Passage 2 Before computers were invented, the words byte and modem did not exist, and a mouse was something that made some people scream and run away. Words are added to language every day. Changes in society also cause changes in language. Changes in attitude also affect language. As people become more sensitive to the rights and needs of individual, it becomes necessary to change the words we use to describe them. The elderly are now called senior citizens . The handicapped are described as physically challenged . Many of the words we once used had negative feelings attached to them. New words show an awareness in today's society that differences are good and that everyone deserves respect. Even the names of certain jobs have changed so that workers can be proud of what they do. The trash man is now called a sanitation worker and a doorman is an attendant . One important influence on our language in the past decade has been the changing role of women in modern society. As women entered more and more areas that were once thought of as men's job, it became necessary to change the job titles. For example, a mailman is now a mail carrier , a watchman is a guard . Sometimes new words may seem awkward and silly, such as chair for chairman, fisher for fisherman, and drafter for draftsman. But change is never easy. People often fight change until it becomes a familiar part of everyday life. Women have fought long and hard to be treated equally in language as well as in society, because they know that changes in language can cause changes in attitudes. If every person isn't referred to as he , people will begin to realize that men aren't the only ones who are important or who have made great achievements. Most words that indicate only one gender have been replaced with words that refer to both males and females. Thus, a poetess is called a poet , a waitress is a server , and mankind has become humankind .