Submitted by ShadesOfPoods t3_118vwmf in Showerthoughts
LordAvan t1_j9mo2f7 wrote
Reply to comment by romniner in Natural bodies are for poor females by ShadesOfPoods
I don't see how this response is relevant. Their point was that the word "female" in the OP is used in an irregular, potentially chauvinistic, way. The etymology of the word is irrelevant to how it was used in this case.
romniner t1_j9msu7v wrote
I directly responded to EPJ327 having asserted that using female as a noun was maybe? derogatory rather than it being the literal root and origin of the word.
As a noun it simply means woman or girl.
LordAvan t1_j9muw52 wrote
Yes, that is it's literal meaning, but the point is that it is uncommon to use female as a noun in reference to humans except when speaking clinically or when chauvinists use it as dehumanizing language. The word "women" is the much preferred option by most women, so the use of "females" in this context suggests that OP may have been speaking derogatorily.
romniner t1_j9mv694 wrote
Usage is mostly cultural rather than derogatory. It's safer to take people at the meaning of their words rather than inferring a meaning that isn't justified.
interesting_square t1_j9n4tm9 wrote
Plenty of non-native speakers on Reddit who would miss colloquialisms like the appropriate use of the word woman vs female
romniner t1_j9naoro wrote
Well said.
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