Hello, Lisa:
Hello, Lisa: Last weekend I was at a party and heard a lot of “hushing”. What I mean is that often when someone is talking about the nationality, religion or race of someone, they whisper the label they give to that person. The context at this party was something like: “You have to visit that city. It’s such an interesting place. You have to know, many of the people there are ___. “
What is your explanation of why people hush the word?
R.L.
Chicago, IL
Hello, R.L.,
I imagine that the reason people hush words is one of two reasons:
- They know the label they are attributing is a negative label. Since the word is not becoming or respectful, they would rather not let anyone overhear them, for fear of being labeled themselves! (Funny how that works.)
- They don’t know whether the label they are attributing to the person is appropriate. There are many perfectly acceptable words that get hushed because the speaker is unsure whether the word is acceptable or polite. A good way to find out what descriptor to use – if you really need one -- is to simply ask someone you know who falls within the group you are trying to describe. Describe your uncertainty and ask them which word they prefer and why. Of course, people will give you just their own opinion, and opinions can vary greatly.
