Terminology In Molly Worthen's Just Don T Do It

There is a saying that goes: “You’ll never get a second chance to make a first impression.” While trite, this short adage holds a grain of truth. Human beings are hardwired to judge others based on their first encounters. This split-second judgement is based on many factors- physical appearance, posture, clothing, and even speech. Language and speech are the most telling of these factors. They can often portray education level, geographic location, and the social class of the individual. Humans use these external markers to form an opinion on the person they are meeting. The opinion one forms can then alter the ways in which they communicate with and treat the other individual. As seen in the articles “Stop Saying I Feel Like” by Molly Worthen

One of these is vocabulary. Terminology can play a large role in perceived social and educational standing. In the article “Just Don’t Do It” by linguist Deborah Cameron, she describes how the usage of the word “just” is taken by many critics as residue of a patriarchal society and a sign of women’s continued deference to men. Cameron mentions how former Google executive Ellen Petry Leanse found fault with the word, calling it a “permission word” and “an apology for interrupting”. Leanse asserts that women need to find “clearer, more confident ways of making [their] ideas known”. Cameron also explains how many critics view the use of the word “sorry” as an extension of this idea. They claim that women overuse the word and thus allow themselves to be labeled as inferior. However, Cameron’s article refutes these claims. She cites the fact that there is little empirical evidence to support these allegations as reason to distrust their legitimacy. In fact, Cameron sets forth that these statements actually reinforce the patriarchal standards that they claim to defy. They implicate that a woman must modify the way she speaks to be more like that of a man’s in order to demand respect and retain authority. Cameron’s article exemplifies how words as simple as “just” and “sorry” are used to place women in an inferior position. Women’s use of these words alters the perceptions of others and makes them seem less confident and authoritative. This in turn changes the way in which men collaborate with