Chairman or chairperson?

[OrlandoWoolf]

What do you use?

DS has been asked to find the plural of Chairman and I feel it could be a teaching tool.

Chairmen? Chairpeople?

[SconeRhymesWithGone]

If this is part of an English lesson, then it could be tricky depending on what the teacher is looking for.

I am in the US. Here you don't see "chairman" much at all anymore. The plural technically is, of course, chairmen. If the teacher had asked for the plural of "chairperson," the plural would be "chairpeople."

I work in a setting where we have committees and more committees and several boards of directors. We use "chair" and "chairs" and sometimes "co-chairs."

[TheDoctrineOfWho]

The plural of Chairman is Chairmen.

I use Chair, or Non-ExecChair/ExecChair where poss.

[EduCated]

We just use Chair at work, so would use Chairs.

[mousmous]

we use chair at work.
but for a very official work thing chairman is used. I always change it o chairwoman if applicable as it rankles me. no one has commented on it (yet).

[Takver]

I was going to say 'facilitator', which seems to be the descriptor of choice these days in meetings I go to, but I see that won't help

I think the answer has to be 'chairmen', but would be discussing with my ds why this is an outdated word.

[TheSmallClanger]

We use Chair and Chairs.

I like the expression, "The Chair". It sounds suitably intimidating.

[OrlandoWoolf]

We also have clergyman.

So going to have a chat with DS about this. He's 8.

[EduCated]

Surely that would just be 'the clergy'? They seem an odd bunch of words!

[OrlandoWoolf]

You're not kidding.

It will be interesting when they mark the test.

[Takver]

I would agree with educated that the plural of clergyman is 'clergy'. Perhaps that is the point being made? That you have one clergyman or clergywoman, but many clergy? (at least I don't, good thing as I have no naice tea nor thin biscuits, but one might)

[WilsonFrickett]

Chairs and clergy. And a nice note to the teacher saying you enjoyed helping DD find non-gendered plurals not that I'm PA, not me, no way

[TheDoctrineOfWho]

I like your style, WF.

[sashh]

I think 'chair' is quite common now.

Personally I see no reason why a woman cannot be a chairman, we are after all women not wopersons.

And men who become midwives are still midwives not midhusbands.

[Giyadas]

Maybe we should revert back to calling men 'wermen' then man can go back to meaning human being. If only things were that easy.

[GoldieMumbles]

Isn't a chair a piece of furniture that you sit on?

[TheDoctrineOfWho]

Yes, but it's also a verb - eg Susan chaired the meeting.

[TeiTetua]

I think we should stick with "chairman" so that we can continue to enjoy hearing someone else in the meeting addressing her as "Madam chairman".

[ChunkyPickle]

sashh - I know that I've seen on here that the wife bit of mid wife refers to the woman giving birth, not the midwife themselves, so midwife is non-gendered anyhow (at least until men can give birth)

Definitely Chairs, and Clergy - MIL works in local government and they all use 'Chair' rather than 'Chairman'

[PigletJohn]

if it is 8-yo DS homework, surely they are testing to see if he says "Chairmans?"

and not to examine awareness of gender-specific titles.

[NoComet]

I don't care!

The astronomy society at university got so pissed off with PC edicts from the Guild of students, we decided to have a chairbeing. We had make and female ones while I was there.

[NoComet]

male not make

[OrlandoWoolf]

piglet Never too young to make a feminist point

[sashh]

ChunkyPickle

I didn't know that, thank you.

What happens in other languages? Is it even an issue? I mean if you are a teacher in France you are Le Proffesor regardless of sex.

[ChunkyPickle]

www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/midwife

Right down at the bottom - old English - mid == with, wif == woman - although their definition assumes that a midwife is a woman.

The languages I have familiarity of are all heavily gendered - so you'd be presidente/a etc.