Yet we still say mankind and not personkind. If we are going to be correct surely we should change all the words with man in them.
2007-01-31 18:57:34 · 20 answers · asked by SR13 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Such changes in language usage have puzzled me for years. I think we now say police officer in order to avoid the problem of police woman and police man [policeman] as this is now thought sexist.
One curiosity about all of this which I have discovered is that in the state school sector a head teacher is called simply that, while in the private [public] school sector the head teacher is still called either headmaster or head mistress. Some of us are obviously not paying attention.
As for 'mankind', this comes from the word 'human'. The word 'womankind' also exists but is used when addressing female issues.
Anyone brought back from the dead, having died 100 years ago, would not speak as we do today and would quite naturally use words which still existed in my childhood of the 1940s. Many of these common English words would these days sound very hurtful. For example, in my childhood and youth no one ever said a person was 'disabled', they were thought of as a 'cripple'. Use this English word today and you'd be for the chop, especially if you worked in any UK.gov department or school etc.
2007-01-31 19:13:38 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Because it is more gender sensitive. It takes away the idea that there is a difference between a policeman and a policewoman, somehow, using police officer will place them on equal footing It takes away the bias. If you look at other professions, most don't have any distinction for either a man or a woman: doctor, nurse, teacher (Mam or Sir, is just a way of addressing them), engineer, etc.
That's why you hear nowadays, people say sales person (instead of sales man or sales lady), same way people say police officer, instead of adding the man and woman.
Before, women were regarded as the lesser gender, but times have changed, and women have been doing things tpday that only men used to do before. Changing the titles of the jobs most people have may just be semantics, but it reflects how we have progressed.
2007-01-31 19:12:55 · answer #2 · answered by fundoctor 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
To avoid being gender biased and to be politically correct. Just like we say "chairperson" instead of "chairman".
And yes, if this calls for a change in all words with man in them, why not? Have you ever asked yourself in the first place why words with man in them should be used to identify women? Can't women have their own identities???
OUr dictionaries, language, ...well basically culture is a reflection of the patriarchal system in which we are living. and we have internalised all these values. we have come to accept these things as normal..but mind you they are not.its not about respecting the rights of women but simply about respecting the rights of humans. And if you do believe in equality and equity of the sexes (although both have different needs which should be met differently) and are not imbibed with machosist values i wonder why using the correct terms instead of the biased ones would be an issue for you?
2007-01-31 19:26:53 · answer #3 · answered by samsara 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Political correctness has not gone so far as to get rid of "mankind" (for which I am thankful), but there are lots of women police officers nowadays and "policeman" is a bit of a stretch to describe one.
2007-01-31 19:19:50 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Police man is used for describing a Police officer to a little kid...Its more understandable to say police man than police officer...
2007-01-31 19:00:53 · answer #5 · answered by fr33d0m09 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Equal Rights for Woman Officer's. It sounds more professional. Actual we say "Humankind" now instead of mankind.
2007-01-31 19:06:26 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Police Officer is more respect
Police man to be distinguised with Police woman
2007-01-31 19:32:06 · answer #7 · answered by Neighbour 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
A man thinks for himself and an officer follows commands. Which one seems more like cops these days to you?
Because they are more para-military then ever. They do not deal with you on a "man to man" level. You are a "particular individual".
IF they are a police man they are huMAN like you and me. As an officer they are distant, cold calculating solders following orders.
2007-01-31 19:24:50 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Policeman was called before as almost all the police people were men.
If there is a lady in police uniform, we cannot call her 'policewoman'. So, the word "police officer" is much generic, respectable and appropriate than 'policeman'.
2007-01-31 19:08:16 · answer #9 · answered by jaggie_c 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I don't think it is really that much of a big deal. Woman and Man both have the word man in it...what is the problem?
2007-01-31 19:02:44 · answer #10 · answered by jcorr004 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋