AU inclusive language guide

Generally speaking, remember that it’s not appropriate to describe people in terms of assumptions or stereotypes about their age in a professional context, even with the best of intentions. Instead, describe people in terms of their abilities and capabilities – as individuals, not members of groups. And avoid patronising people who are older or younger than you are.

Avoid using language that associates particular age groups with infirmity or incompetence.

Sometimes it is relevant – or necessary – to refer to people’s ages. For example, when explaining guidelines about retirement age, you need to refer to age categories. If you need to do this, refer neutrally and objectively to the age category in question. You could say:

• The over-65s, 75s (or 65+, 50+)
• The under-25s, under-30s
• Persons/people xx years and older (formal)
• Persons/people xx years and younger (formal)

If referring to age more generally, use the comparative forms 'older' and 'younger' rather than 'old' and 'young'.

Avoid age labels with negative connotations.

Think twice before using generational labels

Generational labels like 'baby boomers', 'millennials' and 'generation Z' can reinforce negative stereotypes, pit different age groups against each other, and are not easily understood in an international context. Think twice before using them.

Avoid job titles that suggest that either a man or a woman will perform a particular role.

It is always possible to rephrase a gendered job title to a gender-neutral job title. If you need help with this, you are very welcome to contact us at sprogservice@au.dk.

If you know that a particular role is performed by women, remember that in English it is inappropriate – and often offensive – to use the terms ‘ladies’ (‘-damer’) or ‘girls’ (‘-piger’) in connection with job titles or professional functions. For example, ‘cleaning ladies’ or ‘the girls in the student office’. Always use the gender-neutral job title or the word ‘team’ instead. You could say:

• The cleaners, the cleaning assistants, the cleaning services team
• The student assistants, the student worker team

Some members of the LGBTQ+ community refer to themselves using ‘they/their’ or other gender-neutral pronouns, rather than ‘he/his’ or ‘she/her’. Someone may ask you to use a particular pronoun when referring to them, and you may be asked what your pronouns are.

We recommend that you use the pronouns people use for themselves. Don’t take requests to use particular language personally, and simply apologise gracefully and correct yourself if you make a mistake; you can also make it clear that you want to be alerted if your language offends.

If you deem it appropraite and safe to ask someone about their pronouns, avoid asking which pronouns they ‘prefer’, since pronouns reflect a person’s identity and not preference. Simply ask what pronouns they use or what their pronouns are.

You may notice that some people add their pronouns to their email signatures and/or social media profiles. You may wish to do this to indicate your own gender identity or to signal your awareness of the issue. You may also wish to do this if your gender is not clear from your name – for example, ‘Kai’ is a man’s name in Danish but will often be interpreted as a woman’s name in English.

Avoid using gender-marked nouns to refer to the universally human.

When referring to a mixed group, or to a person whose gender is unknown to you, do not use the masculine as the ‘neutral’ option. This practice is outdated and will confuse or offend many readers. Wherever possible, limit your use of gendered pronouns to contexts in which gender is relevant to the meaning you’re trying to get across.

Go-to strategies

• Reformulate to avoid the pronoun. Substitute ‘the’ or ‘that’ for the possessive pronoun:

• Use ‘who’:

• Use a plural subject:

• Include both pronouns. This solution is a bit clunky, and it also assumes that gender is binary:

• Use ‘she/her’ as the gender-neutral option, or alternate between ‘he’ and ‘she’. 

This can be rhetorically effective, especially in less formal texts, because you avoid having to put everything in the plural. However, it can be confusing for some readers, and misleading in certain contexts. It also assumes that gender is binary.

• Use ‘they/their’ instead of ‘he/his/she/her’.

In informal spoken English, people have pretty much always used the plural possessive pronoun as a neutral third-person singular form: 

Example: 

Someone forgot their book.

It is also becoming more common in many written contexts to use ‘they’ or 'them' as a singular personal pronoun when the identity of the person referred to is unknown: 

Examples: 

The new member of our team will start next week. They will be responsible for processing applications.

The new member of our team will start next week. I’m really looking forward to meeting them.

Until fairly recently, such usage was frowned on in the written language/writing for publication as grammatically incorrect. However, more and more major media and dictionaries now sanction this usage as perfectly correct English.

When writing for AU, it’s fine to use ‘they/their/them’ as singular personal pronouns in informal contexts and texts (as we do in this inclusive language guide) provided that this usage does not cause confusion or lead to ambiguity. For example, we recommend this usage in much AU web content aimed at students.  We do not recommend this usage in rules and regulations, legal documents, or letters/communication related to employment, disciplinary matters, consultations or the like. In these formal contexts, when describing rules that apply to students and/or employees or others, use one of the strategies listed above.

Good examples

When referring collectively to the inhabitants of a specific country, avoid using nationality as a shorthand for the people living there. For example, avoid writing ‘Danes’ when you mean ‘the people living in Denmark’. Writing ‘Danes’ will come across as exclusionary to those without Danish citizenship.

If you have already established the national context, it is often enough simply to say ‘people’ or ‘the public’:

• The sun was shining in Denmark at the weekend, and people were outside enjoying the weather. 
• When the Danish government revoked General Prayer Day, there was an outcry from the public.

When writing for an international audience, don’t assume that the words ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ will work in the same way as when writing for a Danish-speaking audience. Your international readers might not identify with the group these terms refer to. For example, if you use the term ‘we’ to mean Danish people, you risk excluding your non-Danish readers. It’s often necessary to rephrase your idea in the third person to ensure that all readers are included equally.

When writing about Aarhus University, it is appropriate to use ‘we’ because it is safe to assume that international staff and students identify with the university community.

• At AU, we are committed to promoting sustainable development through our research, degree programmes and operations.

When making reference to the language of communication or instruction at AU, don’t confuse nationality with language proficiency. For example, instead of saying that a degree programme is only open to ‘Danish’ students, say that it is only open to ‘Danish-speaking' students or to students with the required level of Danish proficiency – because there are many people who are proficient in Danish but who are not Danish. You can also use the terms ‘non-Danish speaker’, ‘English speaker’ or rephrase the idea entirely.

Avoid guessing a person’s nationality based on their name, religion, appearance, ethnicity or current country of residence. For example, not everyone working in Denmark is Danish – especially in a university with many international students and members of staff. If a person’s nationality is relevant to the context, always ask what nationality the person is. If it is not, there are often more accurate and inclusive ways to express the same idea.

When writing about a specific national group, use an adjective describing the nationality in front of the word ‘people’. Avoid using the definite article ‘the’ in front of the same adjective, as this often sounds offensive.

When writing about a country or a place, be as specific as possible and avoid writing about continents or broad geographical areas, such as Africa or Asia, as a country or monoculture.

Only refer to the economic status of a country if it is relevant to the information being communicated. If it is, avoid outdated terms such as ‘first world’, ‘third world’, ‘developed’, ‘undeveloped’ or ‘developing’ countries. Instead, use the terms in the World Bank country classification system: 'low-income economy', 'lower-middle-income economy', 'higher-middle-income economy' and 'high-income economy'.

Be aware that there are specific rules for when to use the definite article (‘the’) in front of countries. Countries that have political titles in their name and countries that are island groups take the definite article in front of their name:

• the United Arab Emirates 
• the Cenral African Republic
• the Philippines
• the Faroe Islands

The only exception to this rule is ‘the Netherlands’.

In running text, do not capitalise ‘the’. Only do so if ‘the’ is the first word in a sentence.

Exonyms are names for places that aren’t used by the people who live there. English has a lot of exonyms. For example:

• København – Copenhagen
• Sjælland – Zealand
• Fyn – Funen
• Jylland – Jutland
• Köln – Cologne
• Napoli – Naples
• Krung Thep – Bangkok

If you're writing in English, we recommend using the English exonym (for consistency), even if you're writing about places in Denmark. Please note that some English exonyms are now obsolete or disputed (see the section below). You'll find a list of current English exonyms on the English exonyms Wikipedia page.

There are many examples of countries, cities and places that have changed names in English. For example:

• Kiev to Kyiv
• Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City
• Burma to Myanmar
• Far East to East Asia

When you write about a country, city or place, consider which name is in current usage. If the name of a place is contested, make a decision based on context and audience.

The US

A common pitfall for some occurs when talking about the American continents and the United States of America. ‘America’ does not refer to the United States of America, and it suggests a US-centric worldview to use it as such. Simply writing ‘America’ could refer to any country in North America, Central America and South America, so it is best to specify the country or continent in question. When writing about the United States of America, it is acceptable to simply write ‘the United States’ and then abbreviate it to ‘the US’ afterwards. In more informal contexts, ‘the States’ can also be used.

The UK

A similar pitfall might occur when writing about Britain and Ireland, since the nations and political terms in this area are used interchangeably. However, the different groups refer to specific collections of nations, so be aware of which one you choose.

• The United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland
• Great Britain: England, Scotland & Wales
• Britain: England & Wales
• Ireland: the Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland

In English, it is common to just say Ireland when referring to the Republic of Ireland. This is also acceptable to write in more informal contexts.

Avoid saying ‘England’ when you actually mean ‘Great Britain’ or ‘the United Kingdom’. This is a common pitfall for people with Danish as a first language.

Scandinavia

Watch out for the differences between Scandinavia and the Nordic countries.

How people define the difference between Scandinavian and Nordic countries depends on context, and whether they’re focusing on geography, language, history or culture. As a general rule, we recommend the following:

• The Nordic countries:  Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland (i.e. ‘Norden’)
• Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden and Denmark

In other words, ‘Scandinavia’ is narrower than ‘the Nordic countries’.

Although race and ethnicity overlap, there are important differences between them that affect our use of inclusive language. The term ‘race’ is often used to categorise people based on shared physical traits that are regarded as common among people of a shared ancestry, such as skin colour. The term ‘ethnicity’ is often used to refer to shared cultural expression among a group of people, such as religion, traditions and customs.

Race and ethnicity are widely recognised as social constructs used to characterise people at an individual or group level. This is particularly true of race, which is why some people refer to themselves as belonging to ‘racialised’ groups instead of ‘racial’ groups – to signal that the characteristics attributed to these groups often have no biological basis and have historically been used to fuel discrimination and power imbalances.

But even though race and ethnicity are constructed, the challenges faced by people in underrepresented racial and ethnic groups are real. For this reason, racial and ethnic identity can provide an important way for people to support one another, build a community and tackle prejudice.

Aarhus University recognises the diverse experiences of the many different racial and ethnic groups at the university, and we want to reflect this in our writing. For this reason, avoid using broad terms like ‘Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic’ (often shortened to ‘BAME’) to refer to people’s background or heritage. Broad terms like this can infer that all non-white people exist as a homogeneous group. Instead, use precise terminology to describe the specific race or ethnicity of the person or people in question. If in doubt, ask people how they identify.

If you need to use a broad term to describe a non-majority racial/ethnic group, use ‘minority racial/ethnic group’ rather than ‘minority group’ or ‘racial/ethnic minority’.

Remember that these terms use ‘minority’ in a Danish context, and minority racial/ethnic groups in Denmark are often majority racial/ethnic groups globally.

You may also wish to refer to ‘underrepresented racial/ethnic groups’ or to 'underprivileged racial/ethnic groups’ in contexts in which it is relevant to highlight the potential disadvantages that these groups experience. For example, in a recruitment context, the Develop Diverse language screening tool used by AU employs the categories ‘privileged’ and ‘underprivileged’ ethnic groups when awarding an inclusivity score to the wording of job advertisements.

Good examples: 

• As part of its commitment to fostering diverse and inclusive study environemnts, it's essential that AU encourages applications from underrepresented racial groups.
• AU HR has launched a language screening tool to ensure that university job advertisements also appeal to underprivileged ethnic groups. 

If you need to refer to specific ethnicities in English, you may find these lists helpful. Please bear in mind that they refer to ethnic groups in the United Kingdom, so you may need to adapt them to fit your specific context.

UK Higher Education Statistics Agency - list of ethnic groups

UK government - list of ethnic groups

Be aware that the categories used to discuss race and ethnicity (and to immigration more generally) in a Danish context are unlikely to map onto the categories used in the English-speaking world – and, in some cases, may sound offensive when translated directly into English. For example, the terms indvandrer, efterkommer and oprindelsesland used by Statistics Denmark to categorise population groups (translated as ‘immigrant’, ‘descendant’ and ‘ancestry’ on the Statistics Denmark website) are rarely used in the same way in English, where it is more common to talk about ‘first-generation’ and ‘second-generation’ members of the population.

It can also sound exclusionary in English to distinguish between immigrants from ‘Western countries’ (vestlige lande) and ‘non-Western countries’ (ikke-vestlige lande).

Always consider whether the conceptual framework you know from Denmark can be applied to the international context in question – and whether the words used to describe it can be translated directly. In many cases, you will need to adapt your framework and vocabulary to avoid excluding your international readers when writing in English. If this is not possible because you are writing about a specific Danish context – for example, you are writing a report on student immigration that uses Danish categories – we recommend that you make this clear in your communication and that you attribute your English translations to official sources, such as the English pages of the Statistics Denmark website.

When writing about race and ethnicity, do not use racial and ethnic terms as nouns. For example, do not write ‘Blacks’ or ‘Asians’, as this sounds offensive.
Use adjectives to refer to race and ethnicity instead - and capitalise these adjectives:

• Students with Hispanic heritage.
• People from Asian backgrounds.
• Members of the Irish Traveller community.
• Students from the Inuit community in Denmark.

A note on capitalisation: black, Black, white, White

It is now common practice to capitalise the B in 'Black' when referring to race, ethnicity or culture (as opposed to the colour black) to acknowledge the shared cultural identity of the African diaspora. We recommend that you do this. But there is an ongoing discussion about whether to capitalise the w in 'white' - especially in the United States. Some style guides are reluctant to capitalise 'White' as this practice has long been associated with white supremicists. They also argue that, unlike 'Black', 'white' does not capture a shared cultural identity and therefore doesn't warrant the capitalisation. Other style guides claim that capitalising both 'Black' and 'White' offers merits in terms of consistency and clarity. With this in mind, we recommend that you make a decision based on what you're writing. If capitalising 'White' helps to ensure clarity and consistency, that's fine. But keep in mind that ‘White’ with a capital ‘W’ has negative associations for some, so you should also consider your audience.

Person-first language (or people-first language) is the most widely accepted language used to refer to people with disabilities. It emphasises the person, and not the disability, by placing reference to the person or group before reference to the disability.

We recommend that you use person-first language when referring to people with disabilities in your written communication at AU.

Please note that some disability or neurodivergent communities prefer identity-first language, because they view their disability or neurodivergence as an intrinsic and positive part of their identity. For example, many people in the autism community prefer identity-first language:

Because opinions can vary within communities, if possible, it’s always a good idea to ask the person how they identify.

Go to the Neurodiversity section of this guide for more information on person-first and identity-first language.

Avoid negative words and value judgements when writing about disability. Use neutral words instead. For example, instead of saying that somebody 'suffers from' a disability or is 'confined to' a wheelchair, say that somebody 'has' a disability or 'uses' a wheelchair.

When describing a person’s tailored assistance needs, describe these needs as specifically and neutrally as possible and avoid negative formulations such as ‘cannot’ or ‘struggles with’. You can find a list of tailored assistance terms in the section below.

Avoid saying that a person has a mental illness or is mentally ill. Instead, say that the person has mental ill-health, a mental health condition, is experiencing mental health issues, or has been diagnosed with a specific condition.

The terms included in the LGBTQ+ abbreviation relate to a person’s sexual/romantic orientation and/or gender identity. We recommend that you get to know these terms and use them with confidence.

The abbreviation LGBTQ+ stands for ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer/questioning’. The ‘+’ denotes other identities that relate to a person’s sexual/romantic orientation and/or gender identity and that are not encompassed by the letters of the abbreviation. It is a mark of inclusion and an important part of the abbreviation.

There are longer versions of the abbreviation, the most common of which is LGBTQUIA+. In this abbreviation, the U stands for ‘undefined’, the I for ‘intersex’, and the A for ‘asexual/aromantic’.

Individuals may identify with one or more of the letters in the abbreviation.

You can find a list and explanation of LGBTQ+ terms on the Stonewall website (Stonewall is an LGBTQ+ charity based in the UK).

If the professional context justifies referring to a person’s or group’s membership of the LGBTQ+ community – or to the community itself – use the terms in the abbreviation as adjectives and not nouns. For example, say that somebody ‘is trans’ or ‘is a trans person’ and not ‘is a trans’ (which sounds offensive). You can also say that somebody is a ‘member of the X community’.

Here are some examples of inclusive usage:

• We are passionate about supporting members of our trans student community.
• AU is committed to ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for all LGBTQ+ colleagues, students, and visitors at the university.
• Unisex facilities help to make campus a more inclusive space for non-binary students and members of staff.

Keep in mind:

The term ‘non-binary’ refers to a person and the terms ‘gender neutral’ and ‘unisex’ refer to an object (or language, in the case of ‘gender neutral’).

Some people in the LGBTQ+ community refer to themselves using ‘they/their’ or other gender-neutral pronouns, rather than ‘he/his’ or ‘she/her’. Someone may ask you to use a particular pronoun when referring to them, and you may be asked what your pronouns are.

We recommend that you use the pronouns people use for themselves. Don’t take requests to use particular language personally, and simply apologise gracefully and correct yourself if you make a mistake; you can also make it clear that you want to be alerted if your language offends.

Some of the common phrases we use assume that there are only two genders and risk excluding non-binary people. If possible, avoid language that does this and use a more inclusive alternative instead. For example, you can say ‘Hello, everyone’ instead of ‘Hello, ladies and gentlemen’ or ‘all genders’ instead of ‘both genders’.

Some terms that were once used to refer to people in the LGBTQ+ community are now outdated – and often offensive. Here are some terms to avoid and some words you can use instead.

*A note on usage:

• A trans man is a man who was assigned a female gender at birth.
• A trans woman is a woman who was assigned a male gender at birth.
• Avoid saying that trans people have ‘changed’ their gender – because trans people have always been the gender that is authentic to them. Instead, say that somebody has ‘affirmed’ their gender. If you need to alter a person’s gender on official documentation or in databases, refer to this as ‘changing their gender marker’.
• When talking about trans people, avoid phrases such as ‘when he was a woman’ or ‘when she was a boy. Instead say ‘when he presented as a woman’ or ‘when she presented as a boy’.

Neurodiversity is an umbrella term used to describe the collective variation in how our brains function. A person who is neurodivergent has a brain that works differently from what is considered typical. For example, a neurodivergent person might learn, socialise, solve problems or process information in a way that diverges from standard social norms.

Being neurodivergent is a neurological condition – not an approach or a personality trait. Common types of neurodivergence are autism, ADHD, dyslexia and Tourette’s Syndrome.

Here is an explanation of the key terms in the language around neurodiversity.

Neurodivergent 

Is used to describe an individual whose brain develops or functions differently from what is considered typical or standard.

• AU aims to be an inclusive employer for employees who are autistic, dyslexic, or otherwise neurodivergent.

You may see neurodivergent shortened to ND in some contexts:

• It’s important to highlight the strengths that ND people bring to the workplace.

Neurodiverse 

Is used to describe a community or group that includes neurodivergent members, e.g.: We are a neurodiverse team. 

Neurotypical 

Is used to describe the opposite of neurodivergent. A person is described as neurotypical if their brain appears to develop or function in a way that is considered standard. Avoid using the word ‘normal’ to describe people who are neurotypical.  

• It can be challenging for neurodivergent students to excel in exam environments designed for neurotypical students.

You may see neurotypical shortened to NT in some contexts, e.g.:

• It can be easier for NT students to succeed in a classroom setting.

Neurominority 

Is used to describe a group of neurodivergent people who share a similar form of neurodivergence, such as a people with ADHD. This term is often used in contexts in which it is relevant to address the potential disadvantages faced by a particular group of neurodivergent people.

• It is important that members of neurominorities are actively supported to succeed in the workplace.

Neurominority can function as either a noun or an adjective:

• Elif is a member of a neurominority.
• Elif is a member of a neurominority group.

People in neurodivergent communities often prefer identity-first language (rather than person-first language) as they view their neurodivergence as an intrinsic and positive part of their identity.
This is particularly true of the autistic community:

Because opinions can vary within neurodivergent communities, if possible, it’s always a good idea to ask the person how they identify.

You can read more about this in our section on person-first language in the Disability chapter of this inclusive language guide.

Let’s start with a quick caveat.

In medical contexts, autism and ADHD are often described as neurodevelopmental conditions or developmental disabilities. These terms were not developed by people within the neurodivergent community (most neurodivergent people would not refer to themselves as disabled) and we don’t recommend using the term ‘disabled’ in everyday discussions about neurodiversity. However, in official contexts, the term can be useful – because it validates the fact that neurodivergent people might benefit from tailored assistance to succeed in an educational or professional setting. For example, neurodivergent students at AU might qualify for assistance from the Special Educational Support (SPS) team, and neurodivergent people applying for a job at AU might be entitled to preferential access according to the Act on Compensation for Disabled Persons in Employment.

When writing about neurodiversity in a wider context, we recommend that you use the langauge developed by people with a lived experience of neurodiversity – language that highlights difference and not deficit. We also recommend that you avoid langauge that portrays neurodivergence as a disease or disorder. Here are some terms to avoid and some to use instead, along with some explanations and examples.

Avoid 'disorder'

The term ‘disorder’ is used in medical diagnoses, but many neurodivergent people and families think it is too negative for everyday discussions. The term ‘condition’ is now often used by professionals rather than ‘disorder’:

Good example:

• Rezah has a condition that entitles him to extra time in his exams.

Avoid 'symptom'

The term ‘symptom’ portrays neurodivergence as a disease. We recommend that you use the term 'characteristic', 'trait' or 'sign' instead.

Good examples:

• One characteristic of autism is sound sensitivity.
• It is possible to spot the signs of ADHD in preschool children.

Avoid 'high/low functioning' and 'severe/mild'

Describing neurodivergent people as either 'high functioning' or 'low funcitoning' and their type of neurodivergence as either 'severe' or 'mild' creates unneeded comparisons. It also risks disregarding the struggles of neurodivergent people who appear independent and well. In a profesional context, it is often more helpful and relevant to focus on the specific tailored assistance services that can help neurodivergent people succeed in the workplace.

Avoid 'co-morbidity'

The term ‘co-morbidity’ portrays neurodivergence as a disease. We recommend using the terms 'co-existing conditions' or 'co-occuring conditions' instead.

Good emample:

• Fiona has two co-existing conditions: autism and dyslexia

Avoid 'Autism Spectrum Disorder' in everyday contexts

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the official way of describing autism, but many autistic people think ‘disorder’ sounds too negative in everyday discussions. We recommend using 'autistic' instead. 

• We are committed to supporting autistic students in all aspects of university life 

In official contexts that demand the name of the diagnosis, it is fine to use the term Autusm Spectrum Disorder (ASD), e.g.: 

• Marie has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and meets the requirements for exam dispensation.