In the modern-day, language can be termed as either politically correct or politically incorrect. Still, I think that, in the real sense, language is continually evolving, and its use extends beyond the political domain. Nothing illustrates the evolution of language than the present-day use of gender-neutral terms like ‘man.’ Traditionally, the words ‘man’ and ‘he’ were accepted as gender-neutral terms, but the wake of feminism has revealed that these words are not really gender-neutral. In this respect, it is crucial to be cautious about the words we use.
Furthermore, the philosophy of language has unraveled that language can either serve to promote or alleviate racial discrimination. A typical case in point is the use of the phrases ‘people of color’ vs. ‘colored people.’ On one hand, the phrase ‘people of color’ collectively refer to all non-white individuals, but it eliminates divisions based on racial lines. Conversely, the phrase ‘colored people’ denotes non-white people, but it emphasizes skin color as the unique identifier, thereby promoting institutional racism.
Finally, considering that society has evolved significantly, it is crucial to use language that reflects the contemporary needs of society. Arguably, the language used in traditional society used to promote the invisibility of women. It is hard to argue with the psycholinguistic evidence that traditional society championed males and disfavored females, and, by extension, the language used was crafted to serve this purpose.
I also used to reject the idea that language promotes the invisibility of women until I attended a lecture, and the speaker substituted the maleness in language with femaleness and claimed that it was gender-neutral. For instance, instead of saying ‘chairmen’ of the board of the university, the speaker would say ‘chairladies’ of the board of the university, but the board was comprised of both men and women. Everybody understood when the term chairmen was used, but everyone seemed bothered when the word ‘chairladies’ was used in the same context. The confusion was proof enough that language has always been promoting the invisibility of women.
