Italian dictionary urged to scrap sexist words

CAMPAIGNERS have urged one of Italy’s leading dictionaries to scrap dozens of pejorative synonyms for women, including several words for sex workers.

More than 100 academics, writers and politicians have written an open letter accusing the Treccani online dictionary of sexism, saying the synonyms it lists under “man” are broadly positive.

They argued that terms with negative connotations such as “puttana” (whore) and “cagna” (b----) should be dropped as they “are not only offensive but … reinforce negative and misogynist stereotypes that objectify women and present them as inferior beings”.

The signatories, who include Laura Boldrini, the ex-speaker of Italy’s chamber of deputies, and novelist Michela Murgia, wrote: “This is dangerous as language shapes reality and influences the way women are perceived and treated.” The letter was published in the daily newspaper ahead of International Women’s Day.

In November, the Oxford University Press updated the definition of “woman” in its dictionaries after a similar petition signed by tens of thousands of people led to a review. The Oxford English dictionary was criticised for listing terms such as “b----”, “bird” and “bint” as having a similar meaning to “woman”.

Maria Beatrice Giovanardi, the equality activist who launched both campaigns, said Treccani’s definition was even more offensive, as it included 30 terms to describe a sex worker.

“These words are simply not synonyms of the word ‘woman’. They can be the offensive synonyms of ‘sex worker’, but not of ‘woman’,” she said.

Ms Giovanardi, an Italian national who lives in Britain, added: “It’s really a struggle to find anything positive in that definition, it’s very outdated.”

Among the synonyms listed under the definition of man were “uomo d’affari” (businessman) “uomo di cuore” (man of heart) and “uomo d’ingegno” (man of genius), she said.

She hoped the letter would prompt a public debate on sexism, which she described as “an everyday issue” in Italy.

But Valeria Della Valle, Treccani’s Italian language vocabulary director, said it was the role of dictionaries to include words that some may find offensive.