Ok, here we go...this may settle the whole "shrill" matter.

[Bicoastal]

"Shrill" has two definitions, a LITERAL definition and a FIGURATIVE definition.

The first one, referring to a high-pitched noise, seems to be the most discussed definition here. There's no need to talk too much about it, as it's the use of the word everyone seems familiar with.

However, when we say a speech, essay, or blog is rather shrill, we don't mean literally that the author has a high-pitched voice. We mean that the urgency of the language mirrors the intensity of a yell or a siren, two sounds that immediately suggest panic. (There's a term for linguistically substituting one of the human senses for another, like when we say a tie is LOUD, or someone turns to you SHARPLY, but I forget what it is.) It's important to note that "shrill" can and is used to talk about written words as well as spoken words; bloggers are particularly singled out for shrillness. But again, you don't have to scream to be considered shrill--you just have to say panicky, strident things, such as "The Liberal Democrats have created a 'Politically Correct' police state, and if we don't act soon, they'll push our country straight over the cliff and into fascism, then anarchy." Say this sentence in a urgent but measured tone, and congratulations, you've just used what can be considered "shrill language" without raising your voice. (Although it's even more apropos if someone is doing both.)

In this second regard, shrill is a unisex adjective and can be used to describe anyone's intense language or dialog--despite the gender of the speaker or author. "Shrill criticism" is a phrase often encountered in male-dominated politics, as is "shrill opposition," "shrill debate" or, yes, a speech that "sounded shrill." But it has nothing to do with demeaning anyone as womanly or un-macho--it means that the politicians in question were using language that was the verbal equivalent of a scream. Don't take my word for it--Google two words, "schaivo" and "shrill" and see how often this phrase was used in 2005 to describe the House Republicans and Religious Right on this issue. Anyone who claims to have never before encountered this use of the word likely doesn't read enough political material or is just looking for a fight.

Here's the truce I propose--any time the phrase could NOT be used for any candidate other than Hillary is sexist. Any time it could be used for anyone in the race, it's perfectly acceptable.

Examples:

"In a loud, shrill voice, Clinton harangued Obama on his past drug use much in the way an angry parent would address a wayward child." This is clearly sexist--it's singling out Clinton for her voice, which is of course higher than a man's, and applying the LITERAL connotations of the word. No other candidate could be described in such patently demeaning terms.

"Hillary Clinton's speech was a strong one, although once again she sounded a bit shrill on national security, reiterating the need to keep suspected terrorists under careful surveillance." This is NOT sexist--it's clearly referring to the language she's using to describe her stance on the issue, not her tone of voice. You could substitute "Rudy Giuliani" in place of her name, and the sentence would read the same.

Does this makes sense? I don't claim to be an expert on the English language, but I do use it as part of my job. Feel free to come up with some reasons why I'm totally wrong.

[Richard Steele]

1. Well, that's the end of that, then...

:popcorn:

[msongs]

2. substitute Oprah for clinton and you've got it nailed, 5 days a week nt

[TwilightZone]

3. It's simply a matter of intent and context.

I guarantee that it is the intent of some who use that word to describe Hillary to intend it to be gender-specific.

[joeybee12]

4. But you WOULDN'T put Rudy Guiliani's name in there...

...it's being used exclusively about Hilary, and as such, the usage is sexist...lots of words have different definitions, however, common usage and meaning trumps sometimes arcane definitions.

[Bicoastal]

5. Ahem...

"At the South Carolina GOP debate the other night, Rudy Giuliani's shrill response to Texas Congressman Ron Paul over the war in Iraq made me wonder if America's Mayor wasn't going to break down and cry right there."

"I will be voting for Democratic, but McCain isn't’t exploiting it any more than any candidate talks about their personal accomplishments. McCain served honorably and withstood torture…he backed up his tough talk with action. Furthermore, while he did criticize Hillary, he wasn’t nearly has shrill as Giuliani or any of the others."

"The emphasis by McCain in the closing days of the campaign on Bush's negative advertising (including independent expenditures financed by Texas billionaire Sam Wyly) was ineffective. McCain came over as shrill, climaxing a series of tactical blunders over the past two weeks."

"There's no doubt that they got students talking. Right after the film, Lindzen, who has criticized Gore's "shrill alarmism," sent the students into an uproar when he stood on the stage and said, "Al Gore lied to you. Everything you have just seen is propaganda."

"Since no one thinks Keyes has a snowball’s chance in hell of winning the Republican presidential nomination, neither Mitt Romney nor Rudy Giuliani even bothered to challenge him when he launched his shrill attacks against them."

"Governor Romney's shrill cries of outrage against the Turnpike Authority follow a well-established Republican routine: Protect corporations, attack rivals, and sow fear to distract people."

"Socialism by any other name is still socialism -- whether it is advocated by shrill zealots like Kucinich or by other Democrats whose words are smoother."

"Edwards was shrill and personal in his attacks against the Senator which is nothing new."

"As Chuck Todd, the editor of National Journal's Hotline, marvels, "Howard Dean says it, and it's shrill; Edwards says the exact same thing, and you melt."

"Bush's shrill derision of liberalism seems to be a sign of political desperation these days. What would the nation have done without the New Deal during the Great Depression?"

These are Googled articles from the Left, Right, and Center, and taken from newspapers, blogs, and anonymous posts. I won't deny that Hillary's name came up an AWFUL lot--but while we should remain sensitive to the word's use, I also think we should refrain from verbal totalitarianism. Sometimes the word's appropriate in context, sometimes it isn't.