Key Question: How does language express and/or reflect attitudes towards gender difference?

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• Key Question How does language express and/or
  reflect attitudes towards gender difference?
• Starter Consider the following statements. Do
  you agree/disagree with them? What evidence do
  you have to support your view?
• Boys and girls are brought up, and expected to
  behave in, different ways.
• English is an inherently sexist language.
• Typically, women are represented more negatively
  by the media than are men.
• Women talk more than men.
• Women are more in touch with their feelings
  than men.
• If the world were ruled and run by women, it
  would be a more peaceful, and less dangerous,
  place.

2

• Can you think of any common phrases (particularly
  insults) that invoke sex/gender?
• What qualities/characteristics are associated
  with the different genders?

3
What is gender?

• What do you understand the terms sex and
  gender to mean?
• Sex the biological differences between men and
  women.
• Gender the cultural expectations and
  understandings ascribed to sex (men and women)
  the differences in behaviour and roles that are a
  result of societal expectations.
• Socialisation process the process(es) by which
  individuals behaviours are shaped. (So, for
  example, the processes by which we become our
  genders.)

4
- In pairs decide if there is any difference (in
terms of positive/negative associations) between
these terms.- Can you describe the
morphological/grammatical changes that mark the
terms in each list?

• Master / mistress
• Waiter / waitress
• Instructor / instructress
• Lion / lioness
• Priest / priestess

• Female doctor
• Woman writer
• Career woman
• Male nurse
• Male prostitute

In each list, is there a term that is the norm
(or standard), and one which seems to deviate
from the norm?
5
Are there any patterns of negative and positive
connotations?

• Courtier
• Master
• Host
• Governor
• Adventurer
• Sir
• Bachelor
• Lord
• King
• god

• Courtesan
• Mistress
• Hostess
• Governess
• Adventuress
• Madam
• Spinster
• Lady
• Queen
• goddess

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• Courtesan a prostitute or paramour, especially
  one associating with noblemen or men of wealth.
  Origin 154050  lt Middle French courtisane  lt
  Italian cortigiana,  literally, woman of the
  court, derivative of corte

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• Mistress
• 1. a woman who has a continuing extramarital
  sexual relationship with a man
• 2. a woman in a position of authority, ownership,
  or control, such as the head of a household
• 3. a woman or female personification having
  control over something specified she was
  mistress of her own destiny
• 4. chiefly  ( Brit ) short for schoolmistress
• 5. an archaic or dialect word for sweetheart

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• Hostess
• 1. a woman who receives and entertains guests in
  her own home or elsewhere.
• 2. a woman employed in a restaurant or place of
  amusement to receive, seat, or assist patrons.
• 3. a woman who acts as master of ceremonies,
  moderator, or interviewer for a television or
  radio program host.
• 4. a woman employed by an airline, railroad, bus
  company, etc., to see that passengers are
  comfortable throughout a trip, usually receiving
  and seating them, and sometimes serving them
  refreshments.
• 5. a woman who manages a resort or hotel or who
  directs its social activities.
• (Hostess trolley?)

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• Governess
• 1. a woman who is employed to take charge of a
  child's upbringing, education, etc.
• 2. Archaic . a woman who is a ruler or governor.
• (Compare governor someone (male?) charged
  with authority over a state, institution etc.).
• The fact governess as an equivalent to
  governor is an archaism might suggest that here
  we have an example of semantic deterioration.

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• Adventuress
• 1. a woman who schemes to win social position,
  wealth, etc., by unscrupulous or questionable
  means.
• 2. a woman who is an adventurer.
• (Sexually promiscuous?)

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• Madam
• 1. ( often initial capital letter ) a polite term
  of address to a woman, originally used only to a
  woman of rank or authority Madam President May
  I help you, madam?
• 2. the woman in charge of a household Is the
  madam at home?
• 3. the woman in charge of a house of
  prostitution.

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• Spinster
• 1. a woman still unmarried beyond the usual age
  of marrying.
• 2. Chiefly Law . a woman who has never married.
• 3. a woman whose occupation is spinning.

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Plenary

• Is (the English) language inherently sexist?
• Should we semantically mark for gender, or should
  we devise, e.g., unmarked pronouns?

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• Lady

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• Queen

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• goddess

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Plenary

• Is language sexist?