Hyper Hyphens! (Partially on topic)

Today is National Punctuation Day, according to the about.com site. The
guide to punctuation and composition provided tips for correct usage of
hyphens, among other punctuation issues. He mentioned that the hyphen is
used to disambiguate certain words. Example: re-form is to shape again and
reform is to change radically. So, I would like to propose that we use a
hyphen in the word sew-er when we write about a person who stitches, and use
the word sewer to indicate the place that collects waste. Do you like that?
I am introducing this because every so often someone will mention the
dislike of the spelling of the word 'sewer' when writing about the stitcher.
I also am eager to show off the 50 cent word I learned today.
Pat, disambiguating in Virginia, and hoping my grammar is well done here
today!

I'm not sure how we got there in the first place.

In most cases where there was a "feminine form" of a term (such as
"stewardess" or "waitress") for some reason we made the leap that the other
form was men-only ("steward", "waiter") and took off down a dark alley with
"flight attendant", "waitperson" or "server". I don't entirely understand
why.

Other feminine terms that died out much earlier ("manageress", "aviatrix")
simply left the masculine form as a generic ("manager", "aviator").

So if it's been decided---and with the advent of "sewer", apparently it
has---that seamstress is dreadfully sexist, what would be wrong with
seamster? At worst, one would be confused, by the hard of hearing, with a
truck driver. Beats being confused with a pipe full of poop.

--pig, who observes that if she's not mistaken, the folks who actually run
one of those machines professionally in a factory is simply called a "sewing
machine operator."


On 9/24/08 16:52, in article , "Pat in Virginia"
wrote:

Today is National Punctuation Day, according to the about.com site. The
guide to punctuation and composition provided tips for correct usage of
hyphens, among other punctuation issues. He mentioned that the hyphen is
used to disambiguate certain words. Example: re-form is to shape again and
reform is to change radically. So, I would like to propose that we use a
hyphen in the word sew-er when we write about a person who stitches, and use
the word sewer to indicate the place that collects waste. Do you like that?
I am introducing this because every so often someone will mention the
dislike of the spelling of the word 'sewer' when writing about the stitcher.
I also am eager to show off the 50 cent word I learned today.
Pat, disambiguating in Virginia, and hoping my grammar is well done here
today!

pig wrote:

Other feminine terms that died out much earlier ("manageress", "aviatrix")
simply left the masculine form as a generic ("manager", "aviator").


Technically, the "-er" and "-or" forms aren't gendered at all. They hearken
back to Old English when the "-er(e)" suffix was used primarily to designate
people according to their profession or social relations. The words,
therefore, referred specifically to the profession, not to the gender of the
person:
teacher
mother, father, sister, brother
preacher
doctor
tailor
bookseller

We've generalized it over the last 1000 years to say that it's just a way of
denoting inclusion within a group, but again, gender doesn't enter into it:
villager
parishoner
stranger
foreigner
New Yorker

and so on. Our decision that the ending denotes "masculine" attributes came
much later, after our generalization shift had already been set. It's a
useful little suffix with quite a few different functions other than these
two, as well.

Anastasia

--who adores the weird world of words.

(Incidentally, I prefer "crafter", since I do more than just sew.)

Manageresses are still over here.

My pet loathing is Chairman. Traditionally it has been used for both men
and women, but recently it has been changed to 'Chair'. I would much
rather be a chairman than a chair!!

Saw an advert for a farm 'Pig person' the other day!

Perhaps I am really a 'Woperson' and you are 'Wopeople'!!! - or even
'Sewpeople'

Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk
http://community.webshots.com/user/sallyswin



Megan Zurawicz wrote:
I'm not sure how we got there in the first place.

In most cases where there was a "feminine form" of a term (such as
"stewardess" or "waitress") for some reason we made the leap that the other
form was men-only ("steward", "waiter") and took off down a dark alley with
"flight attendant", "waitperson" or "server". I don't entirely understand
why.

Other feminine terms that died out much earlier ("manageress", "aviatrix")
simply left the masculine form as a generic ("manager", "aviator").

So if it's been decided---and with the advent of "sewer", apparently it
has---that seamstress is dreadfully sexist, what would be wrong with
seamster? At worst, one would be confused, by the hard of hearing, with a
truck driver. Beats being confused with a pipe full of poop.

--pig, who observes that if she's not mistaken, the folks who actually run
one of those machines professionally in a factory is simply called a "sewing
machine operator."


On 9/24/08 16:52, in article , "Pat in Virginia"
wrote:

Today is National Punctuation Day, according to the about.com site. The
guide to punctuation and composition provided tips for correct usage of
hyphens, among other punctuation issues. He mentioned that the hyphen is
used to disambiguate certain words. Example: re-form is to shape again and
reform is to change radically. So, I would like to propose that we use a
hyphen in the word sew-er when we write about a person who stitches, and use
the word sewer to indicate the place that collects waste. Do you like that?
I am introducing this because every so often someone will mention the
dislike of the spelling of the word 'sewer' when writing about the stitcher.
I also am eager to show off the 50 cent word I learned today.
Pat, disambiguating in Virginia, and hoping my grammar is well done here
today!