Politically Correct Language

The intent of politically correct language is to avoid the potential of offending those who identify with or are part of a particular group. The intent of being politically correct is meant to be a positive step in building good relationships with others but as our special guest Karen Stollznow writes in her article Why Do We Hate Politically Correct Language, “One of the problems of politically correct language seems to be that it is usually created by outsiders, not by the people to whom the language refers”.

Join us this week as we explore the virtues of politically correct language with Karen Stollznow. Dr. Stollznow is an Australian-American linguist and author. She is a Researcher at the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research and was formerly a Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. Her books include OnThe Offensive: Prejudice in Language Past and Present; LanguageMyths, Mysteries and Magic; Would You Believe It?and the best-seller GodBless America. Karen is a host of the popular science podcast Monster Talk.