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Re: Dicussion on 'hermaphrodite' (was Of accents & dialects

From:Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>
Date:Sunday, November 2, 2008, 23:44
Right. Intersex refers to sex (it's right there in the word!) while
androgyne refers to gender.  In the social construct sense, not the
linguistic one. :)



On 11/2/08, Ina van der Vegt <gijsstrider@...> wrote:
> 2008/11/2 caeruleancentaur <caeruleancentaur@...>: >>> Ina van der Vegt <gijsstrider@...> wrote: >> >>> Hermaphrodite is an outdated term, rarely used by the medical >>> community anymore. The correct term would be intersexed person. >> >> 'Hermaphrodite' may be an outdated term, but why choose 'INTERsex'? >> The prefix 'inter-' suggests, to me, location, either figurative or >> literal. It seems to me that 'ambisexual' or 'ambisexed' would better >> describe the person/condition. I have also seen the word 'androgyne' >> which I rather like. Given that it's not an entry in the AHD, I >> assume that it's a back formation from 'androgynous/androgyny.' >> >> Charlie >> > > Androgyne refers to a gender orientation (One of the several forms of > transgenderism), while Intersex refers to a physical condition. They > are not mutually exclusive, of course, but aren't the same either. A > physical (fe)male might identify as an Androgyne, while an Intersexed > person might identify as a (wo)man. > > Don't ask me where the terms come from, but it's how they are used in > modern day official circles. However, I can give my attempt at their > ethymology anyway. > > Intersex refers to in between (Inter) the sexes. Just like Interstate > is in between states. Intersex is used for all cases in which sex is > difficult to determine, and all specific disorders are named by their > actual name. > > Androgyne most likely comes from Androgynous (reminiscent of both > sexes, usually difficult to determine the actual sex), which is how > Androgynes feel themselves, and often attempt to look like. > > Ina >
-- Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>