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Englishuser Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
Sexist language?
Hello,
Please take a look at the below sentence:
What beautiful weather, said the old man.
Now, this sentence could also be used if we were uncertain about the gender of the person we're discussing. Is there any non-sexist way of writing this sentence without changing its meaning or making it significantly more clumsy?
Please take a look at the below sentence:
What beautiful weather, said the old man.
Now, this sentence could also be used if we were uncertain about the gender of the person we're discussing. Is there any non-sexist way of writing this sentence without changing its meaning or making it significantly more clumsy?
Top answer
Hi, What beautiful weather, said the old man . ------ I think the expression "the old man" refers only to a male The damage caused by man to the environment ------ Here "man" means "humans" (both males and females) What beautiful weather, said the old person -------- Here you don't know if that person is a male or a female Anyway, since I'm an English learner, my opinions could be wrong.
- Hi, What beautiful weather, said the old man .
- ------ I think the expression "the old man" refers only to a male The damage caused by man to the environment ------ Here "man" means "humans" (both males and females) What beautiful weather, said the old person -------- Here you don't know if that person is a male or a female Anyway, since I'm an English learner, my opinions could be wrong.
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4 Answers
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Hi, 
What beautiful weather, said the old man. ------ I think the expression "the old man" refers only to a male
What beautiful weather, said the old man. ------ I think the expression "the old man" refers only to a male
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It seems strange to me that you'd not know the gender of the person speaking?
There were a couple of elderly folks sitting on a bench. "What beautiful weather," remarked one of them.
Or find a euphamism - said the octogenarian (a person in his/her 80's). Do the British still use "pensioner" to describe an elderly person?
There were a couple of elderly folks sitting on a bench. "What beautiful weather," remarked one of them.
Or find a euphamism - said the octogenarian (a person in his/her 80's). Do the British still use "pensioner" to describe an elderly person?
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Hi Grammar Geek,
Thank you for your suggestions. It would've been easy to be non-sexist had I produced the sentence myself. However, the sentence came up in an ESL-examination where you were supposed to fill in the blanks. In such contexts, you need to be very careful with what you write, as an answer not mentioned in the examiners' answer-key will be deemed incorrect.
Thank you for your suggestions. It would've been easy to be non-sexist had I produced the sentence myself. However, the sentence came up in an ESL-examination where you were supposed to fill in the blanks. In such contexts, you need to be very careful with what you write, as an answer not mentioned in the examiners' answer-key will be deemed incorrect.
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Hi,
I'd like to add a comment on 'sexist language'. This expression relates to language that shows an unfairly discriminatory attitude on the part of the speaker. eg a speaker may speak as if he or she thinks that only men can be police officers or company presidents.
To refer to an old man is not in the least 'sexist', in the above sense of unfair discrimination.
Best
I'd like to add a comment on 'sexist language'. This expression relates to language that shows an unfairly discriminatory attitude on the part of the speaker. eg a speaker may speak as if he or she thinks that only men can be police officers or company presidents.
To refer to an old man is not in the least 'sexist', in the above sense of unfair discrimination.
Best
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