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"Deaf-mute" has mostly fallen out of usage, much like other once-commonplace derogatory classifiers such as "colored", "oriental", and "savage". Generally spea

by jayferd 14y ago

"Deaf-mute" has mostly fallen out of usage, much like other once-commonplace derogatory classifiers such as "colored", "oriental", and "savage". Generally speaking, "deaf" = physically deaf, i.e. unable to hear, and "Deaf" = culturally Deaf, i.e. part of a visual-culture / signing linguistic group. Big-D Deafness does not necessarily imply little-d deafness, nor the other way around. Children of Deaf adults, for example, often learn a signed language before an auditory one, despite being physically able to hear. And sadly, many physically deaf children are still deprived of language until quite late in their development. And, as always, if a Deaf person tells you something that contradicts me, that person is right. For more info, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaf_culture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaf_culture

freehunter 14y ago
It's hard to keep up with quickly-changing political correctness, especially if you're not a native English speaker (like the author). Words that were once considered sensitive are now derogatory and new words invented to replace them. In a decade or two, that new word will be insensitive and new words will need to be invented. People will then forget the word was offensive. "Idiot" was once the technical term to describe someone with severe mental disabilities. Colored can hardly be called derogatory, just ask the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: the NAACP.
- jayferd 14y ago
  I agree it can be difficult, and these things do change drastically over time. The NAACP was founded at a time when "colored" was not considered derogatory, and they haven't changed the name since, for a number of reasons. But if you go around talking about "colored people", you will get lots of weird looks. Beyond simple political-correctness, though, the most important thing is to understand how our language affects people. A major problem with "Deaf-mute" (and also with "colored" and "oriental") is that these terms are oversimplifications at best, and drastic misrepresentations at worst. They're not just words - they represent actual cultural misunderstandings. With the Deaf, for example, the core misunderstanding is usually thinking of deafness as a medical disability. It comes as a surprise to most people that the Deaf do not generally consider themselves "disabled", but instead possessing a different human experience. This is difficult, I think, for a hearing person to imagine if they have not met and interacted with a Deaf person. Anyways, that was a very long-winded way of saying that it's not just about finding the most politically-correct term to use - it's about finding terms that describe the world as it actually is.

by jayferd 14y ago

freehunter 14y ago

It's hard to keep up with quickly-changing political correctness, especially if you're not a native English speaker (like the author). Words that were once considered sensitive are now derogatory and new words invented to replace them. In a decade or two, that new word will be insensitive and new words will need to be invented. People will then forget the word was offensive. "Idiot" was once the technical term to describe someone with severe mental disabilities. Colored can hardly be called derogatory, just ask the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: the NAACP.

jayferd 14y ago
I agree it can be difficult, and these things do change drastically over time. The NAACP was founded at a time when "colored" was not considered derogatory, and they haven't changed the name since, for a number of reasons. But if you go around talking about "colored people", you will get lots of weird looks. Beyond simple political-correctness, though, the most important thing is to understand how our language affects people. A major problem with "Deaf-mute" (and also with "colored" and "oriental") is that these terms are oversimplifications at best, and drastic misrepresentations at worst. They're not just words - they represent actual cultural misunderstandings. With the Deaf, for example, the core misunderstanding is usually thinking of deafness as a medical disability. It comes as a surprise to most people that the Deaf do not generally consider themselves "disabled", but instead possessing a different human experience. This is difficult, I think, for a hearing person to imagine if they have not met and interacted with a Deaf person. Anyways, that was a very long-winded way of saying that it's not just about finding the most politically-correct term to use - it's about finding terms that describe the world as it actually is.