英语中性别歧视现象探究.docx

英语中性别歧视现象探究.docx

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英语中性别歧视现象探究

本科生毕业论文（设计）

题目：

英语中性别歧视现象探究

学院：

XXX学院

专业：

英语（国贸）

班级序号：

XXX

学号：

XXXX

学生姓名：

XXX

指导教师：

XX

2011年5月

 OnResearchoftheSexisminEnglishLanguage

AThesisSubmitted

InPartialfulfilmentforthe

RequirementsoftheDegreeof

BACHELOROFARTS

DepartmentofEnglish

LIAONINGNORMALUNIVERSIT

May,2011

Abstract

Inoursociety,womenareoftenregardedastheweakersexandarelookeddownupon.ThisgenderbiascanalsobefoundintheEnglishlanguage.Suchlanguageiscalledsexistlanguage.ThispaperisdevotedtothestudyofsexismintheEnglishlanguageandonhowtoavoidsexism.Tostartwith,thethesisanalysesthephenomenaofsexisminEnglishbyusinguniversalevidence,andtheyareshownanddiscussedinfouraspects:

Englishproverbs,Englishexpressions,EnglishvocabularyandthemeaningsofEnglishwords.ThenthethesistracesthereasonsfortheoccurrenceofsexismintheEnglishlanguage.Innature,sexisminlanguagereflectssexisminsociety.Thetwoarecloselyrelated.SocialconnotationsofsexisminEnglishtelltherelationshipbetweenphenomenonofsexisminlanguageandessenceofsexisminsociety.Lastly,thethesisintroducestwofeasiblestrategiestoerasesexisminEnglishlanguage,andtheyare:

languagereformandsocialreform.Themostimportantoneistoerasethesexistconceptionsandimprovewomen’sstatus,respectandsupportthem.Thelanguagetransformationcanberealisticonthebasisofthesocialreform.

Keywords:

sexism;phenomenon;factors;masculinewords;strategies

摘　要

在我们的社会中，妇女通常被认为是弱势群体而被轻视。

这种性别歧视现象同样体现在英语语言中，这种语言被称为性别歧视语言。

本文着重分析了英语语言中的性别歧视现象以及如何避免这种现象。

首先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。

接着论文剖析了英语中性别歧视现象形成的根源。

从本质来说，英语语言中的性别歧视是社会中性别歧视的体现。

两者紧密相连。

性别歧视的社会内涵反映的就是这种语言中的性别歧视现象与社会中的性别歧视的本质的关系。

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；现象；原因；男性用语;策略

TableofContents

Ⅰ.Introduction........................................................................................................1

Ⅱ.ADefinitiontoSexisminEnglishLanguage....................................................2

Ⅲ.PhenomenaofSexisminEnglishLanguage....................................................3

3.1SexisminEnglishProverbsandIdioms..................................................4

3.1.1RoleCategory................................................................................5

3.1.2MarriageCategory.........................................................................6

3.1.3MannerCategory..........................................................................7.

3.2SexisminNames....................................................................................

3.3SexisminEnglishVocabulary.................................................................8

3.2.1GenericMasculineWords.............................................................9

3.2.2TheDerogationofFemaleWords................................................10

3.2.3SexDiscriminationandJobTitles................................................11

3.2.4WordOrder...................................................................................12

3.3SexismintheMeaningsofEnglishWords..........................................14.

Ⅳ.TheCausesofSexismintheEnglish............................................................15

4.1CulturalFactor.......................................................................................16

4.2PhysiologicalFactor...............................................................................17

4.3SocialFactor...........................................................................................17

4.4PsychologicalFactor..............................................................................19

Ⅴ.TheStrategiesofEliminatingorAvoidingSexisminEnglish..........................20

5.1LanguageStrategies................................................................................20

5.1.1PopulationofNeutralWordsandExpressions.............................22

5.1.2AvoidingoftheGeneralizationofMasculineWord“He”...........23

5.1.3Ms.asanAlternativetoBothMrs.AndMiss..............................23

5.2SocialStrategy......................................................................................24Ⅵ.Conclusion..............................................................................................................25

WorksCited...............................................................................................................26

Acknowledgements.....................................................................................................27

Ⅰ.Introduction

Languageisamirroroftheworld.Everythingisreflectedinthemirror.InEnglishcountries,thoughpeopleadvocateequalrightsforeveryone,therearealotofinequities,suchasunequalrightsbetweenmenandwomen,whicharealsoreflectedinthemirroroflanguage.ThisphenomenoniscalledsexismintheEnglishlanguage.Itcanbeeitherexplicit,asintheprejudicialuseofmaleorfemalepronouns,orimplicit.Fromthedevelopmentandchangesofthelanguage,peoplecanconcludethatsexdiscriminationdoesnotonlyexistinChina,butinallthecountries.Therefore,howdoesEnglishlanguagereflectthesocialphenomenon?

ThefirstpersonwhodidresearchonthegenderandlanguageistheDenmarklinguistOtto.Jespersen,heregardsEnglishasthemostmasculinelanguagewhichisamancenteredlanguage.Thedomesticscholarsandexperts,YangYonglin,BaiJiehong,andsoon,havedonethoroughresearchaboutsexistelementintheEnglishlanguage,theyalsohaveintroducedsomefeasiblestrategiestoerasethesexism,buttheyjusthavedonethoroughresearchfromthelanguagestrategyaspect.Inthethesis,theauthordoestheresearchfromthecombinationofthesocialreformsandlanguagereforms,anditisessentialtoerasethesexismfrompeople’sminds.

English,asoneofthemostwidespreadlanguages,itssexistelementshallnotbesuitabletotheinterculturalcommunications,butthereismassivediscriminationinit,peopleshouldpaymuchmoreattentiontothesexequalityandtheimprovementofwomen’ssocialpositions.UnderstandingthesexistphenomenoninEnglishlanguagehelpspeoplestudythelanguageculture,andcorrectlytreatthechangesofthelanguageinthehistoricaldevelopment.ThethesisemphaticallyintroducesandanalyzesthespecificphenomenaofsexismandalsoprovidescorrespondingstrategiesthatcanbeusedtoeliminatesexisminEnglishlanguage.

Ⅱ.ADefinitiontoSexisminEnglishLanguage

Sexism,intheOxfordAdvancedLearner’sEnglish-Chinesedictionary,itmeansthatdisapprovingactionbasedontheideasorbeliefthatthemembersofonesexarelessintelligent,able,andskillful,etc,thanthemembersoftheothersex,especiallythatwomenarelessablethanmenandthoseparticularjobsandactionsaresuitableforwomenandothersaresuitableformen.TheAmericanHeritageDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguagedefinessexismasdiscriminationbasedongender,especiallydiscriminationagainstwomen;attitudes,conditions,orbehaviorsthatpromotestereotypingofsocialrolesbasedongender.Fromthesedefinitions,wecanfindthatsexismisthepracticeofdiscriminatingagainstpeoplebecauseoftheirgender.

Sexistlanguageexpressesunfairassumptionsanddifferences,anditcanbeeitherexplicit,asintheprejudicialuseofmaleorfemalepronouns,orimplicit.Usinguniversalevidence,thethesishererevealshowoftenEnglishexpressessexistassumptionsaboutdifferencesbetweenmenandwomen.

JustasaproverbgoesinEngland:

“Ifyouseeanoldman,sitdownandtakealesson;ifyouseeanoldwoman,throwastone.”whatexpressesEnglishversionofthesexismprescribedforwomen,isparticularlyconfining.[6].Infact,womanintheworldnomatterinwhichcountryshelives,therolesdesignatedtothemisunfairinthesociety.

Ⅲ.PhenomenaofsexisminEnglishLanguage

Thepaperpresentsthesexistphenomenon,whichisveryuniversalinEnglishlanguage.Anditisshownanddiscussedinfouraspects:

Englishproverbs,Englishnames,EnglishvocabularyandthemeaningsofEnglishwords.

3.1.SexisminEnglishProverbsandIdioms

Proverbsarethebroadmassesofthesocialpracticeundertakestheexperienceandunderstandingofthingsthehighlygeneralizationandrefining,andtheyarethetreasurehouseoffolkliterature.EnglishproverbasanimportantcomponentoftheEnglishlanguage,canreflectanation'sgeography,history,socialsystem,socialviewpointsandattitudes,willalsobelittlewomen.AndfollowingsaresomeusualphenomenaofthesexistlanguageinEnglishproverbs.

3.1.1Rolecategory

Womenareconsideredasdeliciousfoodinthesociety,therolesofwomeninthesocietyandcultureineverycountryareverypassive,butmenareactive,forexample:

“Amanofstrawisworthofawomanofgold”（稻草男儿抵得上金玉女子）,“Ifhusbandbenotathome,thereisnobody”（丈夫不在家，等于说没人）.Thesentence“longhairandshortwit”（头发长见识短）expresseswomenislackofwisdom,butmenareclever,anotherexamplegoeslikethis:

“whenanassclimbsaladder,wemayfindwisdominwomen”（倘若驴会爬梯子，女人也会变聪明）[12],thesexistlanguageexpresseswomenarelackofwisdomandtheyarecapricious.

3.1.2MarriageCategory

Inrelationtomarriage,thereismuchlinguisticevidenceshowingthatweddingsaremoreimportanttowomenthantomen.Manyproverbsreflectsuchfeudalconsciousnessthatgirlsarenotimportantinafamily.Forexample:

“itisasadhousewherethehencrows