My friend teaches a class in medical terminology to ESOL students in which
he has to use words like "vagina" all the time.  He prefaces it a bit with a
blurb about having to learn the right medical terms to get the translation
correct.

On Tue, Jul 22, 2008 at 8:40 PM, Anna Guesthill <anagst at msn.com> wrote:


> Teach it as science rather than as literacy...

>

> *"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15*

>

> ------------------------------

> > Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:43:48 -0400

> > From: alcdgg at langate.gsu.edu

> > To: diversity at nifl.gov

> > Subject: [Diversity 88] Re: Words in our health literacy classes

> >

> > Cynthia,

> > You are correct-that word is often absent. In fact, many boys and girls

> > aren't even taught what a clitoris is. I once had a conversation with a

> > doctor about health literacy. He told me that he once had a couple see

> > him, and with great trepidation describe to him that they were concerned

> > that there was something wrong with his wife because she seemed to have

> > a growth that was very sensitive to touch when he accidentally touched

> > it...

> > I am wondering if people have any thoughts/reactions to Ryan's question

> > about how one can teach the vocabulary of male and female body parts

> > when people are often uncomfortable when they are discussed. Does anyone

> > on this list have experience teaching vocabulary/spelling/reading of

> > words such as vulva, vagina, clitoris, labia, penis, testicles, etc.

> > within a health literacy context?

> > Daphne

> >

> >

> > >>> "Cynthia Peters" <cynthia_peters at worlded.org> 07/21/08 10:36 AM >>>

> > I think the word that is even more absent is clitoris. Which makes sense

> > since it's associated with female pleasure — something that is even

> > more taboo than female body parts.

> >

> > Cynthia

> > --

> >

> > Cynthia Peters

> > Change Agent Editor

> > World Education

> > 44 Farnsworth Street

> > Boston, MA 02210

> >

> > tel: 617-482-9485 ext. 3649

> > fax: 617-482-0617

> > email: cpeters at worlded.org

> >

> > Check out The Change Agent online at:

> > www.nelrc.org/changeagent

> >

> >

> > >>> On 7/18/2008 at 12:12 PM, in message

> > <488088A2.919D.0031.0 at langate.gsu.edu>,

> > "Daphne Greenberg" <ALCDGG at langate.gsu.edu> wrote:

> > > In the past, we have talked on this discussion list how the word

> > "vagina"

> > > seems to be a taboo word in our society, and that this taboo creates

> >

> > > discomfort in health literacy classes when it is necessary and

> > appropriate at

> > > times to discuss the vagina. A word that is even less frequently

> > mentioned is

> > > "vulva." In fact, many of us don't even know what the vulva is. The

> > vulva is

> > > the word that is used to label all of the external female genitalia,

> > such as

> > > the labia and the clitoris. It is not the same as the vagina which is

> > the

> > > internal structure. Harriet Lerner in Lilith, Spring 2005, page 30

> > writes:

> > >

> > > "The persistent misuse of the word 'vagina' impairs a girl's capacity

> > to

> > > develop an accurate and differentiated 'map' of her internal and

> > external

> > > genitals. And if sexual violations occur in childhood, inaccurate

> > labeling

> > > increases shame and complicates healing."

> > >

> > > Do you any of you teach health literacy classes? How easy is it for

> > you and

> > > your students to use accurate terminology to label female body

> > parts?

> > >

> > > Daphne

> > >

> > > ----------------------------------------------------

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-- 
Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt
www.LuxuriousChoices.net
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