They want their word back!

Okay, this article is just plain interesting. I had to comment, as it has caused the linguist in me to do battle with the belief to control one’s personal identity in me.

The original article is here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24386702/

Apparently some residents of the Island of Lesbos are seeking to have the term “lesbian” legally restricted to no longer have connotations with homosexuality. One has to wonder if this is going to go the way of Parmesan cheese (which by the way, is now technically restricted to meaning cheese that is produced in Italy’s Parmesan region—read that article here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=519290&in_page_id=1811).

I have to say, I thought it was ridiculous when I first heard it, but I have to say I admire the plaintiffs’ pluck. Maybe they should get their term back. At the same time, I’m guessing there are many lesbians out there who would consider this word to also be theirs, and I would give them equal standing in their rights to claim it--as a linguist, I feel that words belong to everyone.

The linguist in me would like to make a modest proposal here—traditionally, the term applied to persons of a region is capitalized. Maybe we could agree that the term Lesbian shall formally mean a native of the island (with a capital L) and the term lesbian shall henceforth be the descriptor of homosexual women. I don’t think either group would be entirely satisfied with this arrangement, but hey, that’s the point of compromise, right? To make both groups equally unhappy?

Seriously though—I do feel for both sides of this argument. I hope a conclusion is reached whereby we can all still identify ourselves as we would wish without attached stigma, but I doubt that will happen. It rarely does in this world.

The most controversial news in words since the attempt to turn French Fries into Freedom Fries,
Alula