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➴➴➴Æ🜔Ɲ.Ƈꭚ⍴𝔥єɼ👩🏻‍💻Why I Don't Spend My Time Policing LanguageI wrote above about the erasure of femininity and I stand by every word. However, just because something is "right" or "correct" does not mean that every action taken in service of it is useful, strategic, or even desirable. Language does matter. It really does. However, how we engage with others matters a ton more than language does. We are living through multiple overlapping crises, and I've had to ask myself what kinds of acts actually protect people, build solidarity, and help us survive.It is easy to fill our voids, our existential dreads, with self-righteousness. It is a temptation to quicken ourselves by finding the faults in others, especially when we know a community can rally around us.Working with compassion and empathy is much much harder. I've chosen not to spend my time correcting or policing others language (including misgendering me) not because I think the words are harmless, but because I think there are more urgent and effective way s to confront those harms.The reality is that language is fluid and changes. Often times that fluidity isn't kind or fair. In fact, it generally will reflect the zeitgeist, which is neither kind nor fair to the feminine now a days. However, the reality is that "guys" and "dude" are becoming gender neutral terms. We can critique what the flow says about us, but fighting it is sticking your finger in the dam.And the only way to fight it is to be prescriptive about language. Insisting that there is a "correct", "proper", or "respectable" way to speak is classist garbage, and often racist classist garbage. Asking others to speak in a certain way is actually just asking for them to conform to your in-group affectations.I despise leftist groupthink. I hated Latinx before it was cool, and don't like "folx" either. I'm not conforming. But more importantly, what asking others to do by conforming, is telling them they are _excluded_ from the group _unless_ they conform. This is outward social pressure away from progressive voices. This is selective pressure and purity politics in a lesser form. Call outs are not a mechanism for social change, but instead a means of creating cohesive group identity and providing a psychological reward to the person who initiated the callout.Remember, language is mostly inherited fro our family, community, and peer group. A callout, or policing someones language, is to critique their social identity. People will inherently become defensive. At best they robotically do as told, and engage in performative correctness without examining their values. This is not justice.Worse, it can create blowback. We are living through dangerous times. Any act which makes someone afraid to speak up is an act of despicable evil. The creation of shame, confusion, or defensiveness; making people afraid in any way, is driving them into the arms of fascism. I worry that by overcorrecting on small things, we push people away from bigger and more vital conversations.In trying to "win" the battle of words, we are losing the war.Ultimately, I've become more interested in effective politics than theory. I'm increasingly focused on strategy over performance. What is the most effective way to prevent queer youth from dying? To keep trans people from being legislated out of existence? To prevent women from becoming cattle? To prevent the collapse of our ecosystems and to push back against the encroaching authoritarian hellscape.When I am serious about what that takes, it doesn't involve arguments about casual language. The fight requires empathy, DIY know-how, mutual understanding, and trust networks.So, yes. Gender neutral dude is fucked up. No, I don't care if you use it.<a href="https://lgbtqia.space/tags/dude" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#dude</a> <a href="https://lgbtqia.space/tags/dudegate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#dudegate</a> <a href="https://lgbtqia.space/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a> <a href="https://lgbtqia.space/tags/Feminism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Feminism</a> <a href="https://lgbtqia.space/tags/Trans" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Trans</a> <a href="https://lgbtqia.space/tags/Empathy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Empathy</a> <a href="https://lgbtqia.space/tags/CalloutCulture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#CalloutCulture</a> <a href="https://lgbtqia.space/tags/FuckPurityPolitics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FuckPurityPolitics</a> <a href="https://lgbtqia.space/tags/fascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#fascism</a>

Cadernos de LinguísticaDoes formal Portuguese really need to avoid “o mesmo” in place of “he”? This article put it to the test — and the results might surprise you. It has already been accessed more than 1200 times in just a month, thanks to wide visibility and active social media sharing by Cadernos de Linguística. The journal tracks impact through altmetrics and supports Plaudit endorsements from ORCID-verified authors. 📚 Read the full study: <a href="https://doi.org/10.25189/2675-4916.2025.V6.N3.ID751" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.25189/2675-4916.2025.V6.N3.ID751</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Altmetrics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Altmetrics</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/OpenScience" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OpenScience</a>

That Word ChatNext week on <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/ThatWordChat" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ThatWordChat</a>: Lexicographer John Kelly joins to discuss slang, etymology, and how generative AI is reshaping dictionary work.June 24 | 4:30 p.m. ET Register to attend: thatwordchat.com<a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/Linguistics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Linguistics</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/AI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AI</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/Editing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Editing</a>

Petesmom *has moved*There is great outrage over trump's "deportations" but, as many have pointed out, its not helpful to use the criminal's language. Deportation suggests some form of due process occurred & we know thats not happening. Describing this as "human trafficking" is accurate. Those being trafficked are certainly being used as forced labor in servitude to propoganda & many have certainly fallen into exploitation for profit where they landed. Lets use accurate language. <a href="https://mstdn.party/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a> <a href="https://mstdn.party/tags/HumanTrafficking" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HumanTrafficking</a>

The Animal and the Machine<a href="https://zeroes.ca/@hannu_ikonen" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@hannu_ikonen</a> To me it’s like saying people with brown eyes are optotypical and now we are looking in peoples eyes we are starting to diagnose people with blue eye disorders.We have variation in every part of our body yet we only recognise a single neuro pattern. It’s Victorian. Evolution doesn’t work that way and the starting premise should be one of expectation of diversity, especially with a tribal existence that has been in place longer than we have been human.<a href="https://mathstodon.xyz/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a> and we need to start saying ‘identified’ not diagnosed. As a self-identified ADHDer I can tell you that my brain says this Victorian medicine is a pile of shit before it starts and I promise you, I am far from impaired.

Translating for Europe‼️Breaking news! We are joining forces with our interpreter colleagues to pool resources in the Knowledge Centre on Translation and Interpretation (<a href="https://respublicae.eu/tags/KCTI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#KCTI</a>). 🔗 <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/kcti" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://ec.europa.eu/kcti</a>📚💡🌍 <a href="https://respublicae.eu/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a> <a href="https://respublicae.eu/tags/KnowledgeIsPower" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#KnowledgeIsPower</a> <a href="https://respublicae.eu/tags/xl8" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#xl8</a> <a href="https://respublicae.eu/tags/1nt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#1nt</a> <a href="https://respublicae.eu/@EUInterpreters" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@EUInterpreters</a> <a href="https://respublicae.eu/@EU_Commission" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@EU_Commission</a> --- <a href="https://nitter.privacydev.net/translatores/status/1879846137836056662#m" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://nitter.privacydev.net/translatores/status/1879846137836056662#m</a>

DebbyWords matter! 🗣️ Kenji Yanagawa (@Kenji_yngw@twitter.com) discusses the different ways to say 'people with disabilities' in Japanese and the ongoing debate about which term best represents the social model of disability. It's a fascinating look at how language reflects our values! Check it out: <a href="https://equalentry.com/people-with-disabilities-in-japanese/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://equalentry.com/people-with-disabilities-in-japanese/</a> <a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a> <a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/Disability" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Disability</a> <a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/DisabilityAwareness" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DisabilityAwareness</a> <a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/JapaneseLanguage" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#JapaneseLanguage</a> <a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/a11y" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#a11y</a> <a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/Inclusion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Inclusion</a> <a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/JapaneseCulture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#JapaneseCulture</a>

The Blind AIFollowing up on my last post: While "Dining in the Dark" uses blindfolds to simulate blindness—a deeply problematic practice—Netflix’s *Love Is Blind* raises a different but related issue: the casual use of "blindness" as a metaphor. The title refers to the idea that love can transcend physical appearance, but it uses blindness to symbolize ignorance or a lack of perception. This isn’t new—our language is full of metaphors like "turning a blind eye" or "blind ambition" that associate blindness with negative traits like ignorance or inability. As a blind person, I see how language shapes perceptions. These metaphors may seem harmless, but they perpetuate outdated, ableist notions of blindness as a deficiency. They turn our lived experiences into rhetorical devices, erasing the richness of blind culture and reducing us to symbols of "lack." No, *Love Is Blind* isn’t offensive in the same way as "Dining in the Dark," which makes a spectacle of our lives. But the metaphorical use of blindness shows how ingrained ableism is in language and culture. Casual metaphors matter—they reinforce unconscious biases that we must challenge. Blindness isn’t a symbol. It’s a lived reality, full of challenges, skills, and a vibrant community. Let’s think more critically about how we use disability in language and storytelling. 💬 What do you think? <a href="https://caneandable.social/tags/Disability" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Disability</a> <a href="https://caneandable.social/tags/Ableism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Ableism</a> <a href="https://caneandable.social/tags/Blind" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Blind</a> <a href="https://caneandable.social/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a> <a href="https://caneandable.social/tags/Inclusion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Inclusion</a>

Susi Arnott<a href="https://mastodon.world/@davidho" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@davidho</a> You get 'compensation' in return for (mis)managing <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/BarclaysBank" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BarclaysBank</a>! Who knew? <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Languagematters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Languagematters</a>

Caterine Vauban<a href="https://mastodon.social/@itsveganjim" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@itsveganjim</a> 🙌 <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/BeTheChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BeTheChange</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a>

kiki me myself and II’m back from a 2-week indigenous language immersion course.Shifting from communicating in a way that centers things (human or other-than-human) acting upon other things (directly or indirectly) to one centered on the interactions (relationships, events) between all entities was and is profound and critical for me—one of many ways this experience helps me grow. The words we use reflect and affect how we feel and think about and interact with every one and thing else. <a href="https://turtleisland.social/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a>

PhoenixSerenity<a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/Workers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Workers</a> who are <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/neurodivergent" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#neurodivergent</a> or have other <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/disabilities" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#disabilities</a> are already prone to facing barriers, but Ms. Campbell’s experience highlights another barrier that emerges when the language used in <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/JobAds" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#JobAds</a> inadvertently weeds out <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/PeopleWithDisabilities" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#PeopleWithDisabilities</a>.This likely contributes to the persistent <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/underrepresentation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#underrepresentation</a> of people with disabilities in <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/Canada" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Canada</a>’s work force.<a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/article-with-subtle-phrases-job-postings-inadvertently-weed-out-job-seekers/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/article-with-subtle-phrases-job-postings-inadvertently-weed-out-job-seekers/</a><a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/DisabledWorkers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DisabledWorkers</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/Employment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Employment</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/HumanResources" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HumanResources</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/Ableism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Ableism</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/DisabledCanadians" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DisabledCanadians</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/CDNpoli" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#CDNpoli</a>

I know nothing<a href="https://mastodon.ie/@IrishExaminer" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@IrishExaminer</a> Could someone explain why when it comes to a DUP politician sex offenses are refered to as historical <a href="https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41400457.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41400457.html</a>When any other joe bloggs' sex offences are "just" that sex offences. By their very nature, a committed crime is historical. As in it happened in the past. But by adding the historical in this particular case gives the impression that it doesn't matter, it's in the distant past. It's not!<a href="https://mastodon.ie/tags/languagematters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#languagematters</a> <a href="https://mastodon.ie/tags/ireland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ireland</a>

The Animal and the Machine<a href="https://mstdn.social/@autism101" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@autism101</a> <a href="https://a.gup.pe/u/actuallyautistic" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@actuallyautistic</a> <a href="https://beige.party/@CoachMark" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@CoachMark</a> <a href="https://mathstodon.xyz/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a>

Susi Arnott<a href="https://mas.to/@RichardJMurphy" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@RichardJMurphy</a> So 'fiscal policy' is ab actual strategy, not a type of strategy!?!? Thanks! <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a>

Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷<a href="https://journa.host/@fulelo" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@fulelo</a> Why is it correct to call what happened at the cenotaph a ‘counter-protest’? Were they advocating for no ceasefire? If not, what were they counter-protesting against? No, the thugs were only there on a pretext of ‘defending’ the cenotaph from a non-existent threat, and in fact were just disrupting the silence and fighting with the police. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a>

Francisca Sinn<a href="https://mstdn.social/@Free_Press" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@Free_Press</a> “Kise and another Trump attorney... “Given the current schedule, we cannot understate the prejudice to President Trump arising from his lack of access to these critical materials months after they should have been produced.”Do they mean “overstate”? As in, however bad he’s making the potential prejudice sound, it’s even worse? Or does he mean that the court should not understate the prejudice it might cause? Or did they slip truth in there: very little prejudice?<a href="https://mas.to/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a>

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏I'm getting more and more irritated by the usage of "you guys" to address people - which is unfortunate, because I hear it a thousand times per day, Whatever happened to:"Y'all" "You folks" "You people" "You peeps" "You fellows" ?I sense an illustrated article coming up. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Language" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Language</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InclusiveLanguage" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#InclusiveLanguage</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a>

Stephen AnfieldMotion to change all instances of "food desert" to food apartheid because it speaks to the systems-level barriers communities face when accessing food. Diverse communities are not barren wastelands. They are full of culture and lives that matter. <a href="https://anfield.social/tags/FoodJustice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FoodJustice</a> <a href="https://anfield.social/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a> <a href="https://anfield.social/tags/food" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#food</a> <a href="https://anfield.social/tags/hunger" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#hunger</a> <a href="https://anfield.social/tags/diversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#diversity</a> <a href="https://anfield.social/tags/justice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#justice</a>

ProjectFearlessness"I’m very angry about the number. Again, very angry, as you know, every single day when I see these illegal migrants."Lee 'Angry' Anderson, M.P. getting so very angry that he forgot he's an M.P. and should know that the correct term for anybody arriving in the U.K. by small boat is either asylum seeker or refugee. There is no such thing as an illegal migrant in this context. He might get it right when he stops being so very angry. <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/LanguageMatters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LanguageMatters</a> <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/RefugeesWelcome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RefugeesWelcome</a> <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/UKPolitics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#UKPolitics</a> <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/AngryLee" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AngryLee</a>

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