NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Womyn

Womyn is one of a number of alternate spellings of the word "woman", which some feminists use. The orthodox spellings of common words are often altered to make a political point, particularly in informal writing on the Internet, but also in some serious political writing that opposes the status quo. ... Diverse women. ... Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ...

Background

The original meaning of the English word "man" (from Proto-Germanic mannaz, "person") and words derived therefrom was used as a designation for any or all human beings regardless of gender or age. This is the oldest usage of "man". In Old English the words wer and wyf (also wæpman and wifman) were used to refer to "a male" and "a female" respectively, and the word "man" was gender neutral. (This is still seen even today in certain words. For an example, there is the word "werewolf", which literally means man-wolf.) Later, in Middle English, "man" displaced wer as the term for male humans, whilst wyfman, which eventually evolved into "woman", was retained for female humans. Since then, the word "man" has been used to refer both to humanity as a whole (e.g., "Mankind") and to male humans. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Old English redirects here. ... For other uses, see Werewolf (disambiguation). ... Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of 1066 and the mid-to-late 15th century, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the...

The earliest use of the term "womyn" attested in the Oxford English Dictionary is in the name of a 1975 "womyn's festival" mentioned in a lesbian publication. The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is the most successful dictionary of the English language, (not to be confused with the one-volume Oxford Dictionary of English, formerly New Oxford Dictionary of English, of... This article is about same-sex desire and sexuality among women. ...

Arguments for

Feminists who prefer to use these words feel that the terms "woman/women" relate to the historical and ongoing social subordination of women, since the word "man" is seen as an exclusively male term, implying that women are a subset of men, or a deviation from the norm. Those who argue in favour of the terms "womon/womyn" contend that they have the right to choose how a term referring to them is spelled, rather than be compelled to use words that evolved in what they see as a patriarchal society. Others further argue that "womyn" is based on a medieval spelling of the word, and that returning to the old model of waeman and wyfman meaning man and woman, respectively, would be more egalitarian. Feminists in favor of the modification argue that language is a powerful tool that shapes the way people perceive their surroundings, and even how they understand gender and gender roles (see Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). They also feel that the current form of the words does not value women. Therefore, some feminists see these changes as part of a movement to correct what they consider inherent biases in language. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... A bagpiper in military uniform. ... In linguistics, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (SWH) states that there is a systematic relationship between the grammatical categories of the language a person speaks and how that person both understands the world and behaves in it. ... Image of a woman on the Pioneer plaque sent to outer space. ... Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ...

Criticisms against

Usage of "womyn" and related terms is essentially nonexistent outside of some segments of feminism. Opponents of it see it as unnecessary, and argue that it is based on a misinterpretation of the words "man"/"men" and "male." They cite the etymology of the terms "man" and "woman," and note that both the origin and current usage of the two words are already gender-neutral. Furthermore, since "womyn" and its related terms have not been accepted as standard English words, using these terminologies outside of the small circles that have universally adopted them will often be seen as grammatically incorrect or semantically meaningless. Subsequently, those who choose to use the terms will often be taken less seriously and credibly by serious academics and common people alike.

Other opponents of the terms see the adjustments as an example of excessive political correctness. Still others note that, given that word etymology shows that the word "woman" is not sexist to begin with, unnecessarily eliminating "men" from it exhibits an anti-male gender bias or outright misandry. Further, many feminists themselves object to using "womyn," noting that it serves as an unnecessary distraction from what they consider more important feminist goals. Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ... Reverse discrimination is a term that is used to describe policies or acts that are seen to benefit a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically minorities or women), at the expense of a historically socio-politically dominant group (typically men and majority races). ... Look up Misandry in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Cultural references

James Finn Garner is the author of He was born in Detroit, Michigan and was raised in Dearborn, Michigan. ... 1867 edition of Punch, a ground-breaking British magazine of popular humour, including a good deal of satire of the contemporary social and political scene. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. ...

Notes

See also

v • d • e

Sexual identities

Gender

Male · Female · Androgyny · Boi · Cisgender · Gender identity · Gender identity disorder · Genderqueer · Gender role · Intersex · Pangender · Third gender · Transgender · Transman · Transwoman · Transsexualism

Sexual orientations

Asexuality · Bisexuality · Heterosexuality · Homosexuality · Pansexuality · Technosexuality

Third genders

Fa'afafine · Fakaleiti · Hijra · Kathoey · Khanith · Mukhannathun · Muxe · Sworn virgin · Two-spirit

Other

Butch and femme · Fetishist · Homosexuality and transgender · Master (BDSM) · Polyamory · Swinging · Queer · Womyn · Top / bottom · Same gender loving

Categories: Articles lacking sources from October 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Feminism | Neologisms Feminists redirects here. ... Gender-neutral language (gender-generic, gender-inclusive, non-sexist, or sex-neutral language) is language that attempts to refer neither to males nor females when discussing an abstract or hypothetical person whose sex cannot otherwise be determined. ... Radical feminism is a branch of feminism that views womens oppression (which radical feminists refer to as patriarchy) as a basic system of power upon which human relationships in society are arranged. ... Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Gay bashing Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action Racial... This box: Misogyny (IPA: ) is hatred or strong prejudice against women; an antonym of philogyny. ... Look up Misandry in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Gender-neutral, gender-inclusive or epicene pronouns are pronouns that neither reveal nor imply the gender or the sex of a person. ... Herstory is a term which originated as a neologism. ... Gender in common usage refers to the sexual distinction between male and female. ... This article is about the Male sex. ... For other uses, see Female (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Androgyny (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Cisgender (IPA: ) is an adjective neologism that means non-transgender. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Gender identity disorder, as identified by psychologists and physicians, is a condition in which a person has been assigned one gender, usually on the basis of their sex at birth (compare intersex disorders), but identifies as belonging to another gender, and feels significant discomfort or being unable to deal with... Genderqueer or intergender is a gender identity of both, neither or some combination of man and/or woman. In relation to the gender binary (the view that there are only two genders), genderqueer people generally identify as more both/and or neither/nor, rather than either/or. ... A bagpiper in Scottish military clan-uniform. ... Intersexuality is the state of a person whose sex chromosomes, genitalia and/or secondary sex characteristics are determined to be neither exclusively male nor female. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Pansexuality. ... Anna P., who lived for many years as a man in Germany, was photographed for Magnus Hirschfelds book Sexual Intermediates in 1922. ... A transgender woman at New York Citys gay pride parade Transgender (IPA: , from trans (Latin) and gender (English)) is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies that diverge from the normative gender role (woman or man) commonly, but not always, assigned at... Transmen or trans men are transgender or transsexual people who were assigned female at birth based on genital appearance (or, in cases of intersexuality, were later assigned to the female gender) and who feel that this is not an accurate or complete description of themselves. ... â€œMTFâ€ redirects here. ... For the electronic music EP by Mr. ... Sexual orientation refers to the direction of an individuals sexuality, usually conceived of as classifiable according to the sex or gender of the persons whom the individual finds sexually attractive. ... This article is about the sexual orientation in humans. ... â€œBisexualâ€ redirects here. ... One version of a Heterosexuality symbol Heterosexuality is sexual or romantic attraction between opposite sexes, and is the most common sexual orientation among humans. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... Pansexuality (sometimes referred to as omnisexuality[1]) is a sexual orientation characterized by the potential for aesthetic attraction, romantic love and/or sexual desire for people regardless of their gender identity or biological sex. ... Android Gigolo Joe is a technosex symbol Technosexual is a neologism used to describe an individual in one of two ways: A person (usually a male) with a strong aesthetic sense and a love of gadgets. ... Anna P., who lived for many years as a man in Germany, was photographed for Magnus Hirschfelds book Sexual Intermediates in 1922. ... Faafafine (Samoa), fakaleiti (Tonga), rae rae or mahu (French Polynesia) is a Polynesian concept related to gender role and gender identity. ... A fakaleiti (or leiti or fakafefine or lady) is a Tongan man who behaves in in effeminate ways, in contrast to mainstream Tongan men, who tend to be very masculine. ... For other uses, see Hijra. ... Ladyboy redirects here. ... Khanith (variant transcription Xanith) is a vernacular Arabic term for both standard written Arabic mukhannath and khuntha. ... Mukhannathun (also mukhannath) are gender-variant (typically male-to-female) persons of the Islamic faith who are accepted within the boundaries of Makkah and Madinah (Islam). ... In Zapotec cultures of Oaxaca (southern Mexico), a muxe (or muxhe) is a physically male individual who dresses and behaves in a feminine manner; they may be seen as a third gender. ... A sworn virgin is a virgin who adamantly refuses to ever have sexual intercourse. ... Berdache (from French, from Arabic bardajo meaning kept boy) is a generic term used by some for a third gender (woman-living-man) among many, if not most, Native American tribes. ... Femme redirects here. ... Two women in handcuffs and latex miniskirts and tops - Latex and PVC fetishism Wikinews has related news: Dr. Joseph Merlino on sexuality, insanity, Freud, fetishes and apathy Sexual fetishism is the sexual attraction for material and terrestrial objects while in reality the essence of the object is inanimate and sexless. ... Homosexuality and transgender are two separate concepts. ... This article is about the word Master as used in BDSM. For other uses of the word, see Master. ... Polyamory (from Greek (, literally â€œmultipleâ€) and Latin (literally â€œloveâ€)) is the desire, practice, or acceptance of having more than one loving, intimate relationship at a time with the full knowledge and consent of everyone involved. ... Swinging, sometimes referred to as the swinging lifestyle, is non-monogamous sexual activity, treated much like any other social activity, that can be experienced as a couple. ... For the novel by William S. Burroughs, see Queer (novel). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

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