Do your words reflect inclusion or reinforce inequality?

By Bernarda Vasquez

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Globalization and technology have connected the world more than ever and broadened the audience diversity of several industries, including journalism. A news article can be read at the same time in Thailand as in Ecuador. For that reason, journalists must be more aware of the words they use to avoid being interpreted as discriminatory on the basis of religion, nationality, gender, race, age, socioeconomic status, etc.

Words have power and shape how we see the world. Anyone who speaks 2 or more languages can agree that there are some expressions that cannot be translated as they lose meaning or do not accurately portray our thoughts. But discrepancies can also happen in our own language, when words don’t represent coherently our ideas or unconsciously hinder or foster inclusivity.

Fortunately, languages are living entities that grow and change to suit our needs and time. Therefore languages evolve because society evolves.

Words have the ability to transmit ideas and knowledge across minds and time. We can learn about the history and culture of civilizations through the written and spoken language. As such, it can be seen how many languages are the result of centuries of an androcentric society. Nowadays, as values change, people are looking for more equality and diversity in several areas, including the pursuit for an inclusive language where everyone feels represented. For instance, to replace “mankind” with “humankind” or to use “person with disabilities” instead of “handicap”, to emphasize the person first, and don’t view them exclusively as their disability. Inclusive language also encourages avoiding expressions that stereotype races, religions or sexualities, which can be perceived as microaggressions. 

Around the world there is a debate about what inclusive language is, how to integrate it and to what extent. Activists and linguistics analyze the creation of new non-binary terms and grammar constructions to reduce the patriarchal dominance of language. In 2017 the Associated Press stylebook, an English guide for journalists, added the use of “they” as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun. Its common use in society together with its visibility and echo in the media, have made an impact and this pronoun has now been included in the dictionary. In parallel, Germany has stated the use of gender-neutral formulations in all official communications.

In my country, the struggle is permanent. Ecuador has not taken yet official policies for an inclusive language; it is mostly used superficially as a political strategy for all citizens to feel included, but are they really? However, at the journalistic level, there is more awareness of using words that don’t make a part of society invisible. For example, the use of both genders of the same word “niños y niñas” (boys and girls) or the use of collective nouns like “personal” (staff) to represent female, male and non-binary workers.

The adoption of an inclusive language will take time, as it is a process that requires intention and re-learning, and also because of the opposition of several groups, especially from romance languages. Nevertheless, the fact that this questioning and desire for change is emerging, and that it’s visualized in corporate manuals, in social networks, in conversations and in the media, means there is a cultural transformation happening worldwide. Journalism plays an important role in the dissemination and awareness of the use of inclusive language and it could be one of many steps towards a more respectful, empathetic and equal society.

Make sure your words reflect equality and inclusion! 😊 Check the guidelines from the United Nations and Sprout Social.

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