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The Conversation
The Conversation
Jo Mackiewicz, Professor of Rhetoric and Professional Communication, Iowa State University

‘Male’ and ‘female’ plugs and connectors – gendered language for the ends of garden hoses, electrical cords and pipe fittings sparks debate

Wikimedia Commons
Male and female or plug and socket? artpartner-images/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Hopefully to mean “I hope”; singular “they”; “primary bedroom” instead of “master bedroom” – all are examples of recent language changes.

How do such changes develop? And what happens when people push back against them?

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