4.1080 Words: Degendering Ombudsman (3/52)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Sun, 24 Feb 91 21:32:35 EST

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 1080. Sunday, 24 Feb 1991.


(1) Date: Thu, 21 Feb 91 09:44:38 EST (17 lines)
From: Henry Rogers <ROGERS@vm.epas.utoronto.ca>
Subject: Ombudsman

(2) Date: Thu, 21 Feb 91 14:06 CST (13 lines)
From: Enid <ECOCKE@KSUVM>
Subject: Re: 4.1060 Words: Ombudsman

(3) Date: Thu, 21 Feb 91 17:40:52 EST (22 lines)
From: Lesli LaRocco <OZVY@CORNELLA>
Subject: Degendering Ombudsman

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 91 09:44:38 EST
From: Henry Rogers <ROGERS@vm.epas.utoronto.ca>
Subject: Ombudsman

A few years ago, I was on a committee here at the University of Toronto
to review the Office of the Ombudsman. The question of the name came up.
I suggested 'Procurator Public' modelled on the Scottish Procurator
Fiscal; oddly enough, this suggestion found little support. Eventually,
Ombudsperson was adopted.

I have seen a sign 'Office of the Public Advocate' referring, I believe,
to the Provincial Ombudsman. I doubt that 'University Advocate' would
carry exactly the right meaning.

Henry Rogers
Department of Linguistics
University of Toronto
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------17----
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 91 14:06 CST
From: Enid <ECOCKE@KSUVM>
Subject: Re: 4.1060 Words: Ombudsman (5/65)

Thanks for sharing the conversation of ombudsperson. I weary of those
who claim that linguists say that man and -man are gender neutral.
Baloney. I am not a man and don't identify with terms like mailman,
mankind, and spokesman. It continues the notion than males are the real
human beings and females are some deviant form of the species. I don't
think it mangles the language to make it inclusive. Interesting to
think that ombud is a Scandinavian word. To semi-Danish ears "om" means
"about" and "bud" means "message." So I see the need for the final
suffix.
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------23----
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 91 17:40:52 EST
From: Lesli LaRocco <OZVY@CORNELLA>
Subject: Degendering Ombudsman

I am writing in reply not only to James Woolley's request for a
gender-free replacement of the word "ombudsman," but also in reply to
those people who gave us "chair," "chairperson," "spokesperson" (but,
interestingly enough, not "spokes" ), "mailperson," "policeperson,"
"fireperson," etc.

Enough already.

I am frankly (or rather, "francis-ly") tired of changing my vocabulary
in order to accomodate an increasingly sensitive group of people. An
"ombudsman" is no more a "male ombud" to me than a "chairman" is a "male
chair." I have chosen to change not my vocabulary, but my thinking:
such labels may refer to a person of either sex.

As any linguist knows, the meaning of any given word may change over
time. Given enough women (not womyn!) in these occupations, the words
used to designate them will no longer imply "male."
Lesli LaRocco (OZVY@CORNELLA)