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Political correctness in speech
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| Nekavaen | Date: Sunday, 24.10.2010, 17:08 | Message # 16 |
 Head teacher
Group: Users
Messages: 340
Status: Offline
| Yes, it's nice indeed! 
And I like the following terms (though they are so stupid and strange that I can't even imagine a Homo Sapiens using them in speech):
"chemically inconvenienced" - under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
"follicularly challenged" or "hair disadvantaged" - bald.
It is not human to be without shame and without desire. (Ursula K. Le Guin)
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| Former-Teacher | Date: Monday, 25.10.2010, 09:40 | Message # 17 |
 Dean
Group: Admins
Messages: 504
Status: Offline
| Ha-ha-ha, people you are my best interlocutors. You've excavated such a huge layer of political-correctness-fossils in our consciousness! Will son start making our own list of such expressions.
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| Ayayulia | Date: Thursday, 28.10.2010, 16:08 | Message # 18 |
 Union organizer
Group: Friends
Messages: 126
Status: Offline
| But I think that sometimes PC-words are essential. They smooth some problems. Speaking about discharge: I can not imagine that you can tell your best friend that he/she was kicked out of his/her job. You are likely to choose more PC-words.
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| Nekavaen | Date: Friday, 29.10.2010, 23:47 | Message # 19 |
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Head teacher
Group: Users
Messages: 340
Status: Offline
| And I think that communication between close friends should be as plain and honest as possible. In this case I would certainly avoid the usage of any "politically correct" terms - they make our speech too formal and ridiculous.
It is not human to be without shame and without desire. (Ursula K. Le Guin)
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| MissJane | Date: Thursday, 04.11.2010, 11:06 | Message # 20 |
 Union organizer
Group: Friends
Messages: 193
Status: Offline
| I think political correctness is something about being not honest to others and, what's more important, to yourself. One of my friends told me about his unlucky experience with the employers (in fact, I also use a politically correct expression). We are not close friends, but he was not ashamed to tell me "he was fired" though indeed there was a staff reduction. Just "fired" - neither they let him go, nor they shed their employees. To name things as they are called means to face reality bravely.
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| Nekavaen | Date: Friday, 05.11.2010, 23:22 | Message # 21 |
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Head teacher
Group: Users
Messages: 340
Status: Offline
| By the way, there is one more PC expression connected with the termination of the employment contract. Employers now tend to call the fired "involuntarily leisured"... It sounds like a mockery, really.
It is not human to be without shame and without desire. (Ursula K. Le Guin)
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| MissJane | Date: Sunday, 07.11.2010, 11:11 | Message # 22 |
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Union organizer
Group: Friends
Messages: 193
Status: Offline
| To my mind, in some cases political correctness testifies people's ability to take each word in evil part. E.g. it is widely accepted to use "guys" to refer to a group of men, to a mixed group of men and women, or even (though less frequently) to a group of girls or women. But the fair sex is at times indignant at such form of address. "We are not guys!", they say. But, excuse me, how can we find a solution to this problem which could suit everyone? Should we use "gals and guys"? Probably not, because "gals" have several meanings in slang that are clearly not to the liking of ladies.
By the way, when I'm writing this, I can't even choose what word to use... "Women"? "Girls"? ("I'm not a woman. I'm only 19!" someone may say; or "How could you call me a girl? I'm 20 already!") Or "ladies"? ("Do you hint that I am a kid-glove?") All this reduces to an absurdity, in fact... 
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| Nekavaen | Date: Wednesday, 10.11.2010, 00:54 | Message # 23 |
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Head teacher
Group: Users
Messages: 340
Status: Offline
| Yes, it's a serious problem...My previous English teacher always called our group "guys" and we, 10 girls, were a bit confused to hear this form of adressing for the first time. But then she explained that all young people can be called "guys", no matter what sex they belong to. We decided not to argue with the teacher. 
As for me, I don't care about how other people call me. "A girl" - OK, because I'm still young, I'm a girl. "A woman" - OK, because it's obvious that morphologically I'm not a man. "A lady" - OK, a bit of stand-offish manner but this word is not offensive at all, on the contrary, it accentuates womanhood and charm of a female.
I pay attention only to attitude towards me. If a person is friendly and funny he or she can call me anyway. P.S. When I become a teacher I will enter the classroom with a smiling face everyday and exclaim: "Hello, my friends!"
Do you think it will be OK to call students so?
It is not human to be without shame and without desire. (Ursula K. Le Guin)
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| MissJane | Date: Wednesday, 10.11.2010, 14:12 | Message # 24 |
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Union organizer
Group: Friends
Messages: 193
Status: Offline
| It is almost splendid to call pupils/students "My friends" only if a teacher indeed expresses emotional warmth towards their learners. I had a teacher at school who I'm sure hated children at the bottom of her heart, but always called us "my dear little friends". So you are right, Nekavaen, the most important thing is the attitude of the person and not his/her words.
By the way, I think it is quite Ok to call students at university "colleagues".
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| Nekavaen | Date: Thursday, 11.11.2010, 01:29 | Message # 25 |
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Head teacher
Group: Users
Messages: 340
Status: Offline
| Yes, it's a good variant too. When teachers call me "a collegue", I feel proud of it!
I think this word shows that a teacher respects his or her students and understands that they have entered the university not just for fun and are ready to work hard in order to become skillful professionals.
It is not human to be without shame and without desire. (Ursula K. Le Guin)
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| Former-Teacher | Date: Thursday, 18.11.2010, 13:43 | Message # 26 |
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Dean
Group: Admins
Messages: 504
Status: Offline
| Sometimes, our speaking choices include de-euphemisation, i.e. using a direct word of another register to name a thing or fact that is negative. For example, instead of saying 'I was fired", I can say I was really repressed. I often use this phrase when I talk about my career experience. This word reflects it better.
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| MissJane | Date: Wednesday, 08.06.2011, 23:53 | Message # 27 |
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Union organizer
Group: Friends
Messages: 193
Status: Offline
| Look at the following:
Students are often more visually oriented at lectures and when they are late, they tend to be ethically disoriented in their excuses. This often results in them being differently qualified specialists but they will never admit they have been just motivationally deficient in their studies.
I've just written this to show how misleading politically correct expressions may seem. It sounds like an extract from a course paper. Here is the clue:
Deaf - visually oriented
Dishonest - ethically disoriented
Incompetent - differently qualified
Lazy - motivationally deficient
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| Former-Teacher | Date: Friday, 17.06.2011, 21:29 | Message # 28 |
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Dean
Group: Admins
Messages: 504
Status: Offline
| I can't help laughing at yout explanations, my mind churining with curiosity and wild energy to agree and adhere You seem to be so happily competent about political correctness and prove that political correctness is a really new way of thought and approach to whatever might happen in this unpridictable reality! Langauage is a perfect coat for thought and vision! Are we really changing us or the world!?
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| strawberry | Date: Monday, 17.09.2012, 10:44 | Message # 29 |
 Monitor
Group: Users
Messages: 21
Status: Offline
| As we know,Political correctness is a term used to describe language, or behavior, which is claimed to be calculated to provide a minimum of offense, particularly to the racial, cultural, or other identity groups being described. The concept is not exclusive to the English language. A text that conforms to the ideals of political correctness is said to be politically correct.
Some other eamples:
An example of political correctness is the changing terminology used to described handicapped people. In the past the term "crippled" was perfectly acceptable and not considered offensive. At some point, Americans like Senate Republican leader Bob Dole decided "crippled" was degrading and the preferred term changed to "handicapped." This, too, was eventually deemed offensive and "disabled" became the preferred term. Today, even "disabled" is considered degrading to some and "differently abled" and "physically challenged" are used by those people. The same can be said for the changing uses of terms for Black Americans: "Negro" and "colored," once perfectly acceptable terms, became offensive during the 1970s and "Afro-American" and "Black" came into use, which in turn gave way to "African-American," and in broader usage, "people of color." One perceived problem with "Negro" is that many persons, especially Southerners, seemed to have trouble pronouncing it, enunciating it as "nigra."
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| Valerka | Date: Sunday, 31.05.2015, 21:28 | Message # 30 |
 Union committee president
Group: Reliable
Messages: 239
Status: Offline
| It is a known fact that the phenomenon of political correctness was born over 20 years ago, due to the dissatisfaction of Africans over the racism of the English language. This notion presupposes some elimination of such linguistic units from language which hurt people's feelings and dignity. And one of the ways of filtering our speech is the usage of euphemisms that sound neutral or even positive. I believe that the political correctness is designed to protect the oppressed sections of society. Moreover, it can be used as an excuse to unleash conflicts because modern government policy aimed at improving the social life. Thus, this phenomenon is invented to establish sone norms of the manner of speaking that probably will be followed.
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