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Politically Correct Language and Bias-Language

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Politically Correct Language and Bias-Language
De FIGUEIREDO
Alexandra
11th Grade
English

Politically Correct Language and Bias-Language

Language is the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. It has been proved that some types of language can harm people. Bias-Language occurs with gender but can also offend groups of people based on sexual orientation ethnicity, political interest, or race. To remedy the harm, politically correct language was started. It's supporting or relating to broad social, political and educational change; it's also, especially, to redress historical injustices in matters such as race, class, gender and sexual orientation.Politically Correct Language is not the solution to prevent the stereotypes that bias-language creates which can cause harm.

I. In Maggio's essay "Bias-Free Language: Some Guidelines", she introduces us the impact of Bias-Language and Stereotypes on our society and how it can harm people more than actions. Along her essay, she claims that Naming is the most important thing in Language, "Language both reflects and shapes society" (page 471). If words are more harmful than actions, then why not using another type of language in order not to put Asians, African Americans or Women in a category because they are less powerful or/and different form what is stated as being "normal"(quote of the High Schooler). She demonstrates us how Politically Correct Language could be the solution of this unfairness. Maggio says that when refering to a group of mixed gender or a person of unknown gender, we must not use words and phrases that imply masculinity (he, sir, ect...). Later she goes to suggest the general removal of the letter combinations m-a-n and m-e-n from many everyday words. Under this policy, we would also have to change many other words on the grounds that they might offend. We would have to change many things to actually stop saying things that could harm people or

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