optimistic pessimist
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2008
- Member Type
- Native Language
- Japanese
- Home Country
- Japan
- Current Location
- Japan
Dear all,
The word "man" can be used to refer to all humans. On the other hand, some say, like my Collins Cobuild dictionary, they dislike this usage. Nevertheless, I sometimes see such a sentence as "Man started using tools several miilion years ago" even in books for second language learners.
Do you think we English learners should avoid using "man" this way? Could this be regarded as a remark of a sexist?
If so, maybe I should use other phases such as "our species", "human beings", "human races", or "mankind".
Thank you!
OP
The word "man" can be used to refer to all humans. On the other hand, some say, like my Collins Cobuild dictionary, they dislike this usage. Nevertheless, I sometimes see such a sentence as "Man started using tools several miilion years ago" even in books for second language learners.
Do you think we English learners should avoid using "man" this way? Could this be regarded as a remark of a sexist?
If so, maybe I should use other phases such as "our species", "human beings", "human races", or "mankind".
Thank you!
OP