[Linux-aus] Converting Linux Australia's "Committee" to a "Board"

[Donna Benjamin]

On Thu, 2007-02-15 at 22:30 +0900, Bret Busby wrote:
        The correct title is CHAIRMAN. It has nothing to do with gender.
        The word uses the Latin root of the word man, for the action of
        doing, so the word chairman, simply means the person who chairs.
        It has nothing to do with the use of the word man to mean a
        person who is a male. 
        <snip>
        And, this need is well demonstrated by the lack of understanding
        of the word chairman. 
        
Interesting you should focus on this particular point, it's a common
misconception that 'man' refers to manus or latin for hand, but it's
apparently not true.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=chair
http://gorbould.com/blog/2006/07/is-chairman-sexist.html
http://www.word-detective.com/112304.html

Chairman has also taken on connotations beyond it's pure linguistic
meaning.

It is for that reason that many modern organisations no longer refer to
the position as chairman or chairwoman and instead refer to the position
as "the chair".

Take Terrific as an example:
 ter·rif·ic (tə-rĭf'ĭk) pronunciation
adj.
     1. Very good or fine; splendid: a terrific tennis player.
     2. Awesome; astounding: drove at a terrific rate of speed.
     3. Causing terror or great fear; terrifying: a terrific wail.
     4. Very bad or unpleasant; frightful: a terrific headache. 

definitions 3 and 4 are the 'true' etymological meanings, however
terrific has come to mean 1 and 2.

-- 
donna benjamin - executive director
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