Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need. How to get used to gender-neutral language
A. relate B. addressed C. constant D. filter E. trickier F. switch G. evolving H. inclusive I. apply J. sustaining K. preferred |
Gender is a huge part of life. It affects everything. The world is in a(n) 11 state of change, and so is our understanding of gender. Therefore, it’s important to make sure the way we speak and refer to people helps to legitimise and support that change. In accordance with the change, a team at the language learning app Babbel has developed a guide on gender-neutral language, to help us incorporate it into our everyday speech. Unlike gendered language, gender-neutral language will 12 to anyone and everyone.
But moving towards gender-neutral language requires conscious thought and effort. Though some English words are already gender-neutral, which makes it fairly easy to use them, things get 13 when we come to pronouns.
Gender is a huge factor when we talk about people. To save ourselves repeating people’s names, we 14 to pronouns like “he” or “she”. This can make it very difficult to describe people in a neutral manner, particularly if they are non-binary or prefer to be referred to in the neutral. Today, people increasingly opt for the “they” pronoun. This is logical since we tend to use this language anyway if we don’t know the gender of someone we’re talking about. Some people may overlook these concerns as trivial, but we simply must be aware of the discussion. More often than not, we consider language as the primary 15 through which we perceive the world. Therefore, it obviously affects how we 16 to and make judgement about others. Part of any attempt to create a society in which all people have equal opportunities and freedoms is to use language that no longer excludes certain groups or creates unconscious bias. On top of this, people do have a right to dictate how they are 17 -—especially if it is tied to their identity. Understanding gender-neutral pronouns and words is extremely important; in order to recognize, respect and support non-binary people and to be 18 .
Mostly, it’s important to be mindful of new or 19 gender-neutral terms as and when they begin to arise. For example, in more recent years, the word actor has been used in place of actress. Similarly, flight attendant has been 20 to stewardess for quite some time. We now increasingly sec titles that once ended in-man, -ress and-ette falling out of use in favour of gender-ncutral variants. People of all genders do the same jobs, and they do them equally well. It’s wonderful to see that our language is reflecting that. Over time we might see the gender-neutral terms become the norm with the majority of the language we utilise.