Italian dictionary urged to change its 'sexist' definition of 'woman' - Wanted In Milan - Dictionary

A campaign is underway in Italy against 'sexist' synonyms for women in the Treccani dictionary.

Ahead of International Women's Day on 8 March, a campaign has been launched to change the "sexist" definition of the word 'woman' in a prestigious Italian dictionary, whose synonyms currently include 30 words to describe a prostitute.

In an open letter to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, more than 100 high-profile Italians have demanded an end to the "sexist" and "derogatory" synonyms for "woman" in the Treccani online dictionary.

The terms in question include "cagna" (bitch), "puttana" (whore), "bella di notte" (lady of the night), "cortigiana" (courtesan), “donnina allegra” (happy little woman) and even "serva" (maid).

"Such expressions are not only offensive but ... reinforce the negative and misogynistic stereotypes that objectify women and present them as inferior," said the letter.

“This is dangerous as language shapes reality and influences the way women are perceived and treated.”

The letter calls for the elimination of "the expressly offensive words referring to woman" and the insertion of "expressions that represent the role of women in society in a complete and consistent way."

The letter, whose signatories include politician Laura Boldrini (pictured) and novelist Michela Murgia, points out that Treccani lists broadly positive synonyms for "man," such as "uomo d'affari" (businessman), "uomo d'ingegno" (man of genius) and "uomo di rispetto" ('stand-up guy').

In reply, Treccani’s Italian language vocabulary director Valeria Della Valle said she is convinced that defending the image and role of women is not achieved by "burning the words that offend us."

Stating that while she appreciated the reasons for the campaign, Della Valle argued that the role of dictionaries is to include even the “most detestable and outdated expressions” while ensuring to label them as "a prejudice or a cliché handed down from the past but no longer acceptable."

A similar campaign last year led the Oxford English Dictionary to modify its definition of woman, which included "bitch," "bint" and “wench,” with labels now applied to terms identified as “derogatory,” “offensive” or “dated.”

The person behind the Oxford campaign was Maria Beatrice Giovanardi, the London-based equality activist now spearheading the campaign against Treccani whose definitions she describes as even more offensive.

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

The letter to Treccani states that the changes requested would "not put an end to daily sexism, but it could contribute to a correct description and vision of the woman and of her role in today's society."