论文总字数：28289字

摘 要

语言在社会上扮演着重要角色，它能够反映社会的各个方面。作为文化载体，语言是人类社会发展的产物。它反映了特定时期的社会文化，习俗和思考方式。因此，语言中的性别歧视现象也反映了社会文化中存在的性别歧视。本文旨在从词汇、语法、语义学、称呼和谚语五个方面分析英语语言使用中的性别歧视现象，同时试图探究该社会现象的成因,比如文化，社会分工，社会化。最后本文就性别歧视现象提出了解决方法。

关键词：英语语言；性别歧视；文化现象

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 1

3. Sexual Discrimination Embodied in English 3

3.1 Vocabulary 3

3.2 Grammar. 4

3.3 Semantics. 5

3.4 Appellation. 6

3.5 Proverb. 7

4. Contributing Factors of Sexual Discrimination in English 7

4.1 Culture 8

4.2 Labor Division 8

4.3 Socialization 9

5. Possible Solutions to the Phenomenon 10

5.1 Reduce the Use of Sexist Language 10

5.2 Government Efforts 12

6. Conclusion 12

Works Cited 14

1. Introduction

Language is a powerful leverage on the progress and development of culture, which is a part of culture. On the contrary, culture has a vital influence on the development of language. Language is an important tool to express people’s thoughts and attitudes. Therefore, language is closely linked with people’s attitudes and views.

As sexism is a hidden aspect of society, sexist language is often used unconsciously. Sexual discrimination is a form of discrimination or devaluation of a person’s sex. It is individual views and the reflection of social and culture value (Macionis, 1988: 298) “Sexual difference and discrimination reflected in English language are not decided by the symbolic nature of language itself, but a natural reflection of the values and way of thinking of a specific society in language.”(Song Hongbo, 2004: 64) Language itself is like a colorless canvas. It is added with colors by language users on the basis of their own faith and views. Sexism in language reflects sexual discrimination hidden in the society and people’s mind. In other words, sexual discrimination is hidden in the society. Thus, since the study on language can make us have a better understanding of the society and culture and use English correctly, the study on sexual discrimination in the English language will help us know more about women’s social status in the west.

This thesis mainly has six parts. The first part is an introduction. The literature review is given in the second part, which intends to give more professional knowledge about sexism in English. An analysis about sexism in English from five aspects: vocabulary, grammar, semantics, appellation and proverb is given in the third part. The fourth part recounts some possible shaping factors of this cultural phenomenon. The fifth part is to provide two solutions to this social problem. We will give a conclusion of this thesis naturally in the last part.

2. Literature Review

Early works about sexism were mainly documents, which pointed out that sexual discrimination in the English language is inherent. In 1922, Otto Jespersen, used a whole chapter to detail the features of female language in his work Language------Its Nature, Development and Origin. It is the first widely influential study on sexism in the English language and has a vital influence on the linguistic field. The author compared the male language features with female language features, he believed that man dominate the world.

Dale Spender is another important person, who believes that with the feature of being man-made, language has a significant influence on women’s status. (Spender, 1980: 14)

Later in the early 60s of 20th century, a new cutting-edge subject named Sociolinguistics emerged. It makes the study on language become more profound than before, and many western universities began to run this course. In 1960s, the women’s Liberation Movement broke out, and it promoted the further research on sexist language. Famous linguistics in the 1970s, such as Lakoff, Trudgill and Henley, as well as Blinger in 1980s, made a huge process on the study of sexual discrimination in English. The subsequent researches are based on the results of the 80’s. However, they hold an objective attitude towards sexism.. They not only studied the sexual discrimination against females but also concerned the sexual discrimination against males.

Now, the research about sexist language has many subjects. It mainly has three groups: the first is sexual discrimination against different genders and its development tendency; the second is the study of difference between male language and female language; and the third is the study of the existing research results on sexist language.

In China, when the Culture Movement broke out, people began to know the sexism in Language. After many years, the study on sexism in language becomes more and more systematic.

In the book Social and Psychological Linguistics, the authors point out that the study of sexism in language at home and abroad falls into three aspects: the first is the sexual discrimination of language against female and its innovation scheme; the second is the gender difference of language use, that is, the differences of language used by males and females; the third is the study of the factors that result in sexual discrimination and gender differences in language use (Wang Dechun, 2000: 224)

There are many other works about sexism in English published in China. They basically introduce and summarize the findings of the studies in western countries. Huang Chunying argues that language is related to our humanity. The views and values of our society can affect language (Huang Chunying, 2001: 87 ). Chen Lihong points out that “The application of sex syndrome in words has become an inevitable tendency in the development of society”. She studies sexism from the perspective of the English language and its non-sexist trend (Chen Lihong, 2003: 57). Yang Zhihui points out that sexist language exists widely in social communication, affects their thinking and takes deep root in people’s mind. He also studies sexism in language and causes of sexism(Yang Zhihu, 2005: 64). Jiang Yanling examines sexism in English from feminist perspective and takes the effect of Women’s Liberation Movement into consideration in order to study the evolution of sexism in English language(Jiang Yanling, 2014: 19).

In China, the studies on sexist language have become more systematic and integrated than before, but the theories are not still mature. Some scholars do not study new field, they just focus on the introuduction of western theories and relevant researches.

On the whole, studies at home and abroad have provided much valuable information for the analysis of sexual discrimination in the English language in the thesis.

3. Sexual Discrimination Embodied in English

In this part, this paper will study sexual discrimination in the English language throughout five aspects: vocabulary, grammar, semantics, appellation and proverb. The sexual discrimination of English will be studied from the formation of words, the meaning of sentences, the title of person and so on.

3.1 Vocabulary

Language is based on vocabulary, words form sentences, and bring meaning and sense to sentence, so it is fundamental to study English words in the early stage. Thus, we will begin with vocabulary.

There is an example about the word “man”. If a woman falls into water from a boat, she would call out “Man, overbroad!”. If she injures at work, her medical fee will be called “workman’s compensation”. But if she goes to a place which is written “Man only”, she will understand that the warning not aims at animals or plants or nonlife but at her.

Besides, people often use male generic words to stand for both man and woman. In today’s public discussion, whether in an academic, political, or even legal context, it is common that people take it for granted using male personal pronouns to make an ambiguous reference. People often use male or neutral personal pronouns to express all mankind, if they do not know the sex of the person. For example,

He who laughs best laughs last.

What’s more, in English language, many female words are almost based on masculine nouns. These masculine nouns are conventional. For example,

From the table, we can find out that the information of some English words reflects the prejudice against women that women are the appendages of men.

When a boy and a girl go to church and get married, the priest will declare that “I pronounce you man and wife”. Just in several minutes, the male is still the man, but the female turns wife. “Now she represents a woman but he is mankind. If she enters mankind she loses herself in her.” (Spender, 1980: 15) These conventions reflect that man is the dominator of a family. The female is just like a property.

3.2 Grammar

Language, like a mirror, reflects every aspects of the society. Some outdated conventions and customs can be studied by the order of words in sentences. In the book Beyond Grammar Language, Power and the Classroom, the writer, Marry R, Harmon and Marilyn J. Wilson had an explanation about the natural order of words in English sentences in the early 60s of 15th century. “Some will set the carts before the horse, as thus, my mother and my father are both at home......Let us keep a natural order and set the man before the woman for manner’s sake” (Marry, 2006: 19). Grammatically speaking, the saying “mother and father” and “father and mother” are both right. However, they insisted that the former one is against the natural order. Actually, it is no more than being the opposite of the recognized rule and the social etiquette of the day. In a word, even in the correct grammar, the expression of the sentence should accord with the contemporary social and cultural values. So that expression can be accepted by the contemporary society. Almost every phrase that used to call male and female simultaneously follow the order that male vocabulary goes in front of the female ones. For example, “king and queen”, “boys and girls”, “Adam and Eve” and so on. Whether in books or broadcast, even in daily life, we can often read or hear these sentences:

Goodbye, boys and girls.

This school allowed male and female.

The narrow thoughts that men are superior to women get the best presentation by the examples above.

However, we also can find some sentences that are not male-female order, for example “bride and groom”, “ladies and gentlemen”. The former indicates that marriage is more important to bride than to groom. The later is affected by the tradition that men should protect women. Putting women in front of men does not mean that women is superior to men, but indicates that in men’s mind, women, the same as children, are the weaker.

3.3 Semantics

In English, we can easily get the reflection of the stereotype characteristics of masculinity or femininity by people’s name. Women often use the name of flowers, jewels as their names to show the beauty, gentleness, kindness elegance, while the name of religion or war as men’s name to show their nerve, strength, heroism and power. For example,

Flowers: Peony, Lilac，Daliah, Ivy, Iris

Jewel: Amber, Jade, Pear, Ruby

Religion: Alexander, Abraham, Peter

War: Harman, Harold, Raymond

Meanwhile, women often use animal names and food names as their names, such as “chick”, “pet”, “pusscat”, “bunny”, “cookie”, “peach”, etc. Although most of those words have no derogatory meaning, they show that women are appendages of men.

Although people try to be treated equally in various aspects, such as opportunities, rights, benefits and so on. Pursuing equality in English language is not as easy as we think.

In the study of English language, linguistics found that about 200 of all the words that express bawdry are related to women. For example ,“concubine”, “courtesan”, “harlot”, “lramp”, “mistress”, “prostitute”, “slut” and so on. But only 20 of that kind of words are connected with men. Some words carry a strong derogatory sense while describing women. However, commendatory, neutral or slightly derogatory meanings have been added while describing male, For example,

Andrew is loose. Andrew (male) is lax in discipline.

Monica is loose. Monica (female) is dissolute.

Tom is easy. Tom (male) is easy-going.

Serena is easy. Serena (female) is skittish.

If men and women are equal, words that describe them should be the same.

However, many words concerning female identity usually carry a strong derogatory sense. For instance, “bachelor” and “spinster” both refer to people who reach marriageable age but they are not married. However, the meaning of these two words is different. “Bachelor” means honesty, freedom and sexual liberty, while “spinster” implies ugliness and unprepossessing.

From these examples, we know that the asymmetries of language get powerful presentation.

3.4 Appellation

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