The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing: For writers, editors and speakers

by Kate Swift, Kate Swift

Man, he brotherhood, founding fathers. It is argued that such words are and always have been used by educated people to encompass all humanitymen and women. Psychological and historical research in the past few years has produced evidence to the for most people false generics seldom if ever convey a female image, nor are they ancient unchangeable rules of the English grammar that have always been used by the educated.Using hundreds of examples, mostly from published sources, the authors illustrate what certain words are saying to us on a subliminal level. Solutions are supplied that range from word substitutions to suggestions for rewriting. Without a trace of self-conscious righteousness, and with refreshing humor, Miller and Swift provide surprising insights into the English language and the ways in which people use it and are used by it. They demonstrate that to be in command of the language, we must find clear, convincing, and graceful ways to convey our ideas accurately. We must recognize and replace exclusive, distorting, ambiguous, and injurious words.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Writing, Language, Reference, Gender, Business

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering this second edition was written in the late 80s, I did not expect it to be as relevant as it was. Whether that's praise for the book or condemnation at how little society has progressed in 30-odd years is up in the air, but this is a fantastic resource that makes a lot of great points, many of which I hadn't considered before. It went way deeper in to the history of English as an androcentric language than I was expecting, and it doesn't read at all like a dictionary. I'd be interested to see how a new edition would differ, because it makes a few recommendations in terms that would now be considered dated. Even so, I can think of a few people who would benefit from being beaten over the head with this book.

[kylajaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the perfect marriage of my majors, English and Women's Studies. I never realized all the ways that our language can be sexist. It is not only the way we construct sentences but the terms we use for women that make them "other." I subscribe to a lot of magazines, and even those magazines by and for women are often sexist when writing about the female cover star. In a recent issue of Allure, for example, it was proclaimed that Victoria Beckham "almost" made you forget about her "hot husband." Even though she is one of the few celebrities to take her husband's name, I cannot imagine she was particularly thrilled with that heading. Nor should she be. English is a wonderful language with so many uses, and it's time to start embracing the linguistic possibilities for women.

[J A (One of the many Jennifers) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My battered copy from the late 80's remains. Gender inclusive language is more important than ever before. They were the first to creatively approach the problem in specific workable ways. It earns its place on the shelf.

[Sarabjot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious book. It's a must read.

Chapter 4, "Seeing Women and Girls as People." A+++

If anything in this book is a surprise to you, you're beyond help.