January 30, 2013

Washington State May Adopt Use of Gender-Neutral 'Ombuds'

The Washington State Senate is debating a bill that would replace 'Ombudsman' with 'Ombuds' throughout the state's legislative scheme.  Included in the technical revision are replacements for 'foreman,' 'fireman,' 'signalman,' 'journeyman,' and 'freshman.  It does not, however, rename the state's Office of the Education Ombudsman. (Sunlight Foundation, WA SB 5077.)

Related posts: Linguist Finds "Ombuds" Usage Shifting Slowly; Former ESPN Ombuds Explains Why She Was Not an “Ombudswoman”; Statute Changes BC "Ombudsman" Into "Ombudsperson"; New Google Tool Shows Dominance of ‘Ombudsman’ Over Variants; Washington State Education Ombuds Faces Budget Cuts.

1 comment:

  1. How can people keep saying 'ombuds' is not a word?

    ReplyDelete