Newcastle University has sparked outrage after cracking down on the use of the word "pet", with commentator Carole Malone demanding: "Leave our language alone!"
Newcastle University has suggested staff stop using the Geordie greeting "pet" after it was deemed off-limits due to equality and inclusion, with Malone hitting back that the phrase was a "term of endearment."
Speaking on GB News, Malone explained: "Pet is used as a term of endearment. It's never used badly.
"It's always spoken in soft terms and it means 'dear' or 'my love,' stuff like that. In Newcastle some of the bosses there now, I bet none of them are Geordie.
Carole Malone said that it is used as a "term of endearment"
GB News
"What they're doing is they're trying to homogenise our language. They're taking out our vernacular, the words that we have grown up with and loved.
"I said to somebody, there's a word for these people who do that. It's a Geordie word, so I can say it, and it's Doylem. It means idiots. Leave our language alone. It's beautiful, it's warm, it's not patronising."
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However, Jonathan Lis argued: "What I would say to Carol about this is that I think that regional variety is brilliant.
"It's one of the great strengths of our language and diversity and it would be a shame if we did homogenise the language.
"I suppose the only thing with something like the word pet is the question of whether it is being used in a way that it's clear it's not meant defensively and it's meant as a term endearment.
"I'm just saying, make sure that it is in a non-gender way because we do have ways of interacting with male strangers that we don't have for female strangers.
Jonathan Lis said that you should be careful how you use the word
GB News
"When someone walked past me the other day and he said so sorry mate. Then I started thinking that's interesting because what would he have said if I'd been a woman?
"It's very rare that someone would call a female stranger mate."
Malone argued: "I get called mate by cab drivers."
Carole Malone said that some people just "don't understand Geordie- vernacular"
GB News
Lis doubled down on his point: "But it is very rare, often the words used for women are words that are sort of considered more patronising, like love."
Malone pointed out that some people just "don't understand Geordie-vernacular."
A statement from the university read: "Our researchers asked us to help them use more inclusive language in their work and we’re proud that this guide supports them to do that."