The Sexism in English Language

英语中的性别歧视

Abstract

Sexism in English language has launched along with the vigorous development of women’s liberation movement since the end of 1960s. As a mirror reflecting the society, language images the social views and values. Sexism in society is thus inevitably reflected in the use of language.
The paper based on the analysis of *** discrimination in English explores that it is by no means an extinction of ***ist language so long as the ***ism in society exists. The causes of ***ism in this thesis are the inequality between male and female. In ancient time, the thoughts that males host females and the treatment of women as inferiors to men are in vogue. Men are always at superior positions to women in the social economy, in the politics, as well as in the people’s traditional ideas, so the idea of *** discrimination has reflected in the language. The thesis summarizes the phenomena of ***ism in English by using universal evidence, and they are shown and discussed in four aspects: English proverbs, English expressions, English vocabulary and the meanings of English words. Lastly, the thesis introduces two feasible strategies to erase ***ism in English language, and they are: language reform and social reform. The most important one is to erase the ***ist conceptions and improve women’s status, respect and support them. The language transformation can be realistic on the basis of the social reform.

Key Words

Sexism; female words; masculine words; strategies

摘　要

自20世纪60年代起，语言性别歧视已随着女性解放运动的展开而得到蓬勃发展。语言是社会现实的一种反映，因此由于历史发展、文化、社会价值及男女两性之间在生理等方面的差异而引起的性别歧视，尤其是社会对女性的性别歧视一览无余的体现在语言上，英语语言中也存在性别歧视。本篇论文阐述了性别歧视产生的原因是男女地位的不平等，在人类早期，男尊女卑的思想盛行，男子在社会经济、政治、文化领域以及人们的传统观念中，总是处于比女性优越的地位,人们在观念上形成的对妇女特有的歧视观念慢慢形成并反映在语言中。本文分析了性别歧视在英语中的四个方面的表现：在谚语中；在词汇中；在词语中和在词义中，通过大量的举例和分类来系统阐述。最后着重讨论了消除性别歧视语所应采取的一些策略，从语言策略和社会策略两方面入手，要消除性别歧视，关键在于根除社会上存在的性别歧视观念，进一步提高妇女的社会地位，语言的变革只能在社会变革的基础上才能实现。

关键词

性别歧视； 女性词； 男性词； 策略

 
Introduction

Language is a social phenomenon, and it has a close relationship with the social life, the language is used in a specific social group and it is not only the carrier of the ideological content, but a mirror of social life, it reveals people’s traditional thoughts that *** discrimination against women in the society. From the development and changes of the language, people can conclude that *** discrimination does not only exist in China, but in all the countries. Therefore, how does English language reflect the social phenomenon?
The first person who did research on the gender and language is the Denmark linguist Otto.Jespersen, he regards English as the most masculine language that is familiar to him, and it is a man centered language. The domestic scholars and experts, Yang Yonglin, Bai Jiehong, and so on, have done thorough research about ***ist element in the English language, they also have introduced some feasible strategies to erase the ***ism, but they just have done thorough research from the language strategy aspect. In the thesis, the author does the research from the combination of the social reforms and language reforms, and it is essential to erase the ***ism from people’s minds. English, as one of the most widespread languages, its ***ist element shall not be suitable to the intercultural communications, but there is massive discrimination in it, people should pay much more attention to the *** equality and the improvement of women’s social positions. Understanding the ***ist phenomenon in English language helps people study the language culture, and correctly treat the changes of the language in the historical development. The thesis emphatically introduces and analyzes the specific phenomena of ***ism and also provides corresponding strategies that can be used to eliminate ***ism in English language.

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