The Love Song of K. Ellen Yates: Linguistic Oppression

Sunday, February 28, 2016

"Bitch"

men who speak with conviction: assertive, confident, righteous

women who speak with conviction: bitchy, shrill, self-righteous

@moscaddie

After a three week hiatus, I return with what I would like to become a regular series; before I begin, might I take this opportunity to outline my intentions with the phrase 'linguistic oppression.' By using 'linguistic oppression,' I refer to any word or phrase in the English language which is or has become harmful to a group of people. This week's example is 'bitch.'

I wanted to start with the fourth most popular profanity in the English language online according to analyses conducted by Slate. Coming in at around 4.5 million uses within a three day period amongst Facebook users in the USA, "bitch" has long-been one of our more problematic insults. According to Dr. Timothy Jay, there are "over 70 different taboo words" but 80% of the time, only 10 words are used, of which the word 'bitch' is included. Interestingly, and unlike the other swear words, the use of the term does not fluctuate by gender; across the board, "bitch" consistently retains its title at the top. Moreover, "bitch" is the first (most obviously) gendered obscenity.

Language is ridden with seemingly gender-specific terms. Gender has been applied to all manner of things which are now deemed to be intrinsically masculine or feminine due to the way we have been socially programmed; think of the colours blue and pink (or see my other post 'The Absurdity of Gendered Toys'). With its well-known etymology in the Old English noun 'bitch' referencing 'female dog,' or the Old Norse 'female of the dog,' 'bitch' gradually became "the most offensive appellation that can be given to an English woman, even more provoking than that of whore" ('Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue,' 1811). If a woman being referred to as her canine equivalent could be so offensive, where have these connotations come from? Funnily enough - this, too, stems from the root of the word, where 'bitch' suggested that a woman had high sexual desire comparable to a female dog in heat. As such, the range of meanings related to 'bitch' have expanded.

Today, there is a distinct difference in meaning when 'bitch' is used in relation to woman than a man. @moscaddie's tweet succinctly outlines this difference by paralleling the perception of speaking with conviction by man or woman, challenging the damaging notion that where man is right, woman is wrong because she is being 'bitchy.' This pejorative term suggests that she is unreasonable, aggressive, and intrusive - impeding on a masculine sphere by attempting to speak with conviction. Inherently feminine by definition then, when 'bitch' refers to a man, this man is considered to be subordinate and weak.

Although the gay community reclaimed the word 'bitch' in the 1980s in an attempt to recuperate the reputations of men referred to as such, Shanelle Matthews points out that "ironically, the more commonly a derogatory word is used, the more invisible it becomes." It is no secret that 'bitch' is still offensive, despite its casual day-to-day use. To combat 'acting like a bitch,' studies have shown that women use an increased amount of apologetic phrases to foreground their speech in order to ensure that their ideas are not presented as 'shrill,' 'self-righteous,' or 'narcissistic,' especially in the workplace.

It is not my intention to police language because words can be our most powerful tool - but I do think that, in order to curate a safer, more accepting world where gender equality is a genuine possibility, all oppressive factors must be taken into consideration. When 'bitch' is having an active effect on relationships in professional environments, this is a situation in which its usage needs to be reconsidered.