‘Lary’ versus ‘Laryngectomee’
What’s in a name? Are you a lary or a laryngectomee?
While to some, these words are
interchangeable – to others,
they’re a world apart. To them, lary
may not simply be the shortened
form of laryngectomee but, at
best, a glib nickname; at worst, a
borderline offensive label. And,
as we know, labels are great for
washing instructions; not so great
for summing up people.
So why are we worrying about
this all of a sudden? We’ve always
opted for lary and trachee because
it suits the magazine, and it seems
to be the preferred option for a lot
of our readers. From our point of
view, we think it’s important that
lary is a self-appointed word, not
something that’s been foisted on
the laryngectomee community from
the outside. And because it feels like
a more accessible designation, it’s
an easier term for people who aren’t
in-the-know to get to grips with.
But it’s easy to forget that it isn’t
everybody’s preference. In other
words, maybe it’s time we talked
about this…
Obviously the fact that
‘laryngectomee’ so neatly turns
into ‘lary’ makes it an easy and
memorable alternative to the scarier
sounding ‘laryngectomee’. But, on
the flip side, that does mean that
it could be seen as diminishing the
significance of the laryngectomy
procedure and the impact that it
has on someone’s life. That’s not
necessarily a good thing.
So tell us – which do you favour
and why? Are you a died-in-thewool lary or do you insist on being
referred to as a laryngectomee?
Do you find the term lary a bit
too frivolous or casual? We’d be
interested to know. Or perhaps it’s
never crossed your mind at all…
As for us, we’re going to go on using
lary (and trachee) – unless we hear
overwhelmingly to the contrary of
course. But, equally, we’re just as
happy to use ‘laryngectomy’ where
that’s more appropriate. We’re all
different after all. And perhaps that’s
the thing; we’re a disparate group
of people bound by the operation
we’ve had and the impact it’s had
on our lives. And with so many
differences in all our lives, is it any
wonder we can’t agree on one name
between us? ?
Summer 2013 | THE VOICE
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