Politically Correct English

    Politically correct English is a new concept in the recent year. It can make language more respectful to all people. By using politically correct English, we will avoid some offensive words so that we would not offend others when we are talking.

    What is politically correct English? One case is that there are many words in English that put too much emphasis on gender such as "policeman", "stewardess", or "waitress", which end in "man" or "ess". It is better to use "police officer", "flight attendant", and "server". Another case is the issues of race and disabilities. For example, we should use "Native American" instead of "Indian", and use "person with a disability" instead of "handicapped".

    The goal of politically correct English is to treat everyone fairly. But there is another big problem. English has no gender-neutral singular pronoun to replace "he" or "she". Generally, when we use singular pronoun with unknown people, we often use "he". Though it means he or she, many people still visualize only a male. One solution is to use "they" to make the sentence plural. Another solution is creating a new gender-neutral singular pronoun to treat both genders fairly.

    If you don't want to offend someone, you had better know which words to use. Using politically correct English is a good way to show your respect although some people think that it has gone too far. Just to make others feel better.