Who's In Charge Of The English Language Rhetorical Analysis
Logical and emotional appeals in “Who’s in charge of the English language” by Casey Miller and Kate Swift
English, as an alive language, undergoes changes with the time. However, one main feature has stayed the same since its creation. Being an androcentric language, it still contains gender bias, that much or less affects people. This is what C. Miller and K. Swift write about in their article “Who’s in charge of the English language,” addressed to the Members of the Association of American University press. The two authors use logical appeals (authors cited, examples from dictionaries and anthropology) to convince people that writers should not use gender-biased language. However, it is their use of emotional appeals (such as appeals to democratic values, usage of “we”, and the sense of common purpose) that most persuades.
Miller and Swift create big part of their article by using logical appeals. They provide a mixture of data, evidence and facts, which help them support their claims. Starting with an introduction to the human history from ancient times, the authors get us into the beginnings of a male-centered world. “English is an androcentric because for centuries it has been evolving in a society where men have been dominant.” By appeal to the anthropology, they help us understand how …show more content…
It gives a thorough explanation to two words, which concern the main topic – manly and womanly. According to the dictionary, manly means “having qualities appropriate to men: bald, resolute, and open in conduct of bearing,” while womanly is defined as “characteristics suitable to women: conforming to or motivated by a woman’s nature and attitudes, rather than a man’s.” In that way the authors prove that language still differentiates the two genders in an uneven way, making men
English, as an alive language, undergoes changes with the time. However, one main feature has stayed the same since its creation. Being an androcentric language, it still contains gender bias, that much or less affects people. This is what C. Miller and K. Swift write about in their article “Who’s in charge of the English language,” addressed to the Members of the Association of American University press. The two authors use logical appeals (authors cited, examples from dictionaries and anthropology) to convince people that writers should not use gender-biased language. However, it is their use of emotional appeals (such as appeals to democratic values, usage of “we”, and the sense of common purpose) that most persuades.
Miller and Swift create big part of their article by using logical appeals. They provide a mixture of data, evidence and facts, which help them support their claims. Starting with an introduction to the human history from ancient times, the authors get us into the beginnings of a male-centered world. “English is an androcentric because for centuries it has been evolving in a society where men have been dominant.” By appeal to the anthropology, they help us understand how …show more content…
It gives a thorough explanation to two words, which concern the main topic – manly and womanly. According to the dictionary, manly means “having qualities appropriate to men: bald, resolute, and open in conduct of bearing,” while womanly is defined as “characteristics suitable to women: conforming to or motivated by a woman’s nature and attitudes, rather than a man’s.” In that way the authors prove that language still differentiates the two genders in an uneven way, making men