Political correctness in speech

—   Hello, our dear friends! Martin and I have just returned from China.

—   We really liked this wonderful country. We would like you to meet our new friend Lee. James and I met him in China.

—   One day we decided to watch TV. There are a few English channels in China.

—   We turned on the TV and started watching the news.

—   Lee couldn’t understand why Martin and I were in shock.

—   James, let’s show this news to our friends.

BBC News

Yesterday a young negro stole a bike from the shop. After that he knocked down the invalid and ran away. This fellow was arrested two hours later.

—   Guys, what’s wrong with the news? I still don’t understand.

—   Lee, we cannot use the words “negro” and “invalid” in our speech, especially on television. It’s not politically correct.

—   Really? I know nothing about it.

—   Don’t worry, we’ll explain everything to you.

Today in the lesson we will:

·        talk about political correctness in speech;

And

·        put the knowledge into a practice.

First of all, we’ll start with the definition of the phrase “political correctness”.

The term “political correctness” means using words or behavior which will not offend a particular group of people.

This term became popular in the 20^th century. It’s not about being right, but it’s about being respectful and tactful.

Nowadays lots of people try to be politically correct. Thus, they show their tact and diplomacy speaking to or about people who have different problems.

Look at the following words and try to remember what is politically correct and what is not.

One. If we talk about disabilities and old age, we cannot use the word “an invalid”. We should say “a person with disability”.

Let’s compare two examples:

The girl took the invalid to the hospital.

The girl took the person with disability to the hospital.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Let’s continue.

Instead of “an old man”, we need to use the phrase “a man advanced in years”.

Look at the two examples:

One day an old man went fishing in the river.

One day a man advanced in years went fishing in the river.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Instead of “an old woman”, we should say “a woman advanced in years”.

Compare the examples:

An old woman fell over and could not get up.

A woman advanced in years fell over and could not get up.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Instead of “old people”, we should use the word combination “senior citizens”.

Compare the sentences:

Old people don’t like being alone.

Senior citizens don’t like being alone.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Instead of “pensioners”, we need to say “retired people”.

Look at the following examples:

Poverty among pensioners is not a serious phenomenon.

Poverty among retired people is not a serious phenomenon.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Two. If we talk about race, we cannot use the word “a Negro”. We should say “(an) Afro-American, Afro-British or a black person”.

Let’s compare two sentences:

A Negro came to Italy.

An Afro-American came to Italy.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Instead of “an Indian”, we need to use the phrase “a Native American”.

Look at the examples:

The police arrested an Indian last week.

The police arrested a Native American last week.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Three. If we talk about gender, we cannot use the word “men”. We should say “people”.

Let’s compare two sentences:

I don’t like the men over there.

I don’t like the people over there.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Instead of “a businessman”, we need to use the word “a businessperson”.

Look at the examples:

Marianne, I would like to become a businessman.

Marianne, I would like to become a businessperson.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Instead of “a fireman”, we should say “a firefighter”.

Compare the examples:

The brave fireman rescued a boy from the burning house.

The brave firefighter rescued a boy from the burning house.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Instead of “a sportsman”, we need to say “an athlete”.

Compare the sentences:

Kyle, I can tell that you are a sportsman just by looking at you.

Kyle, I can tell that you are an athlete just by looking at you.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Instead of “a chairman”, we should use the word “a chairperson”.

Look at the following examples:

The chairman of the group presented the report.

The chairperson of the group presented the report.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Instead of the words “an actress, a poetess, a manageress, etc.”, we need to say: “an actor, a poet, a manager, etc.”.

Compare the sentences:

Angelina Jolie is a wonderful actress.

Angelina Jolie is a wonderful actor.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

We cannot say “his/her” if we don’t know the gender of the person. We should say “their”.

Look at the two examples:

As a child gets older his expectations increase.

As a child gets older their expectations increase.

The wrong variant.

The right variant.

Four. Pay attention to sentences with everyone and everybody.

Compare the following sentences:

Everyone invited their friends to the museum.

Everyone invited his or her friends to the museum.

Informal.

Formal.

Everybody said that they had enjoyed the cake.

Everybody said that he or she had enjoyed the cake.

Informal.

Formal.

—   Wow, guys! It’s so interesting! I really liked all the information.

—   We’re glad to hear that, Lee, but let’s practise a little.

Look at the pictures and choose the right words.

One.

The variants are: a Negro, a black woman.

The right answer is: a black woman.

Two.

The variants are: a Native American, an Indian.

The right answer is: a Native American.

Three.

The variants are: men, people.

The right answer is: people.

Four.

The variants are: a businessperson, a businessman.

The right answer is: a businessperson.

Five.

The variants are: an old woman, a woman advanced in years.

The right answer is: a woman advanced in years.

Six.

The variants are: a man advanced in years, an old man.

The right answer is: a man advanced in years.

Seven.

The variants are: a firefighter, a fireman.

The right answer is: a firefighter.

Eight.

The variants are: a chairman, a chairperson.

The right answer is: a chairperson.

Nine.

The variants are: a sportsman, an athlete.

The right answer is: an athlete.

Ten.

The variants are: a person with disability, an invalid.

The right answer is: a person with disability.

Change the sentences to make them politically correct.

One. Rebecca Goss is a British poetess.

Two. Mike saw a Negro the other day.

Three. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips are pensioners.

Check yourselves.

One. Rebecca Goss is a British poet.

Two. Mike saw a black man the other day.

Three. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips are retired people.

Four. Mary’s aunt worked as a clowness in the country circus.

Five. Everyone has to bring his own presentation.

Six. Mr. Donovan is an old man.

Let’s check.

Four. Mary’s aunt worked as a clown in the country circus.

Five. Everyone has to bring their own presentation.

Six. Mr. Donovan is a man advanced in years.

Seven. The fireman rescued a girl from the burning building.

Eight. An Indian won $400 yesterday.

Nine. All men are so different.

Let’s check.

Seven. The firefighter rescued a girl from the burning building.

Eight. A Native American won $400 yesterday.

Nine. All people are so different.

—   Today we’ve talked about political correctness in speech.

—   Now you know what words are politically correct and what are not.

—   That’s all for today. We hope the lesson was useful for you.

—   See you soon, our dear friends.