Madam, - Have other people noticed how certain members of society are being annihilated linguistically? I no longer have a husband, a spouse; I have a partner. My husband no longer has a wife; he also has a partner. The beautiful words husband, wife and spouse are disappearing from general usage.
I consulted the 2002 Census of Population. It makes interesting reading. There are 631,951 married couples in the country and only 68,939 partners. In fact the word partner is not mentioned in the census. "Partners" in the census are referred to as cohabiting couples.
I think that the word "partner" should be knocked on the head and replaced by the far more honest word cohabitee. Partner has many meanings: partner in crime, business partner, etc. Cohabitee is self-explanatory.
I suggest that the media, business, etc should now recognise this fact and amend their discrimination against married couples. Their first preference in communication should be spouse, husband or wife. The minority have for too long dictated to the majority. If cohabitees want recognition, it should not be at the expense of married couples.
Marriage is the overwhelming choice of Irish couples. Let society recognise it and married couples demand it. - Yours, etc,
MONICA BARBER, Belmont Avenue, Dublin 4.
