[摘 要]
语言在社会中所处的地位尤为重要。作为一种社会现象的语言，必然会反映出人类社会的各种社会观念。性别歧视作为这其中的一种，是指把男性视作社会规范和中心，轻视，侮辱女性或使她们显得微不足道。而这一特定的社会现象必然会在语言中折射出来。
论文首先剖析了英语中性别歧视现象形成的根源。从本质来说，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。接着论文从阳性词泛指，词序，词义的贬降等方面对英语中的性别歧视现象进行了详细的分析。最后论文还着力探讨如何改变这种歧视。作者认为，改变性别歧视主要解决以下几个问题：(1)避免阳性代词的泛指；(2)词汇的中性化；(3)命名与称谓的对等；(4)创造新的对应词。语言中的性别歧视的最终消亡取决于社会变化。只有改变社会结构，即男女真正拥有平等的地位，语言中的平等才能真正实现。消除语言中的性别歧视的根本在于实现男女的平等的社会变革。
[关键词] 性别歧视；英语语言；词汇中性化；女权主义
1. IntroductionAs the peculiar result of the development of human society,language is a kind of social phenomenon and reflects all thesides of human society naturally. Its existence anddevelopment are closely linked with the social attitudes ofhuman beings and to a great extent are affected by theirsocial views and values. Historically and sociologically, oursociety is man-oriented and man-centered. Women, regarded as aweaker gender in society, are discriminated for a long timeand completely subordinated in political life, economic lifeand even family life in the society dominated by men.
Unavoidably, this kind of phenomenon has been embodied inlanguages. In linguistic aspect, language is bias-based andwomen suffer from language sexism. Gender-differentiatedlanguage use can reflect and help perpetuate the subordinatestatus of women in society.
Since 1960s, feminists strive for the elimination of genderdiscrimination, for the greater recognition of women’scontributions to society and aim to change many cultural andsocial customs that perpetuate patriarchal value systems. Manyfields of life around the world have been, or are being,affected by this movement. One of the many impacts feminism onsociety is its impact on language. Language was and is seen bymany feminists as a powerful instrument of patriarchy.
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2. The Factors of Sexism in the English LanguageSexism in English is not formed in one day, but built up inthe long period of the development of language, which leads tothe variety of the causes. What causes the sexism in theEnglish Language? There are four factors: cultural factor,physiological factor, social factor and psychological factor.
(1) Cultural factorIn the Holy Bible (The Books of The Old Testament): “So theLord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and heslept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its placewith flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from theman he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then theman said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of myflesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this onewas taken.’ ” [1]
Man came to the world first while woman made from one of man’sribs was created just as a help meet for him. And she was notcreated until all other animals failed to meet thesatisfaction of the man. From the order of the birth, it isobvious to see the different importance of man and woman. Andman and woman are not equal at all because woman is only apart of man, which itself is the discrimination against women.
It is said in the Holy Bible that the first sin is alsocommitted by the woman. She was seduced by the snake intoeating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and eviland having the man eat, too. At last, the woman was punishedto bring forth children in pain and was ruled over by the man.
From above, the superiority of men and inferiority of women isclearly seen. The Holy Bible is actually a book of men. AsChristianity is such a powerful religion in Western countries,it is unreasonable to deny that this helps to set andconsolidate the inferiority of women.
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(2) Physiological factorFor extended work and life together, people realized that menare tall in stature, strong in muscle and robust in physique.
In contrary to men, women are small in stature, weak inphysique and have more fat and less muscle than men. Womenalso mature more rapidly. [2] In a word, men are stronger thanwomen. This determines that men play a more and more importantrole in social and economic lives. A man’s job is to workoutside but a woman’s job is to stay at home, do the houseworkand take care of the children. Women are treated as the weakerones and they realize their own values through their marriagesto men. At last, women are lower in status. They have to leechon to men and are dominated by men. Gradually, people begin todiscriminate women and think that they are inferior inintelligence. This wrong perspective forms slowly and reflectsin language.
(3) Social factor (Labor division)Feminists all claim that we live in a patriarchal society: asociety of men, ruled by men and for men. Patriarchy depictsmen as the perfect norm against which women are measured andfound lacking.
Both the Western and Eastern societies use sex, to one degreeor another, in allocating tasks, activities, rights, andresponsibilities. As for the job done by men and women, thereis a long-stereotyped notion of what they can do. In history,there has been a division of labor--a division in whichwomen’s place was restrained at home for housework andchild-care while men worked outside being the breadwinner. Atlast, men had dominance over women, and women had to bedependent on men. This was the turning point for women. Fromthen on, in paternal society, slavery society and capitalistsociety, women had been on the bottom of society. In long andendless course of history, sexism against women has beenaccumulated. It is due to different labor division that leadsto different social status. This has been clear in ancient andmodern society. Later, in addition to domestic work, womenbegan to enter the paid work place. However, even though halfof women are employed outside the home, the belief persiststhat woman is mainly, and primarily, in the roles of wife andmother.
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Due to women's relative physical weakness and lowereducational background, they do primarily the low-status,low-paying jobs. Although men also have family roles, they aredefined primarily by their economic or occupational position.
Thus the sexism in the society has been in existence, theembodiment of which is necessarily the sexism of language.
(4) Psychological factorBecause of the social and cultural factors, women are alwaysconsidered to be the weak. People treat women as inferior tomen. They educate men to be manly, decisive, and brave whilewomen are required to be polite, conservative, obedient, andgentle. Because women are in subordinate status in thesociety, they have to constrain their emotion and give uptheir own need to meet the satisfaction of men. As timepasses, when speaking women pay more attention to the eleganceand standard of language than men. They use more pleasant andpolite words in the hope that they can receive other’sapproval. And they are taught to speak softly, to avoidcontradicting others, to be obedient in communication, and tobe aware of giving cues of strong confidence. They mouldthemselves to be inferior in their potential subconsciousness.[3] Therefore, women try their best tostrengthen their social status through their speech than mendo. The lower women’s position is, the more polite they are inthe face of others. And the standard language they use canshow their submission and politeness. This also suggests thatwomen are in a lower position in the society.