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Subject:Re: He/she From:Karen Kay <karenk -at- NETCOM -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 1 Dec 1994 17:18:13 -0800
mpriestley -at- VNET -dot- IBM -dot- COM said:
> Frankly, there are plenty of answers possible here. But the very
> juxtaposition of gender-neutral Japanese language with decidedly
> sexist Japanese culture tends to suggest that language and culture are
> not as tightly coupled as language reformers believe.
Who says that *all* languages and *all* cultures are equally tightly
coupled?
Also, having been a professional Japanologist for some years, I
certainly don't feel comfortable with a phrase like 'decidely sexist
Japanese culture'. The standards for what is sexist vary from culture
to culture. You *may* claim that Japanese culture is decidedly sexist
from a Western standpoint--but I don't see what relevance that has to
the discussion of tech writing.
