The politically correct versions of the above words are: Mail carrier, firefighter, police officer, congress person, and chair person.

By the way, "gentlewoman" is a special case. It's how Members of Congress refer to their female colleagues and generally shouldn't be used in any other context.

Imantaghavi · Answer

Thank you MalRey.

That was impressively helpful.

Regards,

Iman

Fireman VS. firefighter

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