Sexiest Language Essay, Research Paper
Language is the basis to all cultures in the world, today. Whether it is in writing, sign language, or body language, it is a must in every civilization. Language is perceived differently through the male and female genders.
Many forms of sexist language have been identified into three forms – language that ignores women, language the defines women narrowly, and language that depreciates women (Wetherall 276). Women have been discriminated for years. This all strings back to when the female was thought to be less of a person, since early civilization. It has been the use of masculine genetics that has concealed women. Since that time we have came a long way in equaling women’s rights. The problem now, is that language still portraits women as something less in society. The narrow definition of women in language relates to the observation that women are more often discussed in relationships, whereas men are more often discussed in what they do (Wetherall 276). A perfect example is when women are given their spouse’s last name after being married. This is a show of ownership of sorts. Women do not have accompany this tradition if they do not feel it is necessary. Language described women, in the past, in a negative manor and it is hard to break free from such stereotypes. In a study of female and male terms listed in the dictionary you will find many more unfavorable, sexual and trivializing to describe women that men (Wethrall 276). Women have taken a large leap towards equality but it will take some time before sexist language and discriminative language will cease.
I did a survey where I asked twenty people, “If a girl fools around with five guys in a month and a guy fools around with five girls in a month what would you classify the man and woman?” All twenty of the people I asked said the girl is a slut. Sixteen of the people said the man was a “pimp”(which is a good thing). The other four said he is a male slut. Why is this so? Just because the person is a female, she should be classified as a slut? This is how society thinks. Women should not be stereotyped this way. Men do the same things and they are thought of as the “Bomb”. I asked five men and five women how they would address a woman who was a chairperson. This is a direct statement of how or language is sexist towards women. Because of this sexist language, our society faces the consequences. Sexist view can influence people’s perception of women (Wetherall 277).
Research theoretical developments on language, power and social relationships suggests more subtle and complex associations between language and social behavior than those initially used to describe the significance of sex bias in language (Wetherall 277). For example, discourse analysts explore how the production and organization of social categories in conversation are influenced by the context and function of the particular interaction (Wetherall 277). The use of sexist language makes the idea of inequality live on. When people constantly use this sexist language it becomes routine and people start to use this in their every day conversation or even just in their minds. The routinization of sex bias in language makes sexism more covert and hence a legitimate way of communicating racism (Wetherall 277). With this common and accepted racism being used in everyday life, it shows how men have maintained their monarchy in social groups. For example, when I was younger there was a girl on my baseball team who was very good, but everyone emphasized how good she was “for a girl”, not a person. Sexist language is a direct suppression of women and is so commonly used, it goes unnoticed. Though, steps are being taken to stop sexist language, for example it is not longer a policeman it is a police officer, still, there has to be more done to prevent in from existing.
Our language reflects the fact that, historically women engaged in public activity that has been suspect (Jamieson 125). The whole idea is that when society speaks of a human being it is usually thought to be a male. For instance when a man is interviewed, he is judged as an individual while a woman is categorized as a “women” (Jamieson 127). Language is not only a way to communicate, but, also a way to judge the character of society .
Starting at age two or three when boys and girls first learn to communicate they are placed in two separate categories. This separation continues through childhood and up to their teenage years when they become men and woman. Woman are brought up to be clean, proper, and always be on their best behavior. Men are brought up to play in the dirt, be messy, and act like tough guys. When men and woman become their own self and have their own traits they will then began to interact and communicate with each other. At this time different language will be shared with each other and many agreements as well as disagreements will occur. A man will usually overpower the woman with words, because a mans language is a lot stronger in content. As each generation goes by men have been more successful and always in a higher power position than woman have been in.
In the mid 1970’s, a survey was taken, that is showing words that are used on men and their parallel meaning towards women.
Masculine TermsFeminine Terms
acts as a leaderaffectionate
aggressivecheerful
ambitiouschildlike
analyticalcompassionate
assertivedoesn’t use harsh language
athleticeager to sooth hurt feelings
competitivefeminine
defends beliefsflatterable
dominantgentle
forcefulgullible
has leadership qualitiesloves kids
independentloyal
individualisticsensitive to others needs
makes decisions easilyshy
masculinesoft-spoken
self-reliantsympathetic
self-sufficienttender
strong personalityunderstanding
willing to take a standwarm
willing to take risksyielding
(Jamieson 124)
This surveys shows the comparison and the difference in meaning of words
thought to “fit” with the men and women of society. It is rather disgusting how such stereotypical thoughts could be evident in our world in the seventies.
Woman have been discriminated though language in almost every kind of sense. Even in religion, women are not seen as the higher power. Just look at all the priests and the pope, all of the higher powers are male. Jesus was male, and only selected male apostles (Aburgbae, Waisbitt 122). although some changes have been made is certain hymns and gospels, such as: “Good Christian Men, Rejoice” was changed to, ” Good Christian Friends, Rejoice”, the church has a long way to go with modifying their language and stereotypical ideas against the females of this world. Yet those kinds of obstacles and struggles are worth fighting for, if you expect results (The Women’s Review of books 27).
Stereotypes that are put on women through language are numerous. A woman with strong opinions and very determined is a “bitch”, while a man is very ambitious. If a woman is good at sports then she is manly but a man is just filling his athletic potential. A woman dresses or acts sexy is a “slut” while a man is just showing off his nice body. Women are stereotyped by society every day and that is mainly powered by our societies language.
It is not only women who are discriminated against. Through language, men are also stereotyped as well. Men are very often thought to be hard nosed and insensitive, football watching, pieces of garbage. Most of these stereotypes are made from females because they see these actions in men who they become involved with. For instance, if a man feels like sitting on the couch and watching football, but his girlfriend really wants to go to the movies and they end up on the couch for the afternoon then the man is thought of as a chauvinistic, insensitive, typical male. This is not the case, sometimes guys just do not feel like going to the movies or out to dinner. Also there are affectionate guys in the world, but no women is going to have it their way all of the time.
Body language also differs greatly between genders. For instance, if a woman makes the first move (sexually) then she is a “whore”. If the guy doesn’t make the first move then he is considered to be not a “real man”. Luckily, these stereotypes are starting to change. Body language is most evident in how a person walks around and carries him or herself. For example, if a woman walks without grace then she is walking manly and visa versa, if a man doesn’t walk all tough then he is “girly”. Also walks around in kind of a feminine way, then the person is considered to be homosexual. If a man walks in a tough, “manly” fashion, then he is considered to be a tough guy or hard-nosed. These body language factors are not as prominent as the language stereotypes but they are still around.
Although women carry many of their own disbelieves about men, men have their share of misunderstandings about woman. For example women feel that men are very insensitive, self-centered, human beings. And in return men feel that woman are very sensitive and become to emotional over everything. When in fact these are all misconceptions of the male and female gender communication system. Men are really very sensitive people just like women, but they hold a lot of their emotions inside of them. Women are looked at as being too sensitive because they express their emotions a lot more than men. In today’s society we want to believe communication has expanded as well as improved greatly. To a certain extent it has, but there are still a lot of areas that improvement is needed in order to communicate correctly.
Другие работы по теме:
Reading And Comprehension Essay Research Paper Reading
Reading And Comprehension Essay, Research Paper Reading and Comprehending English is a strong complex language. It can be very difficult to read and comprehend. To ask one, who s first language is not English they would tell you that English is painstakingly hard to understand. That is why people need to learn to read and understand what they read.
Language And You Essay Research Paper Language
Language And You Essay, Research Paper Language and You In my opinion, language is certainly the most essential quality human beings have inherited. It is the only way to communicate, and it sure is fascinating how we can convert
Comparing Jane Eyre (An Old Style Story)
) To Kes (A New Style Story) Essay, Research Paper Comparing Two Extracts From Novels From Point Of View Of Language And Punctuation?Jane Eyre? is a book set further back in time and the language used in it is more ?old style?, eg. ?And if I were in your place I should dislike her.? In modern language we would say that morel like: ?If I was in your place I wouldn?t like her.? This language is used in the book ?kes? which is set in a more present day.
Poem Du Fu Essay Research Paper It
Poem: Du Fu Essay, Research Paper It is often contended that the greatest and most important works of Chinese poetry was produced during the Tang dynasty. Many critics consider Du Fu to be the greatest Chinese poet during the dynasty and quite possibly of all time. His unique style and mastery of Chinese language is unparalleled.
Frege Against Idealism Essay Research Paper Frege
Frege Against Idealism Essay, Research Paper Frege vs. Idealism In a nut shell Idealism is the position that IDEAS, not objects, are the basis of reality. So for idealists the meaning of an expression is the idea associated with that expression. For example, if one were to think of a lamp , then under the idea theory of reference the visual image that we pull up would be the meaning of the expression lamp .
Metamorphasis Essay Research Paper Title metamorphasisThe Power
Metamorphasis Essay, Research Paper Title: metamorphasisThe Power of Language”The living language is like a horsepath: it is the creation of the horses themselves, who, having created it, follow it or depart from it according to their whims or their needs. From daily use, the path undergoes change. A horse is under no obligation to stay in the narrow path she helped make, following the contour of the land, but she often profits by staying with it and she would be handicapped if she didn t know where it was or where it led to” (E.B.
Dwight BollingerS
“The Origin Of Language? Essay, Research Paper Essay Question I found Dwight Bollinger?s essay entitled ?The Origin of Language? to be a very interesting work. I especially enjoyed the section about the chimpanzees. Although we know
Literary Terms Essay Research Paper Figurative Language
Literary Terms Essay, Research Paper Figurative Language - Language using figures of speech, such as simile, hyperbole, metaphor, symbolism and personification to form imagery is figurative language. It is used to increase shock, novelty, appearance, or illustrative consequences.
Body Language Essay Research Paper Among the
Body Language Essay, Research Paper Among the many ways of communicating with one another may ultimately be the way we use our voice; but it is in body language, the non-verbal means of communication, do we then come to the realization that “actions do speak louder than words.” This saying is ever so evident in the way teen or young adult couples display their feelings for eachother.
Language Is Communication Essay Research Paper When
Language Is Communication Essay, Research Paper When we think of an intelligent being we think of someone like us, a creature that is able to think and communicate effectively . Communication or language is a process every child learns from birth, and we continue to use it until our death. The structure of our language gives us the ability for abstract thinking.
Praise Of A Bilingual Country Essay Research
Paper Praise of a Bilingual Country In the essay English as Second Language, English as First Love , Stephen Baker, the author, suggests that the United States should adopt English as its official language. He does not like the idea of the United States not having an official language, and does not want the United States to become bilingual.
Learning Language Essay Research Paper People will
Learning Language Essay, Research Paper People will face a lot of difficulty, when they learn a language that is not his first language. One of the big obstacles is that there is a culture gap that makes the language is even more difficult to learn. The essays Hunger of memory and Mother Tongue contain good and bad examples on how to learn a new language.
The Importance Of The Bibles Many Interpretations
Essay, Research Paper Having several different translations of the Bible is very important. Each translation highlights different aspects of the book. Providing familiar language to special groups, some interpretations make it easier to understand. Having one translation of the Bible would not make sense , but, several different versions make the Bible able to be read by almost everyone.
Assembly Language Essay Research Paper When programming
Assembly Language Essay, Research Paper When programming in assembly language, we have to specify operations in a much greater level of detail than we would have to do in a high level language. Furthermore, we get relatively little help from the assembler in finding errors. Assemblers can only check the syntax of each line, and check that every symbol or label used is defined somewhere.
Costa Sakellariou Essay Research Paper Costa Sakellariou
Costa Sakellariou Essay, Research Paper Costa Sakellariou Visual art can definitely be seen as a language. With every artist there is always some sort of meaning that they are trying to convey to the viewers of their work. The means of how they deliver that message is the language in which their work uses. In Costa Sakellariou?s work I especially felt there was some sort of language being spoken.
Preface To Lyrical Ballads By Wordsworth Essay
, Research Paper Preface to Lyrical Ballads is written to express the new style, which is used by many poets, such as Wordsworth. This style will be known as the romantic style after centuries. Wordsworth explains “what is poetry? What kind of language should be used in it? What kind of setting? And who is a poet?”.
Intrapersonal Communication Essay Research Paper 2
Intrapersonal Communication Essay, Research Paper INTRA PERSONAL COMMUNICATION FREUD (EGO) Self esteem Ego Ambition EMPATHY Reflection 3. Bierne TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS 4. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION Berlo S
Prop 63 Essay Research Paper The Official
Prop. 63 Essay, Research Paper The Official English Language Proposition 63 will make English the Official Language of the United States and I am against The official English
Ebonics Essay Research Paper One of the
Ebonics Essay, Research Paper One of the conflicting issues among African Americans and Caucasians is the issue of ebonics. It s not just an issue facing one race or the other it effects both races
Dual Education Programs Essay Research Paper In
Dual Education Programs Essay, Research Paper In the United States, more and more students are learning and achieving academic excellence in dual language programs. These two-way bilingual programs integrate students who were raised speaking different languages to promote and provide learning and language development in two languages (Christian).
Chicken Or Egg Essay Research Paper Which
Chicken Or Egg Essay, Research Paper Which came first, Chicken? Or Egg? The answer is that this is the wrong question. The trouble here is the word ‘First’s. A human life contains many firsts, so the word comes easily to our lips. For example, a creationist could ask how the metamorphosis of a butterfly occurred for the ‘First time’.
Poetry Research Paper Essay Research Paper Poetry
Poetry Research Paper Essay, Research Paper Poetry can both broaden and intesify an experience9…0 it can also illuminate, clarify, and deepen an occurence in a way a reader never considered.9…0poetry communicates expereince by appealing to both the thoughts and feelings of its reader.Poetry demands total response from the individual-all the intellect, senses, emotion, and imaginaTION. (CL)
Summary And Responce To
“Black English” Essay, Research Paper Summary and Response Word Count 366 Summary In the essay titled, ?If Black English Isn?t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is??
An Excerpt From Joseph Freeman
’s AN AMERICAN TESTAMENT Essay, Research Paper from An American Testament by novelist and apparatchik Joseph Freeman (1936) Reconciliation to the city is only a prelude to our transformation. The conflict of
The English Language Essay Research Paper This
The English Language Essay, Research Paper This House affirms that the British Empire was a great success whose effects are still beneficial to the world. The world distribution of English users is divided into three categories : English as a native language; for example, UK, USA, Australia, English as a second language; for example, India, Singapore, Ghana, Philippines, and English as a foreign language; for example, France, Japan, Thailand.There are 72 countries with Englishs as an official language and 9 countries with English as a first language:Australia, Great- Britain, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourgh, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the USA.
What Came First Thought Or Language Essay
, Research Paper Language came after Thought In order to be able to prove the statement Language came after thought , the words language and thought first will have to be defined. Language could be described as a system for formulating and communicating information, thoughts and feelings. There is, however, not one adequate definition of thinking, since most definitions do not cover all aspects of thought.
In George Orwell S Politics A
Essay, Research Paper In George Orwell s Politics and the English Language , the author argues that written language has suffered a serious decline as a result of political causes. Orwell shows there is a correlation between mistakes found in political language and modern language. He describes common misuses of the modern writing and provides examples of each one.
Language Acqusition Essay Research Paper Children begin
Language Acqusition Essay, Research Paper Children begin by imitating what they hear their parents say as best as they can, repeating random phrases. Parents do not punish the child for childish speech errors by not responding or correcting the error, but reward correct phrases by responding positively.
What Is English Essay Research Paper English
What Is English? Essay, Research Paper English, well what is English? We all know that it is a language. But, what is the study of english? It is the study of literature in the english language. People attend english classes. This may be to learn the English Language or to learn about english literature or writing.