Whore no more: Italian dictionary scraps ‘sexist’ definitions of a woman
May 15, 2021 10:01 AM PHT
Reuters
An Italian dictionary has revised its sexist definition of a woman – dropping negative words including whore and bitch from the list of synonyms following a high-profile campaign for change.
Dozens of public figures, from writers to lawmakers, signed an open letter to the Treccani online dictionary in March demanding action to remove offensive terms – and pointing out that the synonyms used for man were largely positive.
Among the words that have been scrapped from the entry defining a woman are puttana (whore) and cagna (bitch).
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LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - An Italian dictionary has revised its “sexist” definition of a woman - dropping negative words including “whore” and “bitch” from the list of synonyms following a high-profile campaign for change.
Dozens of public figures, from writers to lawmakers, signed an open letter to the Treccani online dictionary in March demanding action to remove offensive terms - and pointing out that the synonyms used for “man” were largely positive.
Among the words that have been scrapped from the entry defining a woman are “puttana” (whore) and “cagna” (bitch).
Maria Beatrice Giovanardi, an activist who led the campaign, said Treccani had also promised a wider review to ensure women are shown playing an equal role in society in definitions and to describe relationships using LGBT+-inclusive language.
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Politician Laura Boldrini, one of the letter s signatories, speaks at the 2018 Women In The World Summit in New York. Angela Weiss/AFP
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About 100 high-profile figures from lawmakers to writers have signed a petition calling on Italian dictionary Treccani to change its âsexistâ definition of the word âwomanâ.
Ahead of International Womenâs Day, the campaign says 30 different words for a sex worker, including â
puttanaâ (whore) and â
cagnaâ (bitch) should be removed from the list of synonyms.
The words appear as synonyms of the euphemism for sex worker “
buona donna“, which is included in a list of expressions that use the word “
MILAN, March 6 Public figures from writers to lawmakers have launched a campaign ahead of International Women’s Day to change a leading Italian dictionary’s “sexist” definition of a woman, which currently includes 30 different words for a sex worker. About 100 high-profile Italians.