evolution of Gender Language

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The Evolution of Gender Neutrality in the English Language: Abridged
As a society evolves and changes, it’s language mutates and conforms to changing needs. Words form to define new things, archaic terms drop from use, and meanings change as different usage contexts develop. In the English language, this phenomenon is noticable in the shrinking use of gender specific vocabulary. Gender-biased language became a significant social concern in the late nineteenth century. According to Shuman University professor Sylvia Teneva, gender-biased language is, “any usage that excludes or stereotypes one gender” (Gender Neutrality). Examples of gender-bias, a relatively new occurrence in the fifteen hundred year old language1, include seemingly pedestrian words like mailman and housewife. Instead, neuter words like, postal worker, and homemaker are appropriate replacements. Inclusion of generic male pronouns to the lexicon of inappropriate terms happened in the late twentieth century. A doctor no longer makes his rounds. The doctor is now simply out on rounds.
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