Gender Bias in Language
Language is a very powerful element. It is the most common method of communication. Yet it is often misunderstood and misinterpreted, for language is a very complicated mechanism with a great deal of magnitudes. There are times when in conversation with another individual, one must take into account the person's linguistic genealogy. There are people who use language that would be considered prejudicial or biased in use. But the question that is raised is in regard to language usage: is the language the cause of the bias or is it reflective of the preexisting bias that the user holds? There are those who believe that the language that we use in day-to-day conversation is biased in and of itself. There are words in the English language that exist or have existed (some of them have changed with the new wave of "political correctness" coming about) that have inherently been sexually biased against women. For example, the language is arranged so that men are identified with glorified and exalted positions, and women are identified with more service-oriented positions in which they are being dominated and instructed by men. The language used to convey this type of male supremacy is generally reflec
Although there are biases that exist in the English language, there has been considerable change toward recognizing these biases and making the necessary changes formally so that they will be implemented socially. People need to make the proper adjustments internally to use appropriate language to effectively include both genders. It is clear that despite good intentions and conscientious efforts, society unfortunately still lacks an easy way to free language of gender bias. Nielsen, Alleen. "Sexism in English: A 1990s Update."1990. Eds. William H. Roberts and Gregoire Turgeon. 5th ed. Boston Houghton Mifflin, 1998. 49-59. Goueffic, Louise. Breaking the Patriarchal Code. Connecticut: Knowledge, Ideas & Trends, Inc., 1996. "What's in a Word?". Media Awareness Network, 1997. 3 Dec. 2000. By listening to the story, the children form some biased ideas toward males versus females. The message portrayed in the story is that Ms. Smith is not her husband's equal, and is treated like a possession. ("John Smith's little lady" and "his wife"). The female was not portrayed as capable or mature. Words such as "gal" and "little" degrade women and imply that men are in control. It is also noted that the heroes of the story, the fireman and the delivery boy, were both males. Some may say, "But these are only words. What's the problem with hearing these terms over and over again in the media?" In fact, terms like these become acceptable; people unconsciously absorb the underlying message and begin to think that women are not equal. Young kids in particular learn these attitudes from the hearing these words day in and day out at school or in the media. In addition, most young girls grow up reading about doctors, professors, managers, and engineers who consistently turn out to be "he", while nurses, secretaries, and grade school teachers are "she". Stereotyping males and females to certain professions causes skewed ideas about the options children have when they grow up. Kuhn, Elisabeth. "Sexism in Language and How to Get Rid of It". Perspectives on Multiculturalism and Cultural Diveristy. Vol. IV, No. 1 April 1993. 1 Dec. 2000. There are far greater positive connotations connected with being a man than with being a woman. Because masculine and feminine terms ha
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1682
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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