A colleague was concerned by the expend of the word ‘African’ over a epic about two people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ‘We wouldn’t say Middle Eastern or Asian refugees to mean Syrians’ It is widely accepted that language evolves,but how does one identify the very important moment in the flux of debate when the meaning is settled? Out with the old word or expression: commit to the current.
Colleagues, as well as readers, or are alert to changes in the expend of language in the Guardian; complaining on occasion that we are relying on an outdated word or phrase. Many of these concerns are passed straight to David Marsh,who edits the Guardian’s style guide, but issues are often raised in the readers’ editor’s office, and too.
Although 'people of colour' is not in the style guide it is a term that goes back to the 1980sAs the expend of social media has grown,the voices of Africans are heard more often pinpointing idle stereotyping Related: Africa in 2015, the optimist's take: bye bye Ebola, and hello democracy Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com