After updating its definition of “woman” to include anybody who “identifies as female,” Cambridge Dictionary was accused of caving in to “a few woke campaigners.”
The term may now be defined as “an adult who lives and identifies as female even though they may have been stated to have a different sex at birth” according to a new definition in the online dictionary.
Examples of use include “She was the first trans woman elected to a national position” and “Mary is a woman who was designated male at birth.”
Additionally, the definition of “man” has been amended to cover those who were born with a “different sex.”
After updating its definition of “woman” to include anybody who “identifies as female,” Cambridge Dictionary was accused of caving in to “a few woke campaigners.”
Toby Young, the founder of the Free Speech Union, cautioned the dictionary authors that they were on a “slippery slope.”
It’s sad to see identity politics influencing how terms are defined in dictionaries, he added.
It doesn’t seem logical to say that these additional meanings of “woman” and “man” are based on “well documented use patterns.” Besides a few awakened activists, who defines “woman” and “men” in this manner?
“I assume that political activists lobbied for the introduction of this new term, a dangerous path that no dictionary should go.”
The term “woman” should have included a disclaimer, according to Chris McGovern of the Campaign for Real Education, since the meaning is debatable.
The dictionary should note that it is a controversial term because it is, he continued.
The risk is that it will sanction the practices occurring in elementary schools, when parents are already concerned that their children are developing confusion at a young age.
“This will feed the conversation and lead to further kid dissatisfaction as they begin to doubt who they are,” Dictionary definitions are considered to be “holy literature,” therefore the revision would lend credibility to the new term, he said.
The Daily Telegraph quoted Sex Matters executive director Maya Forstater as saying: “The core dictionary meaning remains adult human female and male.” The majority of people comprehend this term, which is also the legal definition.
The dictionary acknowledges that various people have always used words in diverse ways.
But Dr. Jane Hamlin, head of the Beaumont Society, a support organization for transgender and non-binary people, called the development “excellent news.”
The definitions of “man” and “woman” have recently been the subject of a lot of misinformation and nonsense writing, but these definitions are accurate, straightforward, and succinct. Best wishes to the Cambridge Dictionary team. The definition of a woman in the dictionary is still “adult female human being.”
The updated additional definition of “man” adds that it may also imply “an adult who lives and identifies as male even if they may have been considered to have a different sex at birth.” “Man” is defined as “an adult human being” and “the human race.”
The following examples are supplied to users: “Mark is a trans guy (= a man who was perceived to be feminine at birth)” Additionally, “their doctor advised them to transition surgically after living as a guy for a time.”
Merriam-Webster added a new supplemental definition of “female” earlier this year, defining it as “having a gender identification that is the opposite of male.”
Many people criticized the dictionary for its “circular reasoning” on Twitter today.
@therealmissjo tweeted, “Cambridge Dictionary has altered its definition of “woman” to include guys who identify as women.
“This has always been the definition of a lady,” people will soon declare. That is how it works. Very similar to 1984.
Cambridge Dictionary ruled that it was no longer accurate, according to user @Raku_____.
@NickKao13 concurred, saying “Any term in the Cambridge Dictionary is now susceptible to interpretation.” ‘ Who are architects? “Anyone who believes themselves to be an architect.”
I’m already sad I walked down the Cambridge Dictionary rabbit hole, but in my opinion it is obvious that they have formally destroyed the dictionary, said Shannon Edwards.
@kellykreads wrote, “The circular reasoning has found its way to Cambridge Dictionary.” ‘Unbelievable.’
Short version: “Whatever you believe it is” is how the Cambridge Dictionary defines “woman,” according to another Twitter user.
When J.K. Rowling made fun of the phrase “those who menstruate,” the already-heated argument about what constitutes a “woman” reached a fever pitch.
In certain circles, she was “cancelled,” and several of the Harry Potter series of films’ stars spoke out against her.
T-shirts with the wording “Woman / noun / adult human female” in dictionary style have contributed to the uproar, with detractors claiming it is discriminatory against transgender individuals.
After a lady complained that it was rude, the establishment turned her away.
A spokeswoman for Cambridge Dictionary said, “Our editors added this to the entry for “woman” in October.
They thoroughly examined the word’s use patterns and came to the conclusion that English language learners should be aware of this meaning in order to better comprehend how the language is employed.
The initial definition of “woman” at the entry is still “an adult female human being,” as it always has been.
“Our dictionaries are prepared for English language learners and are intended to aid users in understanding English as it is used today.”
They were created by the analysis of a large corpus of English texts, totaling over two billion words, from a variety of writing and publishing contexts, allowing us to precisely observe how language is utilized.
Based on a study of the data from this corpus, “We continually update our dictionary to reflect changes in how English is used.”
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