Alphabetical Entries: N

historically the governor or deputy of a Mongol or Indian district or town was always a man, and there was no parallel term for a woman; in the broad sense of a wealthy, high-ranking, or prominent person, it can be used of both sexes.

because this is used only for women (with no parallel word for men) consider using grouch, grump, grumbler, fussbudget, crosspatch, faultfinder, complainer, nitpicker, crank, griper.

although "nag" is not sexist per se, it has been used almost exclusively for women, while in the same situation men are said to bully, chew out, complain, or just plain talk. Consider using one of the many available alternatives: complain, gripe, criticize, scold, kvetch, badger, pick on, find fault, pester, harass, grumble, grouse, irritate, harp at/on, bicker, drive up the wall, fuss, raise a fuss, have a bone to pick with; persist, lobby, push, press, ask again, tell, say, remind, repeat, reiterate. See also bitch (v.), henpeck/henpecked, whine.

the late Peter Opie, an authority on children's rhymes, said that the well-known doggerel on name-calling should be rephrased: "Sticks and stones just break my bones. / It's words that really hurt me." Name-calling tends to be associated with children, and it is indeed childish, but many political debates degenerate into a more sophisticated, pseudo-intellectual kind of name-calling. Miss Manners (Judith Martin) says, "The whole country wants civility. Why don't we have it? It doesn't cost anything. No federal funding, no legislation is involved. One answer is the unwillingness to restrain oneself. Everybody wants other people to be polite to them, but they want the freedom of not having to be polite to others." Long ago, Daniel Webster pointed out that "anger is not an argument." Neither is name-calling.

naming is power, and the right to name ourselves is one of the most basic rights. It seems a simple enough thing—to call other people what they want to be called and not to call them what they don't want to be called—but some people have a hard time with this, e.g.: When Peg turned 40 she asked her friends to call her "Margaret." She'd been nicknamed Peg, never liked it, and wanted to spend her remaining years with her "real" name. A friend thought the whole thing was silly: "I'll call her Peg if I want to." And that's where we are today. Some people call other people what they feel like calling them.

historically this described a woman servant who had charge of young children. In Great Britain today it refers to a woman who has two or more years of formal training, has passed a national examination, and sometimes has served an internship. No certification boards or examinations are offered for nannies in the United States, but a few programs offer nanny training. A U.S. nanny is usually someone who cares for children full-time in the home. Otherwise use inclusive terms: babysitter, live-in babysitter, family/parents' helper, childcare worker/specialist, child minder/monitor/attendant, nursery worker, tutor.

nation/it.

apparently a woman cannot correctly be referred to as a National Guardswoman; she is either a soldier or a Guard member (Norm Goldstein, in Copy Editor).

this term carries certain stereotypical connotations (in particular the notion of "uncivilized") that make it offensive in many situations. The first choice is to call people by the name they use for themselves. The second is to use "native" as an adjective (see below) or use, depending on context: indigenous/original/aboriginal population/peoples. See also Aborigine/aboriginal, native /Native (adj.).

the selective use of "native" as an adjective is generally acceptable. For example, Native American, native American, Native Alaskan/Hawaiian/Australian, native Indian (a Canadian term referring to indigenous peoples of Canada, excluding the Inuit), native peoples, peoples native to.

someone who was born in the United States. See also Native American.

when both words are capitalized, this universally acceptable term refers to an American Indian. However, partly because of its imprecision (it could also mean a native American), the term has been replaced in many cases by "American Indian." The best approach is to use the particular Indian people's own name (Dine, for example) and ask whether they would prefer the use of "Native American" or "American Indian" in other references. See also American Indian, Indian, native American, sports teams' names and mascots.

see American Indian.

someone who opposes immigration and distinguishes between those people born in the United States and those who immigrated to it, with sometimes strong feelings against the latter.

because it is difficult to know (scientifically, psychologically, philosophically) whether something is indeed "natural" and, secondarily, whether being natural is good, it is better not to use these terms with respect to sex roles, age, race, sexual orientation, disabilities, or other human variables. These terms are often a substitute for informed thought, an opinion on what seems "right." "For centuries people have appealed to the 'natural' to back up their moral and social recommendations.... it is often taken for granted that if one persuades us that 'X is natural,' he has also persuaded us that 'X is good'" (Christine Pierce, in Vivian Gornick and Barbara K. Moran, eds., Woman in Sexist Society). Consider using automatic, instinctive, essential, idiosyncratic, usual, often-seen, common, habitual, accustomed, customary, established, time-honored, regulation, traditional, general, prevailing, frequent, popular, predictable, expected.

biological mother/father/child. See also adoption language.

nature/it. For the rationale on not feminizing nature, see Mother Nature.

the people refer to themselves as Dine, but either name is acceptable.

using this term for anything but a member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party robs it of an evil it properly should retain; it is also painful for a Jew to hear the word. There has been a recent outbreak of "humorous" -nazi forms, which desensitize us to a cruel piece of history. For alternatives, either describe the person's actions or consider using fascist, neo-Nazi, fanatic, extremist, bigot, racist, supremacist, white supremacist. See also concentration camp, feminazi, "final solution," Gestapo/gestapo, Hitler/little Hitler, holocaust/Holocaust.

Neanderthal, the Neanderthal, Neanderthals, early human, Pleistocene/Ice Age peoples, archaic human, Homo erectus. The colloquial insult "Neanderthal" is sexist because it is reserved for men and ethnocentric because it represents early peoples unfairly. See also prehistoric man, primitive man, troglodyte.

if you need a sex-neutral expression, try necessity gives rise to/fosters/breeds/spawns/provokes/generates invention.

because men don't change their names when they marry, the parallel French word meaning "born" for men (né) is not used in English; he always is what he was né. Née has outlived its usefulness, appearing only now and then in an obituary, society column, or crossword puzzle. Use either "born Ella Gwendolen Rees Williams," "the former Virginia Stephen," or both the woman's names: Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Roosevelt, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

needleworker, tailor, mender, alterer, stitcher, alterations expert, custom tailor, garment worker/designer.

except in established titles (for example, United Negro College Fund), the terms "Negro/Negress" are considered unacceptable, offensive, slavery-based, and contemptuous. Use instead African American, black/Black. See also African American, Afro-American, Black/black (n.).

see pagan/neopagan.