The Conscious Language Newsletter: December 2022

From the World of Conscious Language

“The easiest change to implement—one that is free and that we could start today—is to add the name of a book’s editors to every imprint page.”

“Who gets credit directly relates to who is paid more, who receives more opportunities, and what the industry as a whole looks like.”

Person-first language “is a norm that many non-disabled people have attempted to universalize, regardless of personal linguistic preferences within the disabled community.”

“The most important advice to keep in mind when explaining autism to kids: It’s not a taboo topic.”

“Body weight is a sensitive topic for many youth, and the way that parents talk about it can have an emotional impact on their children.” —Rebecca Puhl, UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health

“In agreement with SAG-AFTRA and GLAAD, IMDb users can now hide their birth dates, birth names, and more from both IMDb and IMDbPro for free.”

Tips include: improving terminology, avoiding stereotypical images, flipping the narrative, and checking your bias.

Left side: Screenshot of CSG homepage. Right side:

“Recommendations for giving due respect to Trump’s candidacy without amplifying his false claims or promoting his anti-democratic beliefs.”

“The Cambridge Dictionary recently updated its definitions for ‘woman’ and ‘man’ to include transgender people, becoming the latest dictionary to formally expand what it means to be a woman.”

“In the real world, race has been historically used to divide and oppress different groups of people. In fantasy, race goes from a social construct to real, physical differences, unwittingly giving teeth to the discrimination present in both places.”

Learn about plain language and health literacy in this four-part series by plain language advocate Iva Cheung.

“We avoid conversations precisely because the difficult emotions are painful to confront. Make no mistake, however: just because you don’t see the other person’s immediate reaction, doesn’t make it go away.”

“If love, awareness, and respect are actively pursued, exclusionary language, though challenging to eliminate completely, will be at a minimum.”

CSG in the News

“Authors will continue to write their and others’ realities into books, which means they will continue to cross outside the boundaries of their own knowledge…For those authors, a sensitivity read is worth the investment because it can help eliminate stereotypes, harmful content, or false information.”

From the Archives

 Young People and Ageist Language | By Karen Yin, Conscious Style Guide

“Avoiding double standards in ageist language doesn’t mean treating children like adults, but it does mean treating children like individuals.”

In Case You Missed It

Saying goodbye to star ratings, talking about addiction, and choosing between Latinx, Latine, or neither.

The Conscious Style Guide newsletter rounds up the best news and blog posts from the world of kind, compassionate, mindful, empowering, respectful, and inclusive language. Note: Spotlighting an opinion is not intended as an endorsement. Please send news tips to [email protected].