Inclusive language explained

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 aim is bias-free communication, that attempts to be equally inclusive of people of all ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, religious affiliations, abilities, and ages by communicating in a way that makes no assumptions about the receiver of such communication.[1] [2] [3] [4]

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.[5] 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.[6] 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).[7]

Bias

An important part of communicating in a bias-free manner is by making sure to engaging in meaningful conversations using bias-free language. The writer's word choice is vital in terms of effectively communicating in ways that do not offend the receiver. According to Locker, "Bias-free language is language that is sensitive to people's sex, race, age, physical condition and many other categories. Bias-free language does not discriminate and therefore includes all readers in a fair and friendly manner."[8]

Bias exists everywhere, even if it is not always acknowledged. If a verbal or written communication includes any of the following, it may be biased:

  1. Unsupported claims.
  2. Extreme or inappropriate language.
  3. For written text, there may be no clear author.
  4. Spoken communication may have a speaker with a poor reputation.[9]

These sources should be questioned for their bias because it could impact their validity in their points. Therefore, avoiding bias in all communication will ensure that the point is crystal clear and the speaker is trusted.

Scope

France

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."[10] [11]

Argentina

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.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14]

Uruguay

In December 2021, Uruguay's public education agency issued a memo to limit use of inclusive language.[15]

United States

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.[16]

Several tech companies promotes or provide inclusive language guides: Google,[17] [18] Apple,[19] Microsoft,[20] IBM,[21] Cisco Talos,[22] SAP.[23]

Examples

English

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 changeLanguage or expression to be avoided, according to proponentsReplacement language proposed by proponents
To avoid implied sexism or heteronormativity with Gender-neutral language
  • Steward/stewardess
  • Board of aldermen
  • Use of you guys to refer to a group that includes women
  • Manhole
  • Manpower
  • Manned
  • Assuming "he" or "she" based on occupation or spouse's gender
  • Flight attendant
  • City council
  • Gender-neutral marked plural, such as you all
  • Maintenance hole, utility hole, access point, service chamber
  • Staffing
  • Crewed, staffed
  • Singular "they", or "he or she"
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
  • Girl (for an adult)
  • Miss or Mrs.
  • Housewife
  • Young woman
  • Ms. or dropping honorifics entirely
  • homemaker
To avoid terminology that is disempowering, has negative connotations, or is subject to a euphemism treadmill with regard to
  • Race
  • Caste
  • Disability
  • Immigration status
  • Housing status
  • Health status
  • "Black" or "African-American", Asian or East Asian or more specifically e.g. Korean, in general "person of color"
  • Dalit
  • Disabled or differently abled, intellectual disability
  • Undocumented immigrant, migrant, residents
  • Homeless, unhoused
  • Health care consumer, client, resident (for nursing homes)
  • Primary/secondary, host/client
  • Block list, deny list, trust list, approved list, allow list[25] [26]
Avoid negative stereotypes of ethnic groups
  • To jew
  • To Welsh
  • To gyp (referring to gypsy or Romani people)
  • A paddy wagon (possibly derived from an Irish ethnic slur)
  • To bargain down
  • To renege
  • To cheat or rip off
  • A police van
Avoiding racism, colonialism, and religious intolerance, whether overtly or by historical association
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
  • "He is a gay"
  • "The demented"
  • "He is a gay person"
  • "People with dementia"[27]
To avoiding implied racism or colonialism by using indigenous names instead of names used by colonizersIndian, Bombay, primitive culturesNative 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)
  • Wishing strangers (whose religion is unknown) "Merry Christmas"
  • School break called "Christmas Vacation"
  • Numbering years with BC/AD meaning "before Christ" and "the year of the Lord" (Latin: anno Domini)
  • "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings"
  • Schools scheduling "Winter Vacation"
  • Numbering years with BCE/CE meaning "before common era" and "common era"
To avoid implied transphobia and binary genderismUsing "he" or "she" based on appearance or nameAsking 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-shamingProstituteSex worker
Avoid associations with slaveryMaster/slave (technology)Primary/secondary, leader/follower
Avoid association between ownership of animals and ownership of people (slavery)[28] and in general anthropocentrismPet ownerPet guardian, pet parent[29]
Avoid stigma promoting discrimination against people with HIV/AIDSCleanHIV negative
Avoiding stigma with autism, and seeing various neurological conditions not as diseases to be cured, but differences to be embraced
  • Terms referring to people with autism
  • "healthy" or "normal"
  • 'person who experiences autism' (by proponents of people-first language) or 'autistic' (by proponents of identify-first language)
  • "neurotypical" or "allistic" to refer to people who are not autistic[30]
Comments about personal appearance might be interpreted as lookism or sexual harassment, depending on the context.

Impact

Inclusion and divisiveness

Political correctness and inclusive language both focus on attempting to use neutral terms and expressions to influence psychological and social forces[31] 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.[32] Thus inclusive language has become part of "culture wars".[33]

Other concerns

Journalist George Packer makes a number of criticisms of inclusive language as used in the U.S.

Replacing vivid language with jargon, while failing to deliver on its goal of creating empathy
  • Packer compares a passage from Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo with the same text rewritten in inclusive language, and asks if equity language does "what it claims to do" -- i.e. create more empathy for Sita and her struggles than Boo does in her language use.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."
    Banning not only offensive language, but more and more harmless words and expressions.
  • Using the Sierra Club equity guidelines, Packer notes that it is not just terms like "welfare queen", or expressions like "Jew them down" that are banished, but a very large number of descriptive terms: "urban", "vibrant", "hardworking", "brown bag" (subtly racist) "the poor" (classist), "battle" and "minefield" (disrespectful of veterans), "field" or "fieldwork" (could be associated with slavery), "migrant" (no reason given). Others include "prisoner" (replaced by "a person experiencing the criminal-justice system"), "gentrification", "legal resident", "food stamps", "gun control", "congresswoman", and "expat".
    Imprecise
  • Replacing "felon" with "justice-involved person" (the San Francisco Board of Supervisors); "fieldwork" with "practicum" (the Southern California's School of Social Work). Imprecise, unclear language has the advantage of being "less likely to offend", whereas "vivid imagery, strong statements" -- what makes up good writing -- "convey painful truths".
    Elitist
  • The language guides defend their edicts of inclusive language by arguing language is always changing, "evolving". But inclusive language has not "emerged organically from the shifting linguistic habits of large numbers of people" or even public debate. Its changes "are handed down in communiqués written by obscure 'experts' who purport to speak for vaguely defined 'communities'". And not only do the changes come without any transparent discussion, they come "with a suddenness and frequency that keep the novitiate off-balance".
    An American-led project, and serves as a substitute for actual "material forms of progress" to help those it purports to help.
  • By toning down (or attempting to tone down) harsh language, inclusive language may make it easier to avoid facing "squarely the wrongs they want to right, which is the starting point for any change".

    From a jumping-off point of a The Lancet quote specifying "bodies with vaginas have been neglected" rather than "cisgender women," a NLM study claims that rather than mere elaboration to specify a subset of women in order to be more accommodating of people who identify as transgender, this is "desexing language when describing female reproduction" and represents the broader "avoidance of sexed terms" such as "mothers." Hence, engaging in language alteration when the sex of the person is relevant risks "decreasing overall inclusivity; dehumanizing; including people who should be excluded; being imprecise, inaccurate or misleading; and disembodying and undermining breastfeeding."[35]

    See also

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Messner . Lindsey . Why and How to Communicate with Bias-Free, Inclusive Language . Harris and Associates . Harris and Associates Inc. . 10 July 2022.
    2. Web site: Bias-Free Communication: Guidelines for Communicating in a Diverse Community . Michigan State University . October 19, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151026132824/http://www.inclusion.msu.edu/Education/BiasFreeCommunication.html . October 26, 2015 . dead .
    3. Web site: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition American Psychological Association . October 19, 2015 . March 5, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130305222323/http://www.apastyle.org/manual/index.aspx . dead .
    4. Web site: APA Style . . Washington, DC . October 19, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130327002726/http://www.apastyle.org/ . March 27, 2013 . dead .
    5. Web site: Inclusive Language Guide: Definition & Examples . 2021-01-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201123163016/https://online.rider.edu/online-bachelors-degrees/liberal-studies/guide-to-using-inclusive-language/ . 23 November 2020 . Rider University . en-US.
    6. The Limits Of Political Correctness (panel discussion) . 17 February 2015 . 30 May 2022 . Think . . Krys . Boyd . en-US.
    7. Packer . George . The Moral Case Against Equity Language . 25 April 2023 . The Atlantic . 2 March 2023.
    8. Web site: Bias-free Language. Fred Meijer Center for Writing and Michigan Authors. 12 June 2019 .
    9. Web site: What is Bias? Identifying Bias-- Research Guides at University of Wisconsin- Green Bay . UW- Green Bay Libraries . University of Wisconsin Green Bay . 10 July 2022.
    10. Web site: Jean-Michel . Blanquer . Règles de féminisation dans les actes administratifs du ministère de l'Éducation nationale, de la Jeunesse et des Sports et les pratiques d'enseignement . 5 May 202 . 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. . Ministère de l'Education Nationale et de la Jeunesse . fr.
    11. News: Impelli . Matthew . France Bans Gender-Neutral Language in Schools, Citing 'Harm' to Learning . 25 April 2023 . Newsweek . 10 May 2021.
    12. News: Lankes . Ana . In Argentina, One of the World's First Bans on Gender-Neutral Language . 25 April 2023 . The New York Times . 20 July 2022.
    13. Web site: En un acto escolar, Axel Kicillof llamó a los chicos a rebelarse: "Desde España no nos van a explicar las palabras que usamos". In a school event Axel Kicillof called kids to rebellion: "Spain will not explain us the words we use". Spanish. June 22, 2022. La Nación. July 4, 2023.
    14. Web site: La RAE le respondió a Axel Kicillof tras sus dichos sobre el lenguaje inclusivo en un acto escolar. The RAE answered to Axel Kicillof after his sayings in a school event. Spanish. June 23, 2023. La Nación. July 4, 2023.
    15. , citing Web site: Administración Nacional de Educación Pública . Referente: Criterios sobre el uso del lenguaje inclusivo en la Administración Nacional de Educación Pública . Circular No. 4/2022 . 2021-12-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220720151853/https://www.ces.edu.uy/files/+DGES/Educacion%20sexual/Circular_4-2022_Criterios_para_el_uso_del_lenguaje_inclusivo_en_ANEP.pdf . 2022-07-20.
    16. , citing Web site: Hanna . Thomas . Anna . Hirsch . A Progressive's Style Guide . SumOfUs.org and ActivistEditor.com. and Web site: Racial Equity Tools Glossary . Racial Equity Tools.
    17. Web site: Write inclusive documentation - Google developer documentation style guide . 2023-07-13 . Google for Developers . en.
    18. Web site: Word list - Google developer documentation style guide . 2023-07-13 . Google for Developers . en.
    19. Web site: October 2022 . Apple Style Guide . https://web.archive.org/web/20230604070818/https://help.apple.com/pdf/applestyleguide/en_US/apple-style-guide.pdf . 2023-06-04 . 2023-07-13 . Apple.
    20. Web site: pallep . 2022-06-24 . blacklist - Microsoft Style Guide . 2023-07-13 . learn.microsoft.com . en-us.
    21. Web site: 2020-08-19 . Words Matter: Driving Thoughtful Change Toward Inclusive Language in Technology . 2023-07-13 . THINK Blog . en-US.
    22. Web site: 2020-06-23 . Cisco Talos replacing all mentions of 'blacklist,' 'whitelist' . 2023-07-13 . Cisco Talos Blog . en.
    23. Web site: Inclusive Language at SAP . 2023-07-13 . SAP Help Portal.
    24. News: Seattle officials call for ban on 'potentially offensive' language . 31 May 2022 . Fox News . 25 March 2015.
    25. Web site: Terminology: it's not black and white . 2023-07-14 . www.ncsc.gov.uk . en.
    26. Houghton . Frank . Houghton . Sharon . 2018-10-04 . "Blacklists" and "whitelists": a salutary warning concerning the prevalence of racist language in discussions of predatory publishing . Journal of the Medical Library Association . en . 106 . 4 . 527–530 . 10.5195/jmla.2018.490 . 1558-9439 . 6148600 . 30271301.
    27. Web site: Lee . Chelsea . The Use of Singular "They" in APA Style . APA Style 6th Edition Blog . . 30 May 2022 . en-US . 16 November 2015.
    28. http://www.alldogsgym.com/miscellaneous/articles/miscellaneous/chronicle-of-the-dog Opinion - Dog "Owner" vs "Guardian" - Words Matter
    29. News: Kurlander . Steven . A Pet Peeve Against 'Pet Parenting' -- Time to Push Back Against Equating Animals With Children . 31 May 2022 . HuffPost . 24 March 2015 . en.
    30. Web site: Allistic . Cambridge Dictionary . Cambridge University Press.
    31. Book: Schwartz, Howard S. . Society against itself : political correctness and organizational self-destruction . 2010 . Karnac Books . 978-1-84940-782-3 . London . 743101733.
    32. Sczesny . Sabine . Moser . Franziska . Wood . Wendy . 2015 . Beyond Sexist Beliefs: How Do People Decide to Use Gender-Inclusive Language? . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin . en . 41 . 7 . 943–954 . 10.1177/0146167215585727 . 26015331 . 7492192 . 0146-1672.
    33. Book: Lea, John . Political Correctness and Higher Education: British and American Perspectives . 2010-05-26 . Routledge . 978-0-203-88862-9 . 0 . en . 10.4324/9780203888629.
    34. Book: Boo . Katherine . Behind the Beautiful Forevers . 2012 . Random House Publishing Group . xvi . 978-0-679-64395-1 . 25 April 2023.
    35. Gribble . K . et. al. . Effective communication about pregnancy, birth, lactation, breastfeeding and newborn care: the importance of sexed language . Frontiers in Global Women's Health . 2023 . 3 . 10.3389/fgwh.2022.818856 . 35224545 . 8864964 . free .

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