English Essay: Is
the English language inherently sexist?
The English language is forever adapting, especially in
recent times due to the development of technology. However one argument
remains, is the English language inherently sexist. Studies from linguist
Muriel Schutz suggest that there are varying amounts of semantic degradation
between men and women. Within her studies words with reference to women have
more negative connotations compared to the male equivalent. For example, the
word “bachelor” since the early 13th century, this term has referred
to man who is noble, strong willed or refers to man who is never married. On
the other hand, the introduction of a female equivalent wasn’t introduced until
the early 20th century. Before then, the term bachelor had
connotations for women but was obscure and very rarely used, this is due to the
patriarchal society of the early 13th century which degraded women.
Muriel Schutz studied lexical shifts within words, words
which had one meaning but over time have gone on to mean the opposite. An
example of this is the word “Slapper.” The word was used in 1888 to describe
someone who aided the making of pottery, someone who were to slap the clay onto
the wheel in order for it to be used. However due to lexical shifts, the word
now makes reference to a women who is sexually promiscuous. The derogatory term
is regionally used within East London and Essex, which is known for occupying
those of white, working class men. This suggests that derogatory terms towards
women have been invented from the collective of a certain male population.
Deborah Cameron, another linguist studied the appropriation
associated with how men and women speak. The social expectations for women are
a lot harsher than what they are for men. Phrases such as “act more ladylike”
and “man up” have very contrasting connotations. Although both of these conform
to standard stereotypes, women are often told to “man up” if they are showing
signs of weakness as men are seen to be strong both physically and mentally. It
is unheard of for a man to be told to “woman up.” Cameron expresses the opinion
that women and men speak different languages. Cameron’s book, the myth of mars,
exemplifies that difference in the way we speak is not entirely environmental.
Men are born with a certain way in speech whereas women are born with another.
This could be an explanation towards men expressing that they cannot understand
when women speak. However the English language in which men and women speak is
not entirely hereditary. Environmental factors such as where you live, people
you hang around with and occupation. In pre-victorian times, girls were given
etiquette and speaking lessons in order to become a “lady.” This was seen as a
social norm as women were expected to behave in one way and men another.
Additionally, I recently listened to a podcast from an
Australian radio show expressing this topic. The host Roly Sussex argued that
mansplaining is a term when a man feels the need to explain a word to a woman
which they already know the meaning and understanding of. Sussex goes onto
explain that there is no symmetrical term for women, the word womansplaining
does not exist within the oxford dictionary with no logical explanation why.
His studies suggest that there are over 580 words within the oxford dictionary
that begin with the prefix ‘man’. Some people suggest that only some of those
words actually start with the gender term of man, words such as ‘Manufacture’
do not count as they are derived from the Latin term ‘Manus.’ However, the unmarked
term ‘manable’ which has been used within the English language since 1627
describes a woman who is suitable of appearance or age to be wed. This term
could be seen as inherently sexist as there is no phrase for a man who shares
the same characteristics. This shows the English language stereotypes towards
women as it expresses that every woman aspires to be married. Furthermore, the
term degrades women in the fact that the term states that women have to look ‘manable’
in order to become a wife.
Sweden have attempted to rectify any problems concerning gender neutral lexis by inventing a gender neutral pronoun. The term 'hen' has been created baring in mind the term 'Han' for a man and 'Hon' for a woman. This has been ground-breaking for Swedish transgender's as it has partially eliminated doubts about their acceptance into society. but would this work in the UK. Many theorists still believe that using 'man' as a collective phrase is adequate enough but in my opinion I feel we do need to find a gender neutral equivalent. This could be the start of the recognition women need to have in society. Every day women are becoming more and more influential within the world and indeed political power, for example in American politics, Hilary Clinton is a favourite to win the presidential election. Our patriarchal society is slowly becoming more even but that doesn't hide the fact the language we use is sexist.
