I do believe that prefixes should not be used by themselves to refer to peoples' sexual preferences, since the prefix itself may be used in a variety of scientific or theoretical/linguistic concepts (heterozygous, etc.).
Therefore, when speaking, I try never to use the word "hetero" or "homo" to refer to someone's sexual preference (besides which, I find it demeaning and linguistically problematic). When I am writing, I only use the prefixes by themselves when I make it clear they are prefixes (for instance, in the sentence "either preference, hetero- or homosexual," which I probably wouldn't really write anyway because it reinforces the idea of a sexual preference binary.)
However, "heterosexual" is a long-established linguistic, sociological, and scientific use of the prefix, just like "heterogeneous" or "heterozygous" or "homonym." If people are going to hear "heterozygous" and think about sexual preference, it's not because "heterosexual" or "heteronormativity" are somehow more valid words than "heterozygous;" it's because people have been using the prefix itself to denote the sexual preference. I don't like that, for grammatical and gender-theory reasons, so I don't use it in my speech, and try to ask people to expand to the full word for precision's sake when I'm in a venue where I feel comfortable doing that.
But "heteronormative" is an important concept, and one which needs to be more widely spread than it is. I can't really get behind the idea that enough people know the word "heteronormativity" to believe that the people who use the word "heteronormative" are really redefining the entire "hetero-" prefix all by themselves, so all that people think about when they hear the prefix is sexual preference.
I do understand your argument that "heterosexual normativity" is more scientifically precise, perhaps, and in my speech I am as sympathetic to that argument as I feel I can possibly demonstrate personally. But "heteronormativity" is equally linguistically precise in the field of critical studies and gender theory. It's a concept that more people should use. It's a concept that's been around for over a decade now. I'd rather have the concept of heteronormativity become common currency by using a slightly problematic word, than have the concept fade out because people are worried that the "hetero-" prefix is only going to be understood to mean "heterosexual" rather than as a generalized prefix taken from the Greek and used in all sorts of words.
If people don't know that the words "heterozygous" or "heterogeneous" exist--and have nothing to do with people having sex--I would say that points to a worrying lack of basic scientific literacy, and a problematic evolution of slang terminology, rather than a problem with overfamiliarity with critical terms in gender theory.
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(no subject)
29/3/11 03:11 (UTC)Therefore, when speaking, I try never to use the word "hetero" or "homo" to refer to someone's sexual preference (besides which, I find it demeaning and linguistically problematic). When I am writing, I only use the prefixes by themselves when I make it clear they are prefixes (for instance, in the sentence "either preference, hetero- or homosexual," which I probably wouldn't really write anyway because it reinforces the idea of a sexual preference binary.)
However, "heterosexual" is a long-established linguistic, sociological, and scientific use of the prefix, just like "heterogeneous" or "heterozygous" or "homonym." If people are going to hear "heterozygous" and think about sexual preference, it's not because "heterosexual" or "heteronormativity" are somehow more valid words than "heterozygous;" it's because people have been using the prefix itself to denote the sexual preference. I don't like that, for grammatical and gender-theory reasons, so I don't use it in my speech, and try to ask people to expand to the full word for precision's sake when I'm in a venue where I feel comfortable doing that.
But "heteronormative" is an important concept, and one which needs to be more widely spread than it is. I can't really get behind the idea that enough people know the word "heteronormativity" to believe that the people who use the word "heteronormative" are really redefining the entire "hetero-" prefix all by themselves, so all that people think about when they hear the prefix is sexual preference.
I do understand your argument that "heterosexual normativity" is more scientifically precise, perhaps, and in my speech I am as sympathetic to that argument as I feel I can possibly demonstrate personally. But "heteronormativity" is equally linguistically precise in the field of critical studies and gender theory. It's a concept that more people should use. It's a concept that's been around for over a decade now. I'd rather have the concept of heteronormativity become common currency by using a slightly problematic word, than have the concept fade out because people are worried that the "hetero-" prefix is only going to be understood to mean "heterosexual" rather than as a generalized prefix taken from the Greek and used in all sorts of words.
If people don't know that the words "heterozygous" or "heterogeneous" exist--and have nothing to do with people having sex--I would say that points to a worrying lack of basic scientific literacy, and a problematic evolution of slang terminology, rather than a problem with overfamiliarity with critical terms in gender theory.