Womyn

Womyn is a term used by many radical feminists to take the "men" out of the word women. Other spellings meant to perform the same function include "wimmin" (plural), and "womban" (see womb). A common singular form, to refer to one person, is womon. Radical feminists will argue that it is a woman's right to "choose" whether she prefers to use the spelling "womyn". They state that it is based on the medieval spelling of the word. Similar in spirit is the term herstory in place of history.

Some point to these terms, especially the lesser-used ones, as an example of political correctness run amok or even of anti-male gender bias. Those who promote them, on the other hand, argue that language shapes perceptions and ideas about gender and gender roles, and that its current form does not greatly value women. Therefore, some feminists see these sorts of words as the beginnings of a movement to correct what they consider inherent biases in language. However, some would cite George Orwell's 1984 as a reason to be suspicious of any attempt to "correct" language; furthermore, the assertion that language affects thought to that degree has so far found little empirical support in studies testing the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.