Political Correctness Flashcards
What did Miller, Casey and Swift discover?
Words that children hear such as “fireman” and “postman” affect their perceptions of the gender-appropriateness of these careers. They will grow up thinking only a “man” would be able to do these jobs
What did Mills discover?
When applying for jobs, men and women applied in more equal proportions when gender-neutral terms were used.
What are the two main concepts involved in this topic?
Linguistic determinism
Linguistic reflectionism
What does linguistic determinism suggest?
Language CONTROLS the way we think
What does linguistic reflectionism suggest?
Language REFLECTS the way we think
Which of the two main terms is P.C born out of and why?
Linguistic determinism. As “if we change the words we can change how people think about them”.
Explanation of linguistic determinism
The language we learn to use teaches us to perceive the world in certain ways. If there is a negative word for something we will see this in a negative way.
Explanation of linguistic reflectionism
Beliefs, attitudes and values of a society are expressed in (but not influenced by) the language that people within the society use.
It doesn’t matter how you change language, people will always think of these things in these ways. “it doesn’t make any difference”
What do most linguistics believe in when it comes to the two key concepts?
They see language as being interdependent, both extremes influence each other and linguistics favour a position in between the two.
What is linguistic engineering?
A deliberate and very conscious way of altering the language that people use.
