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Subject:Re: He/she From:mpriestley -at- VNET -dot- IBM -dot- COM Date:Thu, 1 Dec 1994 17:12:20 EST
Jan Boomsliter <boom -at- CADENCE -dot- COM> writes:
>Yes, I'd say that language plays a part in "cultural factors." Isn't
>that the point of this discussion, that what people are called, whether
>they are even included in the discussion, affects how they are
>treated?
I'd even say it's part of the way they are treated. In any case,
culture certainly affects language, so I'm willing to buy there's
a feedback loop, and language can affect culture.
This is a broader question, though, than I was asking. My question is:
how does using "he" as a default pronoun affect cultural factors?
Especially: how much does it promote or contribute to sexism?
> "... However, I am not
> convinced that the issue has the profound sociological impact that
> has been attributed to it. I am convinced it has _some_ impact,
> but I'm not sure how much. The lack of a gendered pronoun in
> Japanese, for example, doesn't appear to have had profound effects
> on the role of women in Japanese culture."
>Say what?
Let me rephrase: if using "he" as a default pronoun is a major _cause_
of sexism in our society, then why do societies that don't use "he"
as the default pronoun (Japanese uses gender-neutral pronouns, I believe)
still exhibit high degrees of sexism?
Frankly, there are plenty of answers possible here. But the very
juxtaposition of gender-neutral Japanese language with decidedly
sexist Japanese culture tends to suggest that language and culture are
not as tightly coupled as language reformers believe.
I hope this clarifies,
Michael Priestley
mpriestley -at- vnet -dot- ibm -dot- com
Disclaimer: speaking on my own behalf, not IBM's.
Also: apologies to anyone from Japan who was offended by my
over-simplifying summation.