English Vocabulary in Use: Advanced Book with Answers and Enhanced eBook Vocabulary Reference and Practice 3rd Edition

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English Vocabulary in Use Advanced
Language and gender
99
Gender awareness and vocabulary
In professional contexts and elsewhere, we often take care to use gender-neutral language in English. 
David Crystal, in 
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language
, writes:
Attention has been focused on the replacement of ‘male’ words with a generic meaning by 
neutral items – 
chairman
, for example, becoming 
chair
or 
chairperson
(though not without 
controversy) or 
salesman
becoming 
sales assistant
. In certain cases, such as job descriptions, 
the use of sexually neutral language has become a legal requirement. There is continuing 
debate between extremists and moderates as to how far such revisions should go – whether 
they should affect traditional idioms such as 
man in the street
1
and 
Neanderthal Man
2
, or 
apply to parts of words where the male meaning of man is no longer dominant, such as 
manhandle
3
and 
woman
. The vocabulary of marital status has also been affected, notably in the 
introduction of 
Ms
as a neutral alternative to 
Miss
or 
Mrs
.
1 
a typical person (could be replaced by 
person in the street
)
2 
a now-extinct species that were the ancestors of 
present-day humans
3 
handle roughly, using force
Here are some examples of gender-neutral variations of vocabulary.
older usage
current usage
spokesman
spokesperson
fireman, policeman