Beyond the "He/Man" Approach: The Case for Nonsexist Language

Abstract

Time calls it "Ms-guided,"' a syndicated columnist "linguistic lunacy."2 TV Guide wonders what the "women's lib redhots" with "the nutty pronouns" are doing.3 A clear understanding of the sexist language issue continues to elude the popular press. The medium is not alone in its misunderstanding. This discussion separates the strands of argument often tangled in current approaches to the issue, whether these approaches appear in the popular media, academic journals, or feminist publications. The arguments against sexist language have been mistranslated more often than not. Those mistranslations have then been