poem21045
Tribunus Plebis
Fair enough I guess, but if I'm honest I have to say that words have never offended me - maybe it's a generational thing...
I was generalizing, as teachers of language and usage (that's me!) often do. I applaud you for accepting others' words without attaching judgement. Would that more of us could do that!
But, like it or not, most words carry a connotation quite beyond their denotation, and many of those connotations change over even a short period of time. "Bad" comes to mind. In many contexts, "bad" now means "good" (as it has for some years now). And (thanks to Michael Jackson and others) the new usage was accepted very quickly. On the other hand, when people try to purposely change language, it may not be successful. The French Institute, which is supposed to oversee the French language and keep it pure, tried to outlaw the word "hotdog" in the 1960s, but the sheer popularity of the American food overcame any attempts at suppression. Only time will tell whether the new gender pronoun definitions (for example, referring to someone as "they" who is nonbinary) will last. There are many who are zealous about them. But the determiner will be if the population as a whole accepts and uses them.
Sorry, I got into lecture mode. . . .