Weekly Blog 2

I read "Morning Conference: the Meaning of 'Gay'" by Murray Armstrong. It was posted on Guardian UK Online.

The main argument is to provide facts about the issue of whether using the word "gay" in place of "stupid" or "lame" is an indication of an increase in hostility toward homosexuals or just a semantic change.

The author backs up this argument by providing information from both sides of the issue. He uses the Oxford English Dictionary to explain how the word "gay" has changed in meaning over time. He also writes that some people believe that the use of the word "gay" in a negative fashion is a sign that hostility towards homosexuals is rising.  He gives evidence to support this. A teachers' union survey reported a rise in hostility toward gay people in schools, and the Dutch government reported an increase in opposition to homosexuals in Dutch schools.

The author does not give his opinion on the issue, so he can't acknowledge an opposing viewpoint. He gives evidence to support both sides of the issue, but does not try to make the reader agree with one over the other.

The author uses argument by example.

I don't think that negative connotations of the word "gay" mean that people are more hostile to homosexuals. Many people use the word as an insult without thinking that it could be offensive to homosexuals or promote hatred of the gay community.

After reading this article, I could construct the argument that a word's meaning is likely to change over time. I would use the information the author provided from the Oxford English Dictionary to show the different ways the word "gay" has been used.