Hens, Cocks, and Language
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Posted by Rosemary Drisdelle Jun 8, 2007 |
We’ve all heard expressions like “when the cock crows,” and “cock of the walk,” not to mention "who killed cock robin?" - most of us know that when referring to birds, particularly game birds, the male is the cock and the female is the hen. These are perfectly good words that have been around for a long time. It seems, however, that the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has put a filter on its web site that won’t allow the word cock when referring to a male bird—because the word has another meaning that some people find offensive.
My Gage Canadian Dictionary gives me six uses of cock as a noun:
- A male bird.
- A tap to control the flow of a liquid or gas.
- Part of a gun.
- A leader (informal).
- An upward tilt (as in the cock of an ear, nose, hat etc.).
- A little pile of hay
It doesn’t mention the offensive use of the word (which, I suppose makes it a little out of date).
My Collins Cobuild Dictionary, on the other hand (which gives the common uses of words rather than their strict meaning), does include the offensive use of cock—but only as the third most common use after:
- A male chicken / rooster.
- A male bird.
Language changes; words go out of use, new words appear, and people find new uses for common words, but do we really have to discard words just because we’re embarrassed by their alternate—often slang—meanings? How far are we going to let this go? Do we have to find a new name for a little pile of hay, and that particlar part of a gun? Will we also be obliged to rename the Bearded Tit, the Blue-Footed Booby, and the Hairy Woodpecker?
I think filtering out the word cock on a birding web site is completely ridiculous. What do you think? http://birds.suite101.com/post.cfm
Other things for you to think about:
Sources:
Dodds de Wolf, Gaelan, Robert J. Gregg, Barbara P. Harris et al. Gage Canadian Dictionary. Vancouver: Gage Educational Publishing, 1997.
Hartley, Clodagh. “Feathers fly over 4-letter ban.” The Sun: Monday June 4, 2007.
Sinclair, John ed. Collins Cobuild English Dictionary. London: Harper Collins, 1999.
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