Womyn
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Womyn is one of a number of alternate spellings which some promote as a way to remove the perception of gender bias from the English word women.[1] Other variants include wimmin (plural), wom!n, womban and womon (singular), while femal (from female) and humyn (human) apply the principle elsewhere. All are pronounced the same as the conventional terms.
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[edit] Background
The original meaning of the English word "man" (from Proto-Germanic mannaz, "person") and words derived therefrom was used as a designation for any or all human beings regardless of gender or age. This is the oldest usage of "man". In Old English the words wer and wyf (also wæpman and wifman) were used to refer to "a man" and "a woman" respectively, and the word "man" was gender neutral. (This is still seen even today in certain words. For an example, there is the word "werewolf", which literally means man-wolf.) Later, in Middle English, "man" displaced wer as the term for male humans, whilst wyfman, which eventually evolved into woman, was retained for female humans. Since then, the word "man" has been used to refer both to humanity as a whole and to male humans.
The earliest use of the term "womyn" attested in the Oxford English Dictionary is in the name of a 1975 "womyn's festival" mentioned in a lesbian publication.
[edit] Arguments
Feminists who prefer to use these words feel that the terms "woman/women" relate to the historical and ongoing social subordination of women, since the word "man" is seen as an exclusively male term, implying that women are a subset of men, or a deviation from the norm. Those who argue in favour of the terms "womon/womyn" contend that they have the right to choose how a term referring to them is spelled, rather than be compelled to use words that evolved in what they see as a patriarchal society. Others further argue that "womyn" is based on a medieval spelling of the word, and that returning to the old model of waeman and wyfman meaning man and woman, respectively, would be more egalitarian. Feminists in favor of the modification argue that language is a powerful tool that shapes the way people perceive their surroundings, and even how they understand gender and gender roles (see Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). They also feel that the current form of the words do not value women. Therefore, some feminists see these changes as part of a movement to correct what they consider inherent biases in language.
Some of those opposed to the modification see it as unnecessary and based on a misinterpretation of the words "man"/"men" and "male". They claim that both the origin and current usage of the two words are already gender-neutral and any attempt to exaggerate this by creating new terms is pointless. Some see the adjustments as an example of excessive political correctness. Others feel it to be anti-male gender bias. And some feminists object to the attempt as a distraction from what they consider more important feminist goals.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Bernstein, Richard, "Nonsexist dictionary spells out rudeness." New York Times, June 11, 1991, pg. C13
[edit] Further Reading
Sol Steinmetz. “Womyn: The Evidence” American Speech, Vol. 70, No. 4 (Winter, 1995), pp. 429-437
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Dinosaur Comics comic about the etymology of "woman": http://www.qwantz.com/index.pl?comic=551
Gender
Androgyny · Boi · Gender identity · Gender identity disorder · Genderqueer · Cisgender · Pangender · Transgender · Transman · Transwoman · Transsexualism
Sexual orientations
Bisexuality · Heterosexuality · Homosexuality · Pansexuality · Asexuality
Other
Butch and femme · Homosexuality and transgender · Polyamory · Swinging · Queer · Womyn
