Culturally Sensitive

and Bias-Free
Language
ANN BEVERLY CORONA-VERBOSIDAD, MAED ENG
College of Teacher Education
NORSU Bayawan-Sta. Catalina Campus
• Practicing cultural sensitivity is as important as
awareness of the existence of World Englishes

• “to write in a culturally sensitive way means to be

aware that cultural differences and similarities
between people exist and these should not be assigned
a positive or negative value via words and descriptions
selected in writing” (Uychoco and Santos, 2018)
• academic and professional writings are characterized as
bias-free

• students, scholars, professionals, and anyone should

remain careful in using words and phrases that are
not discriminatory of any particular group (whether
on race, ethnicity, gender, social class, age, and
disability) in order to maintain harmony in
communicative relations
Race and Ethnicity

Racism – a form of discrimination against a

person/s of a different race
– it is best to avoid identifying people by
race/ethnic group in general
– “only if it is relevant to what you have
to say” (Arinto, 2009 as cited by
Uychoco and Santos, 2018) as race is
an emotionally charged topic
Race and Ethnicity

Racism – (1) avoid words that reinforce

stereotypes and that imply all people
of a particular race or ethnic group
are the same whether these are positive
or negative
Case in point:
“Naturally, the Asian student won the Math contest.”
* “naturally” reinforces the stereotype or
generalization that Asians have superior
aptitude in Math
Race and Ethnicity

Racism – (2) be attuned to current terminology by

which racial and ethnic groups refer
to themselves through reading
newspapers and watching television
news which typically are indicators of
good usage
Case in point 1:
* “Native American” over “Red Indian” but today, most
Native American people prefer to be referred by to by their
own specific nation or tribe
Race and Ethnicity
Case in point 2:
• Philippine context – shifts in preferences of Filipinos with
Chinese ancestry from Tsino, to Chinoy, to Filipino
Chinese
Case in point 3:
• Ethnic groups – sensitivity to religion is very necessary when
referring to the variety of ethnic groups so that
assumptions would not be made to stereotype a race,
nationality, or ethic group with a specific religion – not all
Arabs are Muslims, not all Indians are Buddhists, and
not all Filipinos are Roman Catholics
Gender and Sexual Orientation

Sexism – refers to the prejudice and discrimination

based on sex or gender
Inclusivity means favoring of gender-neutral words and
phrases over gender-biased words.
Examples:
• man-made versus manufactured, synthetic or artificial
• layman’s terms versus ordinary terms
• chairman versus chairperson or chair
• stewardess versus flight attendant
• manpower versus labor
• woman lawyer versus lawyer; male nurse versus nurse
Gender and Sexual Orientation

Sexism – * gender-biased pronouns can be

avoided by:
• dropping pronouns signifying gender and restarting the
sentence
• changing to plural construction
• replacing masculine and feminine pronouns with “one” or
“you”
Example:
Each student should submit his term paper by Monday.
Gender and Sexual Orientation

Sexism –
Example:
Each student should submit his term paper by Monday.

Restatement: Each student should submit a term paper

by Monday.
Plural construction: Students should submit their term
papers by Monday.
Use of “you”: You should submit your term paper by
Monday.
Gender and Sexual Orientation
Sexism – Other gender-related terms are associated
with gender orientation or sexual orientation.
Sensitivity is important to new attitudes about
homosexual, transsexual, and transgender people.
Example:
• preference of “gay” to the more clinical “homosexual”
• “lesbian” as more preferable to gay women
• transgender as being the gender they identify as, not their birth
gender
* This is a developing area, and not everyone agrees. As a matter of
principle, refer to societal groups as per their preference.
Social Class

Classism – aka class discrimination, a form of

prejudice against a person because of
their social class
Case in point 1:
• “white trash” – not only a racial slur but a classist one referring to
white people usually from the Southern United States coming from a
lower social class in the white population
– a negative term not just because of the words
that comprise it but because of the connotation of danger as white
trash are seen as criminal, unpredictable, and without respect for
authority
Social Class
Classism –
Case in point 2:
• preppie and yuppie – connoting wealth and arrogance to those who
are economically privileged
Case in point 3:
• Philippine context: informal terms “conyo” and “jologs”
• conyo – young people from the upper class who speak an
idiosyncratic mix of Taglish connoting vanity and social status
consciousness
• jologs – used to describe a person who look poor and out of style,
now replaced perhaps by the term jejemon which was used as a
reference to an idiosyncratic spelling or writing style
Social Class

Classism – may appear even in formal terminology

Case in point 4:
• watch interview with Sociologist/Activist Betsy Leondar-Wright,
“What’s wrong with saying ‘classy’?”
* A more sensitive vocabulary uses terms that more precisely portray
the actual circumstances of people within the class structure.
Case in point 5:
• “owning class” versus “upper class” or “the privileged class”
• “the underclass” versus “the less privileged” or describe a condition
of “chronic poverty”
• “squatters” versus “informal settlers”
Age

Ageism – a form of discrimination against other

people because of their age, or
assuming that older people are less
physically, intellectually, or emotionally
able than other age groups
– applies to younger people when they
are underestimated because of age

• refers to a person’s age only when that information is

pertinent to what is being discussed
Age
Ageism – when referring to a generic group, ask
what wordings would the subjects prefer
Example:
• senior citizens versus older persons
• young people versus youths or teenagers

– writers should be specific when referring to males

and females in terms of age
Case in point:
• women versus girls – women are females at 18 years old and
over; girls are those in high school or under 18
• same with men versus boys
Disabilities
Disabilities – discrimination often occur because of
lack of understanding and awareness
– (1) distinguish some terms that are
mistakenly understood to be
synonymous (read A Guide to Bias-Free
Communications)
– differentiates impairment, disability, and
handicap as physiological condition,
consequence of an impairment which may or
may not be handicapping, and the social
implication of a disability respectively
Disabilities
Disabilities – Example: limp
Limp: an impairment by which a leg or foot is
damaged or stiff
Disability: difficulty in walking, or walking unevenly
and haltingly, which may result from arthritis
Handicap: people who limp may be handicapped by
having to climb the stairs in buildings with no elevators

Other guides from other cultural contexts may provide

different definitions and examples—research!
Disabilities
Disabilities – (2) focus on the person, not the
condition
– avoid hurtful expressions
Case in point:
• “retards,” “mentally retarded,” versus “people with
mental retardation”
• “the blind” versus “people with visual impairments”
• “cancer patients” versus “people being treated for cancer”
* The examples demonstrate the importance of identity-first
language or the importance of putting the person or people first.
Disabilities
Disabilities –
Example:
Disability first. The blind student used a special
keyboard during the exam.
Person first. The student, who is visually impaired,
used a special keyboard during the
exam.

– (3) consider the negative implications of

usages such as “confined to a
wheelchair” and “AIDS victim”
Disabilities
Disabilities – (3) * use “uses a wheelchair” as
wheelchairs allow people to escape
confinement;
* use “person with AIDS” as
someone who can acquire a
disease without being victimized by
it
* “abnormal” versus “atypical”
because “people who have
disabilities are atypical but not
necessarily abnormal”
Disabilities
Disabilities – (3) the last examples demonstrate the
importance of not representing
people with disabilities as
unfortunate, limited, and helpless
victims
• The guiding principles are helpful but research is very
important to be aware of trends (as for example, debates
are heated on “autistic person” versus “person with
autism”). As a rule, asking concerned people what they
prefer as terms would be ideal.
Final Takeaway

To be an effective writer, one must not:

• stereotype,
• demean, or
• exclude any member

of his or her audience.

Such stereotypes are barriers to communication.

References
Autistic Self Advocacy Network. (2020). Identity-first language. Retrieved from https://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/identity-
first-language/
Banzon, G. (2015, February 4). 13 Signs You're A Conyo Of Manila. Retrieved from https://www.cosmo.ph/lifestyle/13-signs-you-
re-a-conyo-of-manila
Escandor, F.P.S. (2010, May 19). Jejemon-ism!. Retrieved from
https://www.philstar.com/cebu-lifestyle/2010/05/19/576096/jejemon-ism
Jologs. (2019). In Wiktionary: the free dictionary. Retrieved from https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jologs
Jologs. (2020). In Urban dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jologs
Lee-Brago, P. (2010, May 23). Students urged: Shun 'jejemon‘. Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/news-
feature/2010/05/23/577357/students-urged-shun-jejemon
Ocao, J. (2010, July 4). Jejemon: A cause for concern?. Retrieved frim
https://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2010/07/04/589887/jejemon-cause-concern
Professional Memer. (2020, February 22). When Ebola and Corona virus meets each other. Retrieved from
https://www.facebook.com/ProfessionalMemer2.0/photos/a.102199371294792/133189664862429/?type=3&theater
Professional Memer. (2020, February 24). Family picture w/ grandma. Retrieved from
https://www.facebook.com/ProfessionalMemer2.0/photos/a.102199371294792/133703244811071/?type=3&theater
University of Wisconsin-Madison. (n.d.) A guide to bias-free communications. Retrieved from
https://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/_files/aps/adeo/Article_Guide_to_Bias-Free_Communications.pdf
Uychoco, M.T. and Santos, M.L. (2018). Communication for society: purposive communication. Quezon City: Rex Bookstore.