Postal Letter

homework help...please....at least one example plz?

Before introducing the issue of gender-bias with language, the instructor hands out a list of definitions to students and asks that they provide the work that best fits the definitions listed. Definitions consist of the following. 1. A member of a company to fight fires (fireman) 2. A member of a police force (policeman) 3. A person who delivers mail (mailman) 4. Power available from, or supplied by, the physical effort of people (man power) 5. A unit of one hour’s work by one person that is used as a basis for cost accounting and wages (man hour) 6. A member of congress (congressman) 7. One who sells either in a given territory or a store (salesman) 8. The presiding officer of a meeting or an organization or committee (chairman) 9. The human race: the totality of human beings (mankind) 10. Manufactured, created, or constructed by people (man-made)

Public Comments

1. As in firefighter, police officer, mail carrier, human power, human hour, congress person, salesperson, chairperson, humankind, human-made?
2. It's not very clear what you're asking from us, but I can tell you some substitutions for the terms in parentheses: 1. firefighter 2. police officer 3. mail carrier These are standard forms, and have been for some time. You can look for articles that would use the terms for the other professions. Some people would say that it makes a different if you are referring to a specific person or the job in general. For example, if Joe Smith is the chair of a committee, you can refer to him as Chairman Smith because he is a man. But if you are electing a new person, it would be better to say "chairperson" or "chair" because you don't know the gender of the people who will run. I don't personally have a problem with "mankind' or "man-made"- I don't think these imply men only the way the other terms do, but some people disagree. By the way, this is all based on research showing that people did not perceive these terms as neutral at all- they interpreted them as meaning "men" when they read them. So it's an issue of accurate communication, not just something dreamed up by feminists!
3. A person who delivers mail is called a Letter Carrier and has been called that for over 100 years. Pop media and television have used other terms and they are all incorrect. (www.nalc.org)