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From: cipher@mmm.UUCP (Andre Guirard)
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: Re: Gender distinctions
Message-ID: <1087@mmm.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Nov-86 14:44:19 EST
Article-I.D.: mmm.1087
Posted: Fri Nov  7 14:44:19 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Nov-86 09:47:45 EST
References: <16227@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <2177@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU> <8224@watrose.UUCP> <2181@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU> <1277@megaron.UUCP>
Reply-To: cipher@mmm.UUCP (Andre Guirard)
Organization: Software & Electronics Resource Center/3M
Lines: 24

In article <1277@megaron.UUCP> debray@megaron.UUCP writes:
> Bengali [and other languages] have only one third person pronoun, roughly
>equivalent to "it".
>
>This may or may not lead to less sexism in *writing*, it certainly
>doesn't change the fact that these societies are extremely sexist.
>This makes me feel that the whole "Sexism in Language" debate is
>pretty meaningless (yes, Sapir-Whorf notwithstanding).

You apparently intend to provide a counter-example, but this is not a
counter-example to the statement that "sexist language can cause sexist
attitudes."  I don't think I've heard anybody claim that sexist
language is the _sole_ cause of sexist attitudes.

It's as if I said, "The rabbits are getting into my garden and eating
my lettuce," and you replied, "No, it can't be rabbits, because there
are no rabbits where I live and still something eats the lettuce in my
garden."
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