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Imantaghavi Posted 13 years ago
Vocabulary
Language of gender
Hi,
In many books a choice is made to use 'he' when referring to unknown individuals. Is this acceptable? Alternatives include using 'she' or 'he/she' or even 'they'. What would you recommend?
E.g: At the beginning of a new course, the teacher should always attempt to make his students feel relaxed and welcome in their new class. He should introduce himself and then introduce the students to one another. Thank you in advance, Iman
In many books a choice is made to use 'he' when referring to unknown individuals. Is this acceptable? Alternatives include using 'she' or 'he/she' or even 'they'. What would you recommend?
E.g: At the beginning of a new course, the teacher should always attempt to make his students feel relaxed and welcome in their new class. He should introduce himself and then introduce the students to one another. Thank you in advance, Iman
Top answer
imantaghavi What would you recommend? I would recommend 'he', 'him', 'his', etc. in formal writing, and 'they', 'them', their', etc.
- imantaghavi What would you recommend?
- I would recommend 'he', 'him', 'his', etc.
- in formal writing, and 'they', 'them', their', etc.
- , much too awkward to be useful.
- I do know of a case where a woman teacher of a class of all women students consistently used 'she', 'her', etc.
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4 Answers
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imantaghaviWhat would you recommend?I would recommend 'he', 'him', 'his', etc. in formal writing, and 'they', 'them', their', etc. in casual situations, but then I'm somewhat old-fashioned on this point, and I find 'he or she', 'him or her', etc., much too awkward to be useful.
I do know of a case where a woman teacher of a class of all women student
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Thank you CJ for your reply.
So what you mean is that there is a tendency toward using 'he' rather than the other choices, right?
But don't you think it can be considered biased or racist?
Cheers,
Iman
So what you mean is that there is a tendency toward using 'he' rather than the other choices, right?
But don't you think it can be considered biased or racist?
Cheers,
Iman
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imantaghaviracist?It can't possibly be racist. Men are not a race. Women are not a race. If you need an -ist word to describe this, it's sexist.
imantaghavibiasedIt depends on who you ask. A male chauvinist and a militant feminist will likely have different opinions.
imantaghaviSo what yo
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Hi
In the UK, the use of the male pronoun in that way would quite often be seen as biased. Personally, I would be happy for the plural to be used, even if it looks slightly ungrammatical ...
- A teacher should make their class feel at ease - they should make them feel welcome
That seems OK to me
Some people may feel uneasy and find other ways around it (in this
In the UK, the use of the male pronoun in that way would quite often be seen as biased. Personally, I would be happy for the plural to be used, even if it looks slightly ungrammatical ...
- A teacher should make their class feel at ease - they should make them feel welcome
That seems OK to me
Some people may feel uneasy and find other ways around it (in this
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