emka
Junior Member
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2011
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- German
- Home Country
- Germany
- Current Location
- Germany
Nobody wants to be old, so people come up with euphemisms for the inevitable. I’m aware that it’s a little bit like walking on eggshells, and there is no hard and fast definition of “old” age. But if we consider a person to be “old” and use the euphemism “elderly” (elderly lady) or “senior” (senior citizens) – is it appropriate at all to call them elderly or senior without insulting them? Is there a commonly accepted rule?
I've always thought that “elderly” was appropriate if the person is visibly frail and/or sick (think of an old person, 80+, with a walker). If not, I would try to find a way of phrasing my sentence with “senior” (think of a white-haired old person, 70-ish, playing golf). And if the person, even if officially retired, grey and somewhat wrinkled, is clearly fit and active, I would probably resort to “mature” (think of a person skiing downhill or riding a horse).
In other words: I would wiggle and weasel my way out of the problem. But as I work in an industry that’s selling products for the “old” age group (and I have to write in English about them), I thought I’d better get some native speakers’ advice.
Any practical tips?
Thank you.
I've always thought that “elderly” was appropriate if the person is visibly frail and/or sick (think of an old person, 80+, with a walker). If not, I would try to find a way of phrasing my sentence with “senior” (think of a white-haired old person, 70-ish, playing golf). And if the person, even if officially retired, grey and somewhat wrinkled, is clearly fit and active, I would probably resort to “mature” (think of a person skiing downhill or riding a horse).
In other words: I would wiggle and weasel my way out of the problem. But as I work in an industry that’s selling products for the “old” age group (and I have to write in English about them), I thought I’d better get some native speakers’ advice.
Any practical tips?
Thank you.