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>I have read claims that sexism is responsible for relegating
>"chairwoman" to relative obscurity. But I think the real answer is
>that "chairman" flows better than "chairwoman." Sexism is not the
>culprit. "Chairperson" is the worst-sounding of them all. Not only
>that, it serves no purpose. It's hard to be gender-free when you say,
>"Chairperson Sally Jones." And why would a woman *want* to hide her
>gender, anyway? It's not something to be ashamed of.
>The terms "womyn," "herstory," and
>others are pure nonsense. Are we to change "hispanic" to "herspanic?"
>How do we handle "menopause?" Does that term now refer to
>hesitant Irish males? And what about "person?" Doesn't it contain
>the dreaded male bias in "son?" (Oops--now there'll be a headlong
>rush to obliterate "son" from every word. And then "sun," since
>it sounds the same.)
>If the PC-fascists try hard enough, they can eventually make
>English a complete impediment to communication.
>Question about paragraph one above: Are you saying that the "flow" and
>"sound" of words serve as criteria for preferred usage? If so, can you
>support that claim with other examples?
>Question on paragraphs two and three above: Was it a calculated use of
>"rush" in your post or is it just a deliciously ironic --and appropriate--
>coincidence that I am perceiving?
>Dan Lupo
I believe a word's usage is derived more from convenience than
from any calculated intent. In my experience, the criteria arise
after the fact.
The phrase "headlong rush" is a fairly common one. However, I
suppose your question proves my point: you can see anything you
want if you try hard enough.
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Dave Meek "It takes a big man to cry,
but it takes an even bigger man
to laugh at that man."
-Jack Handy
