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Apr. 6th, 2005
Word Dissection 101
Apr. 6th, 2005 09:10 pmI was thinking about the multiple meanings of so many words in the English language (don't ask, I'm not sure where that train of thought came from anyway) and foudn myself contemplating the words that our society uses to label homosexuals.
First off, the word "homosexual" itself. While the translation is akin to "sexual attraction to the same gender" from the Greek root homo, the word homo also appears in Latin, where it means "man" or "mankind", thereby subtly changing the meaning to "sexual attraction to men or mankind". Sorry straight ladies! You're one of us! (Maybe this is also why we associate the word "homosexual" almost exclusively with male homosexuals and not female homosexuals.)
Secondly, "gay". It originally meant happy or light-hearted and came to be used as an epithet decrying the perceived unmanliness of gay men, who were all obviously very, very fey, right? Which leads us to the associate word, "fairy", which became an epithet for much the same reasons.
Fourthly ("fairy" was the third. Keep up, people!), "queer". "Queer" originally meant (and still does to an extent) odd or strange, possibly in a disturbing manner. The application to homosexuality should be obvious.
Finally (for now), "fag" and "faggot". A "faggot" was originally a small bundle of sticks suitable as kindling for a fire and in British English, is slang for a cigarette. I honestly have no idea how "faggot" came to be an insult referring to homosexuals, but I suspect it might have something to do with burning us?
Now, of all these, I use "gay" when referring to myself. It's mostly because that's the term I first heard used to describe it, but I continue to use it because I prefer to think of myself as happy rather than disquietingly strange or potentially flammable.
Thoughts?
First off, the word "homosexual" itself. While the translation is akin to "sexual attraction to the same gender" from the Greek root homo, the word homo also appears in Latin, where it means "man" or "mankind", thereby subtly changing the meaning to "sexual attraction to men or mankind". Sorry straight ladies! You're one of us! (Maybe this is also why we associate the word "homosexual" almost exclusively with male homosexuals and not female homosexuals.)
Secondly, "gay". It originally meant happy or light-hearted and came to be used as an epithet decrying the perceived unmanliness of gay men, who were all obviously very, very fey, right? Which leads us to the associate word, "fairy", which became an epithet for much the same reasons.
Fourthly ("fairy" was the third. Keep up, people!), "queer". "Queer" originally meant (and still does to an extent) odd or strange, possibly in a disturbing manner. The application to homosexuality should be obvious.
Finally (for now), "fag" and "faggot". A "faggot" was originally a small bundle of sticks suitable as kindling for a fire and in British English, is slang for a cigarette. I honestly have no idea how "faggot" came to be an insult referring to homosexuals, but I suspect it might have something to do with burning us?
Now, of all these, I use "gay" when referring to myself. It's mostly because that's the term I first heard used to describe it, but I continue to use it because I prefer to think of myself as happy rather than disquietingly strange or potentially flammable.
Thoughts?