Womanwords: A Dictionary of Words About Women

by Jane Mills

Paperback, 1993

Status

Available

Genres

Publication

Henry Holt & Co (P) (1993), Edition: Reprint, 311 pages

Description

"The balance of power between men and women today has been shaped, in part, by our ever-changing language. In this entertaining and lively exploration of the histories and meanings of over 300 words relating to women, Jane Mills reveals how our language both reflects women's role in society and actively creates it. Extensively cross-referenced, this is an essential dictionary for anyone concerned with language and the relations between men and women"--

User reviews

LibraryThing member bookcrazed

Not just a collection of words, but a collection of the stories behind the words. I like it.

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LibraryThing member keylawk

Feminist author selects 300 English words which relate to women, and explores their semantic history.

Shows, with hundreds of examples, that in spite of the claims of objectivity [xiii], dictionaries are filled with prejudice beyond the prescriptive.

This work presents words which have changed over

time, becoming positive ("wicked") or perjorative ("effeminate"), or back-and-forth or both simultaneously ("nice"), or switching the gender reference ("honey"). Womanwords within categories are illlustrated -- those that define women as edible (dish, tart), or even more extensive, depicted as animals (bat, bitch, filly). Not all the themes drawn out of the anglophonics reveal misogyny. Many powerful etymological roots are positive, or reveal shared values. The study exposes assumptions, and enables us to rethink what we mean.

The author is a documentarian living in London.

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LibraryThing member AriadneAranea

A collection of small articles on the origins and etymology of 300-odd words applied to women. Fascinating, charting the depth and history of ingrained attitudes about women.

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