The Inclusive Language Field Guide: 6 Simple Principles for Avoiding Painful Mistakes and Communicating Respectfully

by Suzanne Wertheim PhD

Avoid inadvertently offending or alienating anyone by following six straightforward communication guidelines developed by a no-nonsense linguistic anthropologist and business consultant.

In today's fast-moving and combative culture, language can feel like a minefield. Terms around gender, disability, race, sexuality and more are constantly evolving. Words that used to be acceptable can now get you “cancelled.” People are afraid of making embarrassing mistakes. Or sounding outdated or out of touch. Or not being as respectful as they intended.

But it’s not as complicated as it might seem. Linguistic anthropologist Suzanne Wertheim offers six easy-to-understand principles to guide any communication—written or spoken—with anyone:

• Reflect reality
• Show respect
• Draw people in
• Incorporate other perspectives
• Prevent erasure
• Recognize pain points

This guide clarifies the challenges—and the solutions—to using "they/them," and demonstrates why "you guys" isn't as inclusive as many people think. If you follow the principles, you'll know not to ask a female coworker with a wedding ring about her husband—because she might be married to a woman. And you'll avoid writing things like "America was discovered in 1492," because that's just when Europeans found it.

Filled with real-world examples, high-impact word substitutions, and exercises that boost new skills, this book builds a foundational toolkit so people can evaluate what is and isn't inclusive language on their own.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2023

About the author

I'm a former professor of linguistic anthropology and an inclusive language expert.

After receiving my Ph.D. in Linguistics from Berkeley, I held faculty positions at Northwestern, University of Maryland, and UCLA. But I wanted to directly apply my knowledge and skills to real-world problems, and to share useful information with people who didn't have access to things locked behind academic walls.

I now head up Worthwhile Research & Consulting, which specializes in inclusive language and culture. My clients include global tech companies, national news organizations, and large financial services companies.

When not geeking out about language, I like to enjoy the nature that is all around my Northern California home. Elephant seals, whales, redwoods, and shorebirds are some of my favorite things.

Learn more at www.suzannewertheim.com.

Reviews

[Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Inclusive Language Field Guide is an excellent read for both people new to inclusive language, and those looking to polish their existing skills.

The book flows easily, is very practical, and is written from the perspective of linguistics and anthropology - getting very often into WHY language can be uninclusive, rather than just listing inappropriate words. Language nerds like myself and people looking for rules to live by will certainly appreciate the notions introduced here, along with the 6 best practices (or principles) the author recommends.

There are plenty of practical examples, stories and exercises you can use to work on adding inclusive language into your skill set, as well as an inclusion checklist and a word replacement dictionary.

Well worth the read!

||✨Disclaimer✨||
I've received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Karen Catlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instead of memorizing a long list of words to steer clear from, inclusive language expert Dr. Suzanne Wertheim provides us with 6 principles to follow. Her book is filled with real world examples that bring the principles to life, along with suggestions for how we can all get better.

[Danielle - drops.everything.and.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. As someone very interested in and committed to diversity and inclusion, this book really appealed to me and made me question and challenge myself on how I currently communicate. I know I can do a lot better, and will keep referring to this book on how I can be better.

I will be recommending this book to colleagues who are also striving to be more inclusive in their communication.

I'm sure some people will say this book is "woke" and whatever, but the reality is is that language matters. How we engage with people matters. How we address people matters. It always has. No one likes being called the wrong name. Or even inadvertently made to feel excluded. The way we bring people together can be immensely influenced by how we communicate.

Great book. Well done.

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for an eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Pauline Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been actively trying to use more inclusive language in my day to day life so while I don’t read self help types books very often when I see this up for download on Netgalley I had to get a copy. Instead of giving you a list of words you can say anymore, this book offers six basic guidelines on how to use inclusive language and gives extensive examples and explanations of each so that you can thoroughly understand and utilize each point.

I personally found this book fascinating. Many of the examples are common sense if you stop to think about it but that’s the thing, a lot of people don’t stop to think about it. The way people use language is so engrained in people they it can be very hard to change that. This book does an amazing job of showing how it’s possible after some hard work and personal examination to be more inclusive in the ways you communicate to make everyone feel welcome and wanted.

I highly recommend this book for basically everyone. We all need to communicate with people every day for a variety of reasons and these principles can help make that communication much more inclusive and welcoming for everyone.

[Anna Gunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must have for anyone in Communications.
I can not recommend this book enough for anyone who is a copywriter, writing in/for a company or for social media - or just content creating. This book provides a solid roadmap of rules to engage with and follow, alongside a few examples of the most common pitfalls of words that are now antiquated and need to be replaced. This is a book that provides a clear philosophy alongside action steps to identify difficult communication patterns, as well as how to practice for improvement.
This is a book I would buy my team instantly - get them to read it and then come back together to connect and talk about immediate implementations.

[Sam Breach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a high value book that I believe anyone can value learning from. I can recognize now, some reasons my language is not always inclusive and now I have a roadmap for self improvement. I listened to this as audio. Suzanne reads her own work and her speaking voice has great delivery - her book is so well articulated and thoughtfully written, everything about the experience reflects the important message being conveyed. Although I don’t regret listening to it, I do now realize that I probably need a physical copy to act as a companion guide so that I can spend more time learning the concepts and working on some of the exercises. Read this book!

[Jeannie Gainsburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an important and timely book! If you’re interested in using language that’s respectful and inclusive, but you’re overwhelmed by the constant changes, especially with cultural and identity words, and worried that you’ll mess up, this book is for you. In her book, language expert, Suzanne Wertheim, masterfully offers us respectful language techniques that are easy to navigate, make sense, and will clearly stand the test of time. Don’t memorize a list of stagnant rules and “PC” words, let Wertheim walk you through the process of becoming an inclusive language aficionado with her practical and easy to understand approach. A must read for all humans!

[Kimberly Hallahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book opened my eyes to the ways that word choices can make people feel excluded or disrespected. While a couple of her suggestions push further than I'm willing to go, I can see myself changing a lot of my current language to be more inclusive.

[Hannamari · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me, inclusive language has at times felt difficult with its seemingly ever evolving rules and terminology. This book made it easier to understand and provided practical tips. I’m a little less afraid of making mistakes in my choice of words (though I’m sure I will continue to make some).

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

“As the culture changes, our language changes…. This is one of the main reasons why this book is centered on Principles for Inclusive Language and not just a long list of ‘bad words’ and ‘good words.’ The principles will stay the same—but some of the words that are relevant to the principles will change.” P 198-199

I was so excited to receive my copy of Dr. Suzanne Wertheim’s book, The Inclusive Language Field Guide. Too often, conversations about language focus on just wanting to learn the “correct” word to call something, but those words will likely change just as soon as you learn them. With Wertheim’s six principles of inclusive language, people will understand WHY it is important to use respectful language and HOW to identify it—not just WHAT the correct terminology is.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are big into DEI where I am, to the point where we seem to have lost focus on what it means. I was in a meeting the other day, when my supervisor was like, "let's go around the room and introduce ourselves and say something about what the word 'inclusion' means to us." It was very obvious from the answers that we are all talk and not enough action, which is why I think books like The Inclusive Language Field Guide are necessary to guide our study and understanding. Dr. Wertheim does a great job of breaking down barriers when it comes to understanding inclusive language in the work force and what that should look like. I actually really got a lot out of reading this and I hope she considers approaching more educational institutions for PD opportunities that tie into this field guide. I would rather do a book study using The Inclusive Language Field Guide that go around the table listening to colleagues clumsily defining what inclusion means to them.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Please find my honest opinion.