Words matter.

A short shortlist of words I’m trying to delete from my own idiolect.

But first, some Nerdy word terms I just relearned.

1. If your vocabulary includes all the words you know, your idiolect includes the ones you tend to use.
   

2. Words with the same spelling but different meanings are called homographs.

   • If they are pronounced differently (e.g., tear me off a chunk of that delicious sourdough from BreadX vs. a tear dropped softly down her cheek as she took her last bite) they are heteronyms.

   • If they are also pronounced the same (e.g., BreadX: not your average loaf vs. I’m too stuffed to do anything but loaf around), they are homonyms.
     

3. Etymology is the study of the origins of words and the way their meanings change over time.
   

4. Markedness describes an asymmetrical relationship between two terms, often using prefixes or suffixes like non-, un-, dis-, -less, etc. to relate them. The unmarked term (e.g., white) is dominant/default and the marked term (e.g. non-white) is subordinate/deviant.

   • I can't unsee these words and I feel their insidiously problematic effects everywhere. One of these days I'll write a whole post about it. This one sums up a lot.

Be the change.

Take me to the TL;DR

Ok, enough of that. 3++ words to remove:

1. Fellow. I did two post-doctoral “fellowships” and ran a professional “fellowship” program for years. I fought to rebrand the programs, but the establishment dies hard. Here's a test that a clever doctor once posed to me: would you ever refer to a woman as a jolly fellow? (The answer is no). It's a gendered word. Delete.

2. Guys. This one is obvious but it dies hard too. Here are some alternatives I am trying to use instead: friends, people, folks, team. If I'm talking to a group of men/boys and I know their self-identified genders (which I often am and sometimes do), guys is fine. If not, delete.

3. Master. Master bedroom, master’s tools, master copy, grand master plan, … it’s too closely associated with slavery. Delete, delete, delete, delete.

Bonus words: Marked words like (non-)STEM, (non-)white, hero(ine), police(wo)man. It’s unrealistic to delete these. The goal is to recognize which word feels like the default.

TL;DR

Like any habit, words fall out of our mouths without thinking.

The goal here is not to be perfect. It’s to be intentional and to strive for better.

Pick three words. Try to notice when you misuse them. Aim for better. Repeat daily.

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