Synonyms as Slurs

What’s another word for “embarrassed”? That’s a question they may be pondering at Merriam-Webster, the staid publisher of dictionaries and thesauri.

On Friday, the 150-year-old company and America Online Inc. temporarily removed their online collegiate thesaurus after Internet users complained about offensive slurs that were offered as synonyms for “homosexual.”

The thesaurus’ word list included “faggot,” “fruit” and “pederast,” setting off outrage from some gay rights groups.

Merriam-Webster officers called the list “a corporate mistake” and vowed to review the reference guide. But the issue is certain to be revisited. USC sociolinguist Ed Finegan said the incident reflects “increasing sensitivity to linguistic terms for ethnic diversity and sexual preference,” but noted that dictionaries and thesauri have an obligation to describe “what’s already in the language.”

For Sky Johnson, director of policy and public affairs at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, the slurs came as no surprise. “It’s not shocking, just another carry-over from the sad history of discrimination in our society. But it’s encouraging things seem to be changing.”