Saturday, March 17, 2018

Sewist? Not Me!

Old Singer sewing machine and rug-making fabrics
Strips for a rag rug and my trusty Singer 99-K
I've become aware of the term, "sewist", since joining a couple of sewing groups on Facebook. "Sewists" object to describing themselves with traditional nouns like seamstress or tailor (too limiting and sexist) or sewer (too easily confused with a sewage drain.)

First, let's talk about sewers, the people who sew. Anyone with low-average or better reading skills should know the meaning and pronunciation of "sewer" by its context. If people truly are confusing you, a person who sews, with a sewage drain, it says something about them, not about you. Either they aren't native English speakers, or they're cruel, stupid, and/or ignorant.

Now, on to "sewist." I have an instinctive dislike of  "sewist", based on 66 years of speaking English as my native language. Here's why. In English, most words ending with -ist are built on nouns, like these: 
  • Therapy/therapist
  • Race/racist
  • Botany/botanist
  • Atheism/atheist 
  • Violin/violinist 
  • Bicycle/bicyclist
  • Colony/colonist
  • Hygiene/hygienist
  • Cartoon/cartoonist
  • Piano/pianist
  • Nutrition/nutritionist
  • And so on...

And then we have some words ending with -ist that are built on adjectives. A few examples:
  • Environmental/environmentalist
  • Real/realist
  • Federal/federalist
  • General/generalist
  • Special/Specialist
  • National/nationalist
  • And so on...

But English doesn't take verbs like "sew" and make them into nouns by adding "-ist." Every rule has its exceptions, but I can't think of even one example of that construction -- except for "sewist," if you want to call it a word.  (Update: the word typist has occurred to me, but type can be a noun as well as a verb, so it's not a perfect parallel to "sewist." Sew is always a verb.)

To test your instincts for the unwritten rules of the English language, here's a list of some verbs that can be made into nouns by adding a suffix.  Which would you choose? I hope this demonstrates why I think "sewist" is a silly, contrived word.
  • Own: owner or ownist? 
  • Rent: renter or rentist? 
  • Jog: jogger or joggist?
  • Make: maker or makist?
  • Use:  user or usist?
  • Run: runner or  runnist? 
  • Bake: baker or bakist? 
  • Preach: preacher or preachist? 
  • Talk: talker or talkist? 
  • Walk: walker or walkist? 
  • Write: writer or writist? 
  • Drive: driver or drivist? 
  • Employ: employer or employist? 
  • Clean: cleaner or cleanist? 
  • Serve: server or servist? 
  • Fight: fighter or fightist?
  • Wash: washer or washist? 
  • Build: builder or buildist?
  • Hate: hater or hatist?
  • Kill: killer or killist?
  • Dance: dancer or dancist?
  • Listen: listener or listenist?
  • Think: thinker or thinkist?
  • Observe: observer or observist?
  • Read: reader or readist?
  • Sell: seller or sellist? 
  • Teach:  teacher or teachist?  
  • Love: lover or lovist?
  • Plan: planner or plannist?

Let me be clear.  I don't like the word "sewist."  It looks and sounds unnatural and incorrect. But I'm not opposed to using an inclusive word for people (men or women) who sew as a hobby.  I think of myself as a fabrics crafter, because I like to sew, quilt, make rag rugs, collect fabric, etc. It's an inclusive term. Get some fabric and you can be a fabrics crafter, too.

And if you don't want to be a crafter, quilter, tailor, seamstress, or sewer, why not be a seamster? That's a genuine English word with a long and honorable history.

2 comments:

  1. I agree 100% with you. When I first read that some people get the word sewer mixed up with sewage drain...I thought to myself, then that person is an idiot...and then of course, I continued to read, and you said the same thing. I crochet, knit, cross stitch, draw, write short stories and poems...I have no idea what I could call myself since I do all those things. As long as I can be creative, and express myself, then I am ok. Just be creative and do what you do, as old Willy (Shakespeare) would say, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"...well, unless of course, we circle back to the sewage drain thing, then no, I guess it would not. :) Happy Crafting

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, Stitchy. It's all too silly for me!

    ReplyDelete

Popular Posts