Language shapes awareness in a variety of ways and has the power to influence the meanings of culture. As a society we tend to only name what is important to us and the meaning of what is being named relies greatly on the connotation we associate with the word or phrase. With a positive connotation comes acceptance and favorability and a negative connotation brings distaste and rejection. This being said, we can change language to reflect our changing understandings and perceptions of ourselves and the world that surrounds us.
Recently many people have made an effort to shape language in order to be politically correct. Instead of using the word stewardess, we say flight attendant because the word stewardess insinuates the profession is exclusively for women. This is exactly why we have mail-carriers instead of mail-men and this trend is also affecting the way we describe cultural happenings. "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," a phrase used forever has changed to "Happy Holidays" partly because all the cynics out there believe it to be offensive due to its exclusive nature. In this particular situation I don't agree with "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" slowly changing to "Happy Holidays" because it addresses two special days that are already exclusive to a culture and the people that identify with it. Why try to include people of different cultures in a time that only has significant meaning to the individuals that identify with it?
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