Inclusive language is wording that aims to ensure that all members of society are treated with equal respect and that no individual group is overlooked. This type of language avoids terms that may be offensive or stereotype. The purpose of this type of language is to ensure equality in a piece of content such as official documents or statements from public figures. To avoid a poor choice of words, speakers should follow these dos and don’ts of inclusive language:
•Do not single out a person’s sex, race, ethnicity, or other personal traits/characteristics (sexual orientation, age, disabilities)
•Be consistent in your description of members of a group: Do not single out women to describe their physical beauty/clothes.etc.
•Respect requests by individuals to not be included. If someone prefers their name not be mentioned, exclude them specifically.
•When mentioning those with disabilities avoid singling out their individual disability and avoid words that imply victimization such as “suffer” or “victim”.
•To use gender-neutral language, avoid occupational designations with derogatory –ette or –ess endings, degender words by dropping the “man” off chairman (and other similar words), and convert adjectives to nouns by adding –ist such as in activist.
•Be especially careful when using gender-free terms in writing about traditional male or female activities: mothering to parenting.
•In names and titles where Mr. is used use Ms. as the female equivalent whether the female be single or married.
•In salutations in letters it is always safer to use “To whom it may concern” rather than “Dear Sir/Madame
•Avoid the pronoun “he” or “man” when both sexes are included.
•Avoid assumptions such as that a man is the head of the household.
Try to find neutral alternatives to the specific terms you are using. Always avoid personal pronouns (he, she, his, her) and other unwelcome terms that may offend your audience. Make your writing or speaking all inclusive to avoid all complications that may follow an uninclusive statement.
Check out how you can join in the discussion:
If you are a TOEFL Training and looking for Online Teaching Jobs Visit PL21 and upload your videos!
