28-May-2012, 07:10 PM
Background:
Appropriate vocabulary can be a useful aid in accelerating attitudinal shifts in secular humanism advocacy. In earlier discussions, we have seen how measures towards more inclusive language are more than symbolic and in the also how there's lots in a name and how renaming can be made a tool of protest.
Bad language is easier to recognize than appropriate language, and efforts to promote the right words must complement efforts to retire the undesirable ones. Coming up with humanistic and inclusive coinages demands a good deal of imagination and sensitivity, and memeing the ones already available too comes with it own set of challenges like tokenism allegations. In this thread, we can compile a lexicon of humanist vocabulary as it were, both in English and a number of Indian languages.
For starters, here are snippets from earlier exchanges.
Beyond Sexism:
_____________________________________________________________________________
(From Nirmukta Humanists)
S_C wrote:
K_K wrote:
A_I wrote:
S_C wrote:
A_I wrote:
S_C wrote:
Beyond Ableism:
Tamil users seem to have taken a nationwide lead when it comes to inclusive language (though I am eager to be pleasantly surprised by efforts elsewhere that surpass Tamil Nadu's ). The Tamil media, first in progressive circles and now increasingly also in the mainstream, uses the term மாற்று-திறனாளர் ('maatru thiranaaLar', almost literally, 'differently abled') avoiding any disparaging connotations. I have noticed especially that Tamil linguists have devoted a good deal of attention to issues of inclusive language over the years.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Action Items:
Please add to this thread with references on how some terms currently in use were coined and memed, instances of the use of such terms and how they were received by marginalized groups, and what terms we wish were available but aren't yet there.
One deliverable can be a table of words a humanist would use (eg. 'differently enabled'), with columns for several Indian languages (like the ingredient lists in some recipe books)
Appropriate vocabulary can be a useful aid in accelerating attitudinal shifts in secular humanism advocacy. In earlier discussions, we have seen how measures towards more inclusive language are more than symbolic and in the also how there's lots in a name and how renaming can be made a tool of protest.
Bad language is easier to recognize than appropriate language, and efforts to promote the right words must complement efforts to retire the undesirable ones. Coming up with humanistic and inclusive coinages demands a good deal of imagination and sensitivity, and memeing the ones already available too comes with it own set of challenges like tokenism allegations. In this thread, we can compile a lexicon of humanist vocabulary as it were, both in English and a number of Indian languages.
For starters, here are snippets from earlier exchanges.
Beyond Sexism:
_____________________________________________________________________________
(From Nirmukta Humanists)
S_C wrote:
Quote:Marathi doesn't have any word for the term 'Gender'. I guess it is the same for other Indian languages.
K_K wrote:
Quote:Isn't ling supposed to stand for gender... As in, in grammar stri-lingi, pul-lingi, napusaka-lingi stand for feminine, masculine and neutral gender respectively
A_I wrote:
Quote:In English, the terms 'sex' and 'gender' are clearly distinguished.
http://www.who.int/gender/whatisgender/en/
It might help to clearly make such a distinction in other Indian languages as well.
Creating more inclusive and respectful language is a worthwhile lexical exercise. A recent example is the inclusion of the word 'திருநங்கை'/'Thirunangai' (transwoman) into the Tamil lexicon in an effort to end linguistic marginalization of intersex individuals.
http://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/திருநங்கை
S_C wrote:
Quote:Ling means Sex...its a biological term, Gender is Socially Constructed...लिंग ही एक जैवशास्त्रीय संकल्पना आहे. Gender म्हणजे पुरूषत्व, स्त्रीत्व, एखाद्या पुरूषाच्या वागण्याला बाईल्या म्हणणं इ. वागण्याच्या पद्धती...ज्या समाजाने बनवलेल्या असतात.
Friday at 11:44pm · Like · 1
Swati Vaidya You are right probably there isn't one word for Gender in Marathi. For now I can suggest लिंग-सामाजिकता or लिंगानुरूप सामाजिकता.
But still not at all close to all the things that gender conveys.
May be it is necessary to make this concept properly explained and make मराठी वाचक comfortable with this concept.
Yesterday at 12:11am · Unlike · 3
Satyajeet A. Bachhav बरोबर आहे तुमचे म्हणणे . पुढे जाऊन अशेही म्हणता याला पर्यायी एखादा नवीन क्लिष्ट शब्द निर्माण करण्या ऐवजी ''जेन्डर'' हाच शब्द मराठीत उच्चारावा किंवा वापरावा .त्यामुळे काही आपली मराठीभाषा लहान होत नाही,किंबहुना भाषेचा विकासाच होईल (मात्र समर्पक प्रतिशब्द नसल्या वेळीच हे तत्व अवलंबावे का ??) फेसबुकवरच्या मराठी भाषेच्या अभ्यासकांनी याबाबत आपल्या सर्वांना मार्गदर्शन करावे !!!
A_I wrote:
Quote:I think besides 'sex' and 'gender' there needs to be standard term for 'sexual orientation' as well in all Indian languages.
I guess the Hindi term currently in use for 'sexual orientation' is 'लैंगिकता' with 'समलैंगिकता' and 'परलैंगिकता' respectively meaning homosexuality and heterosexuality respectively.
S_C wrote:
Quote:लैंगिकता, समलैंगिकता, परलैंगिकता are also used in Marathi_____________________________________________________________________________
Beyond Ableism:
Tamil users seem to have taken a nationwide lead when it comes to inclusive language (though I am eager to be pleasantly surprised by efforts elsewhere that surpass Tamil Nadu's ). The Tamil media, first in progressive circles and now increasingly also in the mainstream, uses the term மாற்று-திறனாளர் ('maatru thiranaaLar', almost literally, 'differently abled') avoiding any disparaging connotations. I have noticed especially that Tamil linguists have devoted a good deal of attention to issues of inclusive language over the years.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Action Items:
Please add to this thread with references on how some terms currently in use were coined and memed, instances of the use of such terms and how they were received by marginalized groups, and what terms we wish were available but aren't yet there.
One deliverable can be a table of words a humanist would use (eg. 'differently enabled'), with columns for several Indian languages (like the ingredient lists in some recipe books)