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From: uunet!mailrus!gatech!mit-eddie!math.mit.edu!boyiny@ncar.ucar.EDU (Bo-Yin Yang)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Terminology (was Re: On Womanhood......)
Message-ID: <1991May30.152447.12160@galois.mit.edu>
Date: 30 May 91 19:26:54 GMT
References: <9105211741.AA02780@ariel.unm.edu> <15135@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU>
Organization: MIT Department of Mathematics, Cambridge, MA
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farmerl@handel.cs.colostate.edu (lisa ann farmer) writes:
>
>NRILEY@BOOTES.UNM.EDU (Natalie Riley Osorio) writes:
>>
>>[About "woman" and "girl"...]
>If I question whether a person is a woman or girl, I will usually use woman.
>Generally, if the person is in elementary or middle school I will use girl.
>It depends on what context I am using the word also - if I am referring to a
>single person, I make a judgement call depending upon what context I knew of
>this person,etc.  If I am referring for example to females in high school, I
>most likely will say girls if referring to a group.  The safest term to use
>when in doubt is female.
>I think it is safer to call someone who doesn't think they are a woman a
>woman rather than call someone who believes they are woman a girl.  I
>still stutter when I use "girl" because I can't decide as quick as I talk
>sometimes. Hope  this helps.

Is the phrase "young lady" unsuitable for describing a female between 17
and 27? Aside from retorts like "what lady?" (from a "young lady" friend of
mine) I have not yet gotten any complaints.

In English novels they use to call these females "Wenches".....

B.Y.