Sexist usage, the editors contend, is deeply entrenched in our language. In the new RHWCD, it is carefully chronicled amid the strings of secondary meanings. The editors claim the dictionary is descriptive, not prescriptive, but dozens of usage notes identify certain terms as offensive or “commonly disliked.” Among them: “girl” (referring to a female adult), “lady doctor,” “honey” (to address strangers or subordinates) and “the fair sex.”
Gender bias in language isn’t always so clear-cut. For example, says Steinmetz, in most dictionaries the definition of the word “sex” includes the phrase “male and female.” The two words are etymologically unrelated - so the RHWCD says “female and male,” in alphabetical order. The dictionary also offers, as one definition of “working,” this entry: “Employed outside the home while fulfilling major domestic responsibilities: working wives and mothers.”
In an appendix called “Avoiding Sexist Language,” the editors describe ways to circumvent using “he” when a person’s gender is unknown or irrelevant (the best solution: recast the sentence). They also offer thoughtful alternatives to “manmade,” “forefather” and “housewife.” The terms “waitperson,” and “waitron,” however, they report, have not yet replaced the traditional designations for those folks who take so long to bring you the womenu.
