I'm puzzled by a particular idiosyncrasy of modern speech. In recent years, particularly after Nancy Pelosi ascended to the top of the org chart in the U.S. House, a noun that has always performed admirably as a subject has apparently been placed into the pool of available adjectives, and with growing regularity, we hear a phrase such as:
"The first woman Speaker of the House in United States history."
I admit, I do not stay current with the latest usage guide updates, but wouldn't "female" be the more appropriate designation of her gender in that sentence? After all, you would never say:
"the first man Speaker of the House in United States history."
This linguistic anomaly is fast approaching common usage---I heard an interview yesterday with "the first woman Senate majority leader" in reference to Oregon Senator Kate Brown. The media seems to have agreed upon "woman", yet I've heard no explanation of female's fall from grace. Did I miss a dramatic public faux-pas that turned public opinion on this stalwart adjective? Is this dismissal a positive move for the language, or has political correctness run out of things to fix and thus set its sights on repairing even that which wasn't broken?
Personally, I like the word "female"---it's equal parts sexy and scientific, fanciful and factual. When I hear "female Speaker of the House" it doesn't sound like an inflammatory statement; it sounds like good grammar. If they referred to Ms. Brown as “the first girl Senate Majority Leader” or “the first chick Senate Majority Leader”, I would certainly protest, but I don’t hear how “female” is less respectful than “woman”.
Perhaps the answer simpler than I think: "Woman" is a noun defining a "an adult female human"; thus, since "female Speaker of the House" does not rule out that that first Speaker of the House was a ewe or a hen (both females), "female" is insufficient in it's adjectival efforts.
I don't know. Do you? I worry that I'm just an insensitive male----wait, I mean insensitive man. (Rats, where is that usage guide?)
2 comments:
That's an interesting observation. I've found myself avoiding using the word "female" not because it offends me, which it doesn't, but because I'm afraid it will offend someone else. But I have no idea where that fear comes from. Personally, I like the word, too, especially when referring to singers. (I have an almost reverse irrational bias against "woman singer" or "lady singer" or "girl singer.") But then again, I work in the recording industry, and misogynistic and sexist comments that aren't directed at me specifically tend to just roll off my back anyway.
This was probably not a very helpful comment, but at least you can rest assured that you're not just insensitive - I'm a... woman? female?... person who doesn't get it either.
I'm glad it's not just me. It's interesting how our language develops without any official memos from The Language Board to explain why. I checked with Grammar Girl (the fun version of a Language Board) and her comments included, "With a perfectly acceptable adjective like female available, I don't see any reason to push woman into the role." (Her examination of the topic is a little more crisp than my own.)
Of course, having Grammar Girl's support doesn't meant I won't have to endure a future of "woman Speaker of the House" references---logic is often tossed out the window in favor of common usage. One of the few downsides of democracy.
Post a Comment