THE KING'S ENGLISH: A CAMPUS FABLE

by Sherryl Kleinman and Matt Ezzell

The following fable tells the tale ofthe fist author's attempt to change "freshman" to "first-year student" in official documents at the university where she teaches. Challenging sexist language, especially so-called male generics (e.g., "freshman," "mankind," "you guys") was a central part of the women's movement in the late 60s and early 70s. In response, the American Psychological Association adopted non-gendered language in their journals, some authors changed "congressmen" to "members of congress" in their textbooks, and many individuals stopped using terms ending in "man."