Sex and Gender

Question

Some insist that gender is a grammatical term and should never be used to designate sex.
Today's Washington Post (Tuesday, 2 December 2003, page A13) has an article about some people's difficulty in learning math. A quotation:

"There are battles over how to teach it, dissension over gender issues, questions about the causes of poor student performance, and no universal definition for 'math learning disability,' known as discalculia."

Could one substitute "sex" for "gender" in that sentence?

Also, any ideas on how to pronounce "discalculia"?

John Varela
(Trade "OLD" lamps for "NEW" for email.)
I apologize for munging the address but the spam is too much.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

In our last episode,
(Email Removed), the lovely and talented John Varela
broadcast on alt.usage.english:
[nq:1]Some insist that gender is a grammatical term and should never be used to designate ***.[/nq]
I'm pretty sure those old cranks have been beat back. I think the present complaint is against the mindless substitution of "gender" for "***" as a euphemism.
[nq:1]Today's Washington Post (Tuesday, 2 December 2003, page A13) has an article about some people's difficulty in learning math. A ... and no universal definition for 'math learning disability,' known as discalculia." Could one substitute "***" for "gender" in that sentence?[/nq]
"Gender" seems to be exactly what was meant here.
[nq:1]Also, any ideas on how to pronounce "discalculia"?[/nq]
When I googled for this, I got an ad for an "Arithmability Workbook."

So I suppose, persons with discalculia have arithmadisability.

Or something. I don't know what is wrong with "bonehead with numbers."

Lars Eighner ~~finger for geek code~~ (Email Removed) http://www.io.com/~eighner/ "Love is the wisdom of the fool and the folly of the wise." Samuel Johnson

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Today's Washington Post (Tuesday, 2 December 2003, page A13) has an article about some people's difficulty in learning math. A ... issues, questions about the causes of poor student performance, and no universal definition for 'math learning disability,' known as discalculia."[/nq]
How did that serial comma get past the paper's copyreaders?!

Usenet · Answer

"John Varela" (Email Removed) wrote on 03 Dec 2003:
[nq:1]Some insist that gender is a grammatical term and should never be used to designate ***. Today's Washington Post (Tuesday, ... and no universal definition for 'math learning disability,' known as discalculia." Could one substitute "***" for "gender" in that sentence?[/nq]
It is often necessary to use "gender" instead of "***" in medical articles, especially when discussing the risk factors for certain diseases. I replace "gender" with "***" when there is no possibility that it will be interpreted as (not) having sexual relations, but that is often enough impossible.

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Today's Washington Post (Tuesday, 2 December 2003, page A13) has ... no universal definition for 'math learning disability,' known as discalculia."[/nq]
[nq:1]How did that serial comma get past the paper's copyreaders?![/nq]
Ah, but the comma's useful there, since it helps throw the reader back to "There are" before embarking on "no universal definition". The number disagreement doesn't help the reader much though.
Adriam

Usenet · Answer

On 3 Dec 2003 00:13:05 GMT, CyberCypher

(*** and gender snip)
[nq:1]It is often necessary to use "gender" instead of "***" in medical articles, especially when discussing the risk factors for ... there is no possibility that it will be interpreted as (not) having sexual relations, but that is often enough impossible.[/nq]
John Money introduced the modern sense of the word "gender" in the 1950s.
Current acceptation in med / psy fields in Europe is that "***" should be used whenever the biological component is uppermost, while "gender" should refer mainly to psychological and sociological / societal aspects.
Needless to say, it doesn't always work out that way. For transsexuals, "hormonal and surgical *** reassignment", the accepted term (but my italics), does not mean that m-to-f transsexuals will have a "real" ******, etc. nor that f-to-m transsexuals will have a functional *****.
More info in ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases (W.H.O.)) and DSM-IV (Diagnostics and Statistical Manual American Psychiatric Association).
Passim in Philip Slotkin's translation of Colette Chiland's "Transsexualism".
David

Usenet · Answer

oncle (Email Removed) wrote on 03 Dec 2003:
[nq:1](*** and gender snip)[/nq]
[nq:2]It is often necessary to use "gender" instead of "***" ... (not) having sexual relations, but that is often enough impossible.[/nq]
[nq:1]John Money introduced the modern sense of the word "gender" in the 1950s. Current acceptation in med / psy fields ... be used whenever the biological component is uppermost, while "gender" should refer mainly to psychological and sociological / societal aspects.[/nq]
In medical articles, especially of the public health type, the biological component is usually uppermost. Often, phrases like "male gender/***" can be replaced by "men" or "boys" or "males", depending upon the age range of the population being discussed in the study.

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor.

Usenet · Answer

"Adrian Bailey" (Email Removed) wrote on 03 Dec 2003:
[nq:2]How did that serial comma get past the paper's copyreaders?![/nq]
[nq:1]Ah, but the comma's useful there, since it helps throw the reader back to "There are" before embarking on "no universal definition". The number disagreement doesn't help the reader much though.[/nq]
At least the writer made it plural-singular-plural-singular, and the verb does agree with the first term. How would you have written it to avoid this glitch?
[nq:1]Adriam[/nq]
Oy! A most perverse example of Skitt's Law!

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor.

Usenet · Answer

On 3 Dec 2003 00:52:14 GMT, CyberCypher
[nq:2]Current acceptation in med / psy fields in Europe is ... should refer mainly to psychological and sociological / societal aspects.[/nq]
[nq:1]In medical articles, especially of the public health type, the biological component is usually uppermost. Often, phrases like "male gender/***" can be replaced by "men" or "boys" or "males", depending upon the age range of the population being discussed in the study.[/nq]
In Europe (France??) , we would tend to differentiate between (masculine) "gender" and (male) "***", "***" being biologically established (or not) at birth primarily on the appearance of the external genitalia. (My parenthesis refers to the intersexed.) The new-born is thus declared to be "male" (***) and not "masculine" (gender).
What he or she does with that decision later on in life is more or less in the lap of the gods... or society (hence gender identity / role; gender dysphoria disorder..) or his / her distress.

Your comment on age range, would seem to me to correspond to what over here we would refer to as gender determinants, since "gender" (masculine / feminine as opposed to male / female) is above all developmental and not biological. In my very small corner of that field, I would think that, as far as the intersexed / transsexuals are concerned, it is important to distinguish between those who demand an actual physical intervention / surgical procedure and those who, developmentally, will be able to "move on".
(Does this mean anything to other than a few of us on a.u.e ?)

David

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Current acceptation in med / psy fields in Europe is that "***" should be used whenever the biological component is uppermost, while "gender" should refer mainly to psychological and sociological / societal aspects.[/nq]
A pithy definition, sometimes emitted by anthropologists when pressed, is: "Gender is the social construction of ***."

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Current acceptation in med / psy fields in Europe is ... should refer mainly to psychological and sociological / societal aspects.[/nq]
[nq:1]A pithy definition, sometimes emitted by anthropologists when pressed, is: "Gender is the social construction of ***."[/nq]
Though not an anthropologist, I would very much agree with that definition.
David

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