The Council of the University has endorsed the use of these guidelines by all members of the university community. Your choice of words and use of language are ways to put this policy into practice. Language as a vehicle of discrimination Language both reflects and shapes social reality. Discriminatory language is therefore both a symptom of, and a contributor to, the unequal social status of women, people with disabilities and people from various ethnic and racial backgrounds. This brochure aims to encourage staff and students at UTS to think actively about the language they use, and provides practical guidelines on how to avoid using discriminatory language.
Language is a major vehicle for the expression of prejudice or discrimination.
In many contexts it is quite unnecessary to mention a person's sex, race, ethnic background or disability. Yet for members of minority groups these characteristics are often mentioned. This type of gratuitous specification may result in overemphasis on a particular characteristic, thus creating the impression that the person referred to is somehow an oddity. Stereotyping A stereotype is a generalised and relatively fixed image of a person or persons belonging to a particular group. Stereotypes are discriminatory in that they take away a person's individuality.