Member-only story
Language and Racism
I am a white woman who grew up not only with white privilege but with economic privilege as well. And until fairly recently, I’ve also been something of a curmudgeon when it comes to language usage and grammar.
That’s not a very good combination.
I’ve been gradually getting on board with the concept that language is evolving and context-dependent. That language is a living thing that needs to reflect the culture it expresses. I’ve been stubborn about that acceptance for a long time. I come from a country that takes language very seriously (we legislate it, for heaven’s sake!) and I’m also a rule-follower… so I naturally want everybody else to do the same. I resisted accepting “they” as a singular. I’m still struggling with “alright” becoming as acceptable as the (to my mind “correct”) construct of “all right.” And don’t get me started on the absurdity of French: back in 2016 when the Académie decided to officially change the spelling of week-end to weekend, there was a significant wave of protest, the irony of which (it is, after all, an English word) not being apparent to protesters.
All that to say that I’ve slowly moved to the side of evolution. And I’m feeling, in fact, that we’re not evolving quickly enough. Language may reflect society, but it also gives it parameters, frames its thoughts and concepts, and defines what it believes — what it will and…
