In today's world, Inclusive language is a topic of great relevance and interest to a wide variety of people. Whether due to its impact on society, its historical relevance or its importance today, Inclusive language has become a topic that leaves no one indifferent. From its origins to its influence today, Inclusive language has been the subject of in-depth analysis by experts in different disciplines, who seek to better understand its nature and its impact in various areas. In this article, we will explore some of the most relevant facets of Inclusive language and its importance in today's world.
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Inclusive language is a language style that seeks to avoid expressions that its proponents perceive as expressing or implying ideas that are sexist, racist, or otherwise biased, prejudiced, or insulting to particular group(s) of people; and instead uses language intended by its proponents to avoid offense and fulfill the ideals of egalitarianism, social inclusion and equity.
Its supporters argue that language is often used to perpetuate and spread prejudice and that creating intention around using inclusive language can help create more productive, safe, and profitable organizations and societies. The term "political correctness" is sometimes used to refer to this practice, either as a neutral description by supporters, by commentators in general, or with negative connotations by its opponents. Use of gender-neutral terminology has been controversial in languages where "all grammar is gendered", such as Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and German; some areas have banned its use.
Inclusive language is usually adopted by following a language guide that lists words and expression not to use and substitutes for them. Language guides are used by many organizations, especially non-profits (at least in the United States).
In French, a reference to a mixed-gender group of friends would traditionally be written as "amis", but a gender-neutral variation changed its spelling to "ami·e·s." However, in May 2021, the Minister for Education wrote to schools across the country to say that "so-called 'inclusive' writing should be avoided, which notably uses the midpoint to simultaneously reveal the feminine and masculine forms of a word used in the masculine when it is used in a generic sense."
As of June 2022, the city government of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, banned teachers "from using any gender-neutral words during class and in communications with parents", on the grounds that it "violated the rules of Spanish and stymied students' reading comprehension". At least five organizations, "a mix of gay rights and civil rights groups", have filed lawsuits seeking to overturn" the ruling. The governor of Buenos Aires province, Axel Kicillof, rejected the authority of the Royal Spanish Academy, citing the Argentine War of Independence as a reason. Darío Villanueva Prieto, from the RAE, clarified that the RAE does not use the slang of Spanish language from the Iberian peninsula, but that it receives input from all countries in the world where the language is spoken.
In December 2021, Uruguay's public education agency issued a memo to limit use of inclusive language.
Organizations in the U.S. with equity language guides include The Sierra Club, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Medical Association, National Recreation and Park Association, Columbia University School of Professional Studies, University of Washington. According to George Packer, most of these guides are based on other guides such as A Progressive's Style Guide, the Racial Equity Tools glossary, and others.
Several tech companies promotes or provide inclusive language guides: Google, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco Talos, SAP.
Inclusive language in English, at least in the United States, goes well beyond gender inclusivity, the following with varying levels or usage.
Rationale for suggested language change | Language or expression to be avoided, according to proponents | Replacement language proposed by proponents |
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To avoid implied sexism or heteronormativity with Gender-neutral language |
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To avoid sexism in any implication that women should follow "traditional" gender roles, are in any way unequal to men, are valued primarily as wives or sex objects, or that the unpaid work of women is less important than paid work |
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To avoid terminology that is disempowering, has negative connotations, or is subject to a euphemism treadmill with regard to
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Avoid negative stereotypes of ethnic groups |
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Avoiding racism, colonialism, and religious intolerance, whether overtly or by historical association |
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Avoid sizeism and body shaming | "fat", "large", possibly "plus-sized model" or "plus-size clothing" in women's fashion | "curvy" or simply talk about "women of all sizes" |
Avoid insulting human dignity by emphasizing the humanity of individuals rather than group label |
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To avoiding implied racism or colonialism by using indigenous names instead of names used by colonizers | Indian, Bombay, primitive cultures | Native American (see Native American name controversy), Mumbai (see Renaming of cities in India, Geographical renaming, and British Isles naming dispute), early cultures |
Avoid offending non-Christians and non-believers (see War on Christmas) |
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To avoid implied transphobia and binary genderism | Using "he" or "she" based on appearance or name | Asking people what pronouns they prefer to be addressed by, or introduce oneself with one's own gender pronouns (e.g. "My name is Chris and my pronouns are he/him/his.") |
Taking a sex-positive position and avoiding slut-shaming | Prostitute | Sex worker |
Avoid associations with slavery | Master/slave (technology) | Primary/secondary, leader/follower |
Avoid association between ownership of animals and ownership of people (slavery) and in general anthropocentrism | Pet owner | Pet guardian, pet parent |
Avoid stigma promoting discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS | Clean | HIV negative |
Avoiding stigma with autism, and seeing various neurological conditions not as diseases to be cured, but differences to be embraced |
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Comments about personal appearance might be interpreted as lookism or sexual harassment, depending on the context. |
Political correctness and inclusive language both focus on attempting to use neutral terms and expressions to influence psychological and social forces to combat prejudices, stereotypes, etc. However, what may be, and in many cases already has, happened is that while some markets and audiences embrace the new language, others react against it (an example being the alleged "War on Christmas"). Whether businesses and organizations embrace or reject the language, they risk alienating the opposing side. Thus inclusive language has become part of "culture wars".
Journalist George Packer makes a number of criticisms of inclusive language as used in the U.S.
Packer notes that Boo's book was written in 2012 before the new language guidelines emerged, and worries what the new rules will and are doing to good writing. "Shelf upon shelf of great writing might go the way of 'blind' and 'urban'" (both forbidden in language guideline). "Open Light in August or Invisible Man to any page and see how little would survive."
And not only do the changes come without any transparent discussion, they come "with a suddenness and frequency that keep the novitiate off-balance".
People of color becomes standard usage until the day it is demoted, by the American Heart Association and others, for being too general. The American Cancer Society prefers marginalized to the more "victimizing" underresourced or underserved—but in the National Recreation and Park Association's guide, marginalized now acquires "negative connotations when used in a broad way. However, it may be necessary and appropriate in context. If you do use it, avoid 'the marginalized' and don't use marginalized as an adjective." Historically marginalized is sometimes okay; marginalized people is not.
Increasingly it is being advocated that the language of female reproduction should be desexed, and terms such as "women" and "mothers" avoided in order to be more accommodating of people who identify as transgender. However, it has been identified that avoidance of sexed terms when the sex of the person is relevant risk dehumanisation of women, introduces inaccuracies, and reduces inclusivity by making communications more difficult to understand.
En premier lieu, il convient de proscrire le recours à l'écriture dite « inclusive », qui utilise notamment le point médian pour faire apparaître simultanément les formes féminines et masculines d'un mot employé au masculin lorsque celui-ci est utilisé dans un sens générique.
The use of the word "guardian" started in the San Francisco Bay area with an organization called In Defense of Animals (IDA). The IDA was founded in 1999 by Dr. Elliot Katz, who equated animal ownership with human slavery, declaring that we don't "own" our pets, we simply have "guardianship" of them. Dr. Katz and his compatriots in the movement claim that the word "ownership" implies a slave/slave-master relationship. He opines that slave-masters were, by definition, cruel, so calling oneself an "owner" presumes cruelty.