| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| FEMININE OCCUPATIONAL FORMS, FEMININE GENDER FORMS |
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| In recent years many Standard English users and most publishers have decided that along with other exclusive language, most specifically feminine suffixes and other forms that have peculiar and particular reference to females, and especially to women, should be phased out in favor of generic terms that include both men and women as referents (i.e., inclusive language). In some instances it is clear that exclusive terms are much diminished in use, archaic or even obsolescent—among them, aviatrix, authoress, chorine, danseuse, poetess, and usherette. Some others are still in use, even though many object to them: stewardess (now more often flight or cabin attendant of either sex), hostess, waitress, and seamstress. The doyen/doyenne pair seems to be settling for doyen for both male and female referents (but see DEAN). In entertainment the comedian/comedienne pair is still in flux: female comics are indeed now called comedians, but their publicity releases still sometimes use comedienne, particularly to refer to women who specialize in comic theatrical parts. Alternatives suitable for generic use have not yet been proposed for some other words, such as governess. Society’s attitude toward women, not lists of new taboos, will continue to do the most to set the pace of change, just as it has until now; where we still feel the need for a distinction, we will retain words that distinguish; otherwise, we will find inclusive synonyms or invent them. When the referent ceases to be single-sex, then whatever term we choose will be inclusive, as is already the case with cabin attendant, physician, priest, and actor today. Whether we let words such as priestess and actress continue with a different role to play or in the same one or instead we let them become obsolete will work out on a word-by-word basis only, and we cannot safely predict what will become of all words of this sort. See CHAIRMAN; -ESS; INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE; PEOPLE; SEXIST LANGUAGE. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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