Multicultural/Gender Word Usage

About the Book

The old adage, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, is not true.  Words can wound as surely as a handgun.  

We live in a sea of words from the time we awake in the morning until we go to bed at night.  Even during the night, sleep may be made fretful by previous experiences clothed in haunting words.  Later, words are used in an attempt to give meaning to our dreams and nightmares.  But little serious thought is given to the words we use and hear.

This search for more understanding of the power of words was  prompted by a brief document, addressed to the media, that I discovered buried in my files.  The information in this document has been included in this book that has expanded the concept.  The document’s premise is that certain words used in a multicultural context should either be used or avoided.  It focuses on the words we use in human relations:  the words we use to identify different people; the words we use to express our opinions about different people; and the words that perpetuate the stereotypes about different people.  The words in the document have been expanded by adding words found in two standard dictionaries.  Dictionaries give us access to the words used and accepted by a society.  

This premise has been placed in the more expansive understanding of language as one aspect of the diverse cultures that exist throughout the world.  It suggests that the words we use reveals what we think about people who are different, and that words are powerful in shaping our beliefs, attitudes, and prejudices.  According to one source, there are 6500  spoken languages in the world.  Scant information is sprinkled throughout this book about the dialects, subfamilies, and families of some of these diverse languages.

Geographical locations have been identified to broaden our scope of the many pockets of diverse cultures found around the world.  All have developed their own languages and customs, which in turn have influenced their perception of reality.

The names of persons who have made significant contributions to the culture found in the United States are listed to enable us to recognize the diversity in cultural backgrounds and nationalities.  These contributions come from varied fields of endeavor and are significant enough to be included in a dictionary.

A most important contribution to the understanding of language, and its role in human relations,  has been made by the inclusion of excerpts from Professor S. I. Hayakawa’s book, LANGUAGE IN ACTION.  This book was published in 1939 and is no longer in print.  At the time the book was published Professor Hayakawa was Assistant Professor of English at the Illinois Institute of Technology. These excerpts, arbitrarily selected, provide an introduction to the importance of language and how it is used for political purposes. Professor Hayakawa was not only an authority on languages but was also a member of a minority group that has experienced racism.

I have concluded that one clue to understanding the world of diversity in which we live is in the spelling of the words included in this dictionary.  The varied combination of letters in these words leaves one feeling that the words are strange and that we are unsure about their pronunciation.  And with the different combination of letters, there are different vocal sounds, suggesting that the language has also changed.

The fact is more evident that not many groups who are different--including the model group--have escaped derogatory names.  Many of the definitions of a group are most unkind, and express the hatred and hostility felt toward the group.

Some words that society has found most objectionable have been deleted from dictionaries.  Perhaps an effort should be made to have some of the words we find in this dictionar

About the Author

Augusta Edythe Hughes-Grant was born in Denver, Colorado, the only child of Charles Melvin Hughes and Annie Lauretta Taylor-Hughes. She was educated in the Denver Public School system and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver. Employment has included positions as Child Welfare Worker for the Denver Social Service Department, and the Alameda County and Contra Costa County Social Service Departments in California. She also taught Social Work and Sociology at Park College--Park University as of January 1, 2000--in Parkville, Missouri and Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.