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1、景德镇陶瓷学院科技 艺术学院 本科生毕业论文（设计） 题目： Sexism in English Vocabulary 学号： 姓名： 院（系）： 专业： 完成时间： 指导老师： CONTENTS Acknowledgements Abstract in Chinese. Abstract in English. 1.Definition 2.Sexism in word-formation methods 2.1 Suffixes . 2.2 Sexism in compound words 3.Sxism in Naming and Addressing 3.1 Sexism and Na
2、ming. 3.1.1 Sexism in the first names 3.1.1.1 Derivation of Female Names from Male Names 3.1.1.2 Sexism in Semantic Naming of First Names . 3.1.2 Sexism in the family names 3.1.2.1 Patrilineal System of Family Names 3.1.2.2 Change of Female Family Names upon marriage 3.2 Sexism and Addressing . 3.2.
3、1 Sexism in Addressing Terms 3.2.1.1Female Social Titles upon Relationship with Male 3.2.1.2 Derogation of Female Honorific Titles . 3.2.1.3 Abusive Addressing Patterns 4.Sexism in Proverb and Slang 4.1 Sexism in Proverb 4.2 Sexism in Slang 5. Conclusion 6. Bibliography ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My deepest g
4、ratitude goes first and foremost to Professor Hou Xiaohua,my supervisor,for her constant and inspiring guidance and encouragement.She has walked me through all the stages of writing of the thesis.Without her constant and illuminating instruction,this thesis could not have reached its present form. S
5、econd,i would like to expree my heartfelt gratitude to all the teachers who taught me when i have striving for my Bachelor Degree for their excellent lectures and inspiring ideas. Last, my thanks would go to my beloved family for their loving considerations and great confidence in me all through the
6、se years.I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates who gave me their help and time in listening to me and helping me work out my problems during the difficult course of the thesis 摘要 英语不仅是一种语言工具，也是一种意识形态工具。性别歧视这一文化观念 反映在语言的词汇学中。牛津高级字典是这样解释的：“不平等的对待人，尤其 是对女性，因为她们的性别”。本篇论文
7、将从英语词汇构词法、词义、称谓语及 谚语和俚语分析英语词汇中的性别歧视。所以对性别歧视了解的越多， 避免的困 难也就越多。这是很有实际意义的。 关键词 ：语言；英语词汇；性别歧视 ABSTRACT English is not only a language tool, but also an ideological tool. Vocabulary of the language can faithfully reflect the culture it serves such as sexism.The oxford advanced learners dictionary explain
8、s it as below: the unfair treatment of people, especially women, because of their sex.This article will discuss sexism that exists in English lexicon in terms of word formation ,word meaning ,naming and addressing terms ,as well as proverb and slang terms.So the more you know it, the better you will
9、 avoid trouble. Therefore, the present research has important practical significances. Key words： language ；English word;sexism; 1.Definition Sexism，according to Oxford Advanced Learners English -Chinese Dictionary is defined as prejudice or discrimination against people (esp.woman)because of their
10、sex ;and according to Longman Dictionary of Comtenporary English ,sexism is defined as ideas and believe that menbers of one(usually man) sex are more able and clever than theode of the other sex .It is manifest in all forms of behavior from subtle gestures and especially language to exploitation an
11、d oppression ，and in all human institutions from the family to the multinational corporation(Paula S Rothenberg 1988 ：21) It affirms the dominance of men over women， jnst as Rosemary Radford Ruether(1993 ：165)holds that“sexism is gender privilege of males over females It is males primarily who have
12、originated this form of oppression，benefited from it，and perpetuated it ，legally and ideologically ”In this sense， it keeps women in second classstatus ， denies them their rights to control their own bodies，and denies personal ，mental，and physical safety ； it reinforces the false notion that any man
13、 who is gentle ，flexible，compassionateor gay becomes “feminine ”and thereby loses status and respect 2.Sexism in word formation Word formation is one of the elements in language from which we can find many examples of sexism.The most obvious one is the word “history”,which it combines words “his ”an
14、d “story ”.It claimed that the history belonged to man not the woman.In general,it is divided in to two categories,adding suffixes and compounding. 2.1 Adding suffixes Adding -tress is common among words like ,actress,authoress,sculptress and waitress.Although it sometimes awarded some outlanding ac
15、hievements of women,the importance of its role isnt the same as man.For instance,we usually call a man of a general manager,rather than a general manageress.The highest rank of poet in British is Poet Laureate,which it award to every distinguished poet including both males and females.Howerever,rarl
16、y had it probably honored a poet of Poetess Laureate. Word like hostess is widely accepted by people in bar ,which its meaning had been degraded.The same as in the terms of JewessNegrss and Quakeress The suffix of -ette includes three meanings .The first one aims at small size,such as “cigarette(香烟)
17、 ” and “kitchenette(小厨房） ”.The second level is artifical ,such as “Leatherette(人造皮） ”.The third level derives from the last two meanings which discloses the oweakness of woman and subordinates to man.As a result ,it discininates against woman obviously.Woman are unfairly treated.Duing the turn of 19
18、 century and 20 century , “Suffragette”was frequently used by women who wanted to strive rights for women.However,the public and media used it with derogation. Words like aviatrix( 女飞行员），executrix(女执行官） and dominatrix(母夜叉 ) added the suffix of -trix,which all present an insular prejudice towards wom
19、en.Women are so weak and fragile that they need obey to men. 2.2 Sexism in compound words In addition to sex discrimination in suffixes,compounding is a good example too.Take word-formationof common words made by “man ” and “woman ”for example .on one hand,there are a great many words with “man ”,li
20、ke human,policeman,chairman,businessman,sportsman,superman,mankind,postman,Engl ishman,airman,salesman,clergyman,kinsman,countryman,etc.Even the word “woman ”is made up of “man. All these words should refer only to the male,while in fact,the meanings of these words also cover woman,which is obviousl
21、y unfair to the female.Actually,this kind of words are regarded as masculine words in grammar.According to the point of view in English history,it inherits word-formation principle of Latin and old English in grammar gender.So such kinds of words empasize masculine in word structure.At the sametime,
22、it also stresses that all things are done by the mmale, not the female in practical use. That is quite unfair to the female.On the other hand,in social life,pepole always regard women with discrimination.If a woman is engaged in noble cases,she will face much more difficulties than men.And the follo
23、wing meaning of words also show that the words made up of”woman ”mainly emphasize the characteristics of women who are engaged in some kind of profession or belong to a certain of sector.For example, (1)Womankind: female human beings (2)Chairwoman: a woman presiding officer of an assembly meeting,co
24、mmittee or board (3)Womanpower:the power of woman physcial strength (4)Policewoman: a woman who is in a member of a police force (5)Womanhood:the state of being a woman;woman (6)Horsewoman:a woman horseback rider 3.Sexim in Naming and Addressing Spender(1985:24) notes: one of the features of English
25、 language practices which are inherently sexist is the use of naming and addressing terms.”Naming and addressing terms play an important role in interpersonal communication.They are continuously used in our daily life hence the social and cultualfactors encoded in them are very valuable for us to ex
26、plore. 3.1 Sexism and Naming Naming system usually includes first name,middle name and family nam,such as “William Jefferson Clinton”.First name such as”William ”in the example,is otherwise known as Chtistian name,forename or given name.Middle name like ”Jefferson”in the example occurs betwwen the f
27、irst name and family name as the second forename,and is usually represented by its capitalized initial letter and is often used in formal occassions.Family name is known as Surname,or last name,which is a name shared in common to identify the mumbers of a family,which is usuallyinheritedfrom the asc
28、ending generation on the paternal side,such asClinton”in the example.This part will discuss the sexist phenomena in the first and family name on the basis of the analysis of their semantic features. 3.1.1Sexism in the first names Giving first name to the infant is one of the most important tasks.Fir
29、st name is truly a lifetime gift from parents;it helps define the children within the family,school and the outside word.Hence an analysis of sexism in first names is very significant. 3.1.1.1 Derivation of Female Names from Male Names In English lots of female names derivate from male names by addi
30、ng affixes for example,Stephen-Stephanie,Dana-Dana.Affixs play an important role in the formation of female names.After researching affixes used to refer to female in English,Mills(1995:93)claims that those affixes lead to a view of women as a derivation from a male universal norm and the female for
31、m is seen as the marked term and the male as the unmarked term.Therefore,it is not a surprise that female names would have some consistent marker bias.Many female names derive of male ones by addingthe suffixes “ -a” (or “-ia ” due to phoneticreason), “e” and “-line ” to them.like Albert and Alberta
32、 、 、 Alex and Alexa、 Daniel and Danielle、 Gabriel and Gabriell and Paul and Paulineetc. First corresponding with the above, research has shown that male names differ fromfemale ones in two major aspects. Firstly, male names are shorter in spelling than female names according to the research, There a
33、re many male names are formed with one syllable such as Jim, Fred, John, Bob and Jack, while only few female names are one syllable. Furthermore, fewer female names have three or more than three syllables, such as Roberta, Victoria and Amand. Part of the explanation of this study lies in the fact th
34、at many female names are originated from male names by adding one or more syllables. Secondly, male names are phonologically different from female ones. This thesis finds that majority of male names are ended with consonant phonetic symbol in which some male names end with the stops d, t, k such as
35、Robert, Richard, Jack; while only two femalenames do, namely, Brooke and Jade. However, most of female names analyzed endedwith a vowel i, i:, ?, such as Mary and Anna, but only a few male names do so.Cutler argues (1990: 476), “Small vocal tracts such as i, i:, ?, which producehigh-pitched sounds,
36、are typically possessed by smaller, weaker, less threateningbeings.” Therefore, the frequent use of i in such female names as Tracey, Mary andBonnie, and ? in Rita, Selina and Lisa, reflects “smallness and lack of threat are heldto be desirable attributes of females”. Theoretically, the practice of
37、deriving female names from male ones forms the contrast in which men are dominant and women are subordinate in society and meanwhile it is in accordance with the belief in Bible that woman was created from a rib of man. 3.1.1.2 Sexism in Semantic Meaning of First Names The names that people give the
38、ir children show the hopes and dreams they have for them and also reflects their parents hope and expectations for their children. So from their first names,we can know the different attitudes of parents to boys and girls. First names for girls and boys often reflect stereotyped features of feminity
39、 or. masculinity prevailing in a particular culture or society. It is undeniable that first names contain various connotations and this thesis will make an effort on the sexism in names connotation In our society the vast majority of first names carry clear feminine or masculine connotations. People
40、 no matter in the East or West attach great importance to marking the childs sex when choosing a name for him or her. And in baby naming book, there might be two lists: one for girls and another for boys. According to it, parents are recommended to choose a name that identifies the childs sex. Besid
41、es marking the sex of the child, first names for girls and boys often reflect stereotyped features of femininity and masculinity prevailing in culture. More female names contain the connotation associated with appearance while more male names contain connotation associated with wealth, power, wisdom
42、 and intelligence. It reflects the sexist expectaton that male should improve internal quality and female should pay more attention to external beauty. 3.1.2 Sexism in Family Names Family names are passed down from generation to generation, it symbolizes the blood relationship and development of a f
43、amily. From the way of giving family names, it is not difficult to find the sexism. 3.1.2.1 Patrilineal System of Family Names When women were born, they were given their fathers name and adopted their husbands names upon marriage. It s only sons who carry on their fathers name forever, whereas wome
44、n lost this capacity when they got married. This stresses the portrayal of women as the prosperity of men, passed from father to husband. They just have no freedom to own their own names. US Senator Hilary Clinton. Either way she names herself after a man her father or her husband, or both. Children
45、 typically inherited their fathers rather than their mothers family names, which enables fathers but not mothers to achieve a direct continuity of naming from generation, provided they have sons. Even if there are only daughter, however the derivation of female forms from male names enables the tran
46、smission to continue. It s very common for women in English-speaking countries to adapt their husbands names upon they got married. Thus women are said to“marry into families and families are sad to die out if an all-female ” generation occurs. Thus, Spender comments: “Practically”, it means that wo
47、mens family names dont count and there is one more device making women invisible.” In the ceremony, the, the official asks, “ Who gives the bride away?”and the father answers. “I do ”, or “Her mother and I do”, but that does not solve the problem inherent in the idea that a bride is something to be
48、handed over from one man to another. 3.1.2.2 Change of Female Family Names upon Marriage When a woman is referred with her husbands name, as in “Mrs. John Smith”, she is rendered both subordinate and invisible. For example, when a woman named Helen Keller marries to a man named John Fords, She is su
49、bmerged by being called Mrs. John Fords. Even the woman is of high social status; it is the same with her. One of the candidates in 2008 Presidential Election of the United States of America, Hilary, the former president of Bill Clintons wife, kept her maiden name “Hilary Rodham ” after marriage. But in ord