CC BY
223. Swales, Johanne Myles, Second Language Writing and Research: The Writing Process and Error Analysis in Student Texts, 1990.
4. Genres in academic writing, essays, http://www.uefap.com/writing/genre/ essays.htm.
5. College writing 2, Patricia Byrd, 2006.
SEXISM AND LANGUAGE
© Bayarchimeg Ch., Javzmaaa D.
Foreign language Department of Mongolian University of Life Science
A look at linguistic sexism is finding out the relationship between language and gender. A lot of people run into the difficulty of making the choices between certain words in their everyday discourses. They wonder which to choose - the chairman has arrived for the meeting or the chairperson has arrived for the occasion when referring to a woman.
Key words: Society, gender, naming practices.
In society, men are considered the norm for the human species: their characteristics, thoughts, beliefs and actions are viewed as fully representing those of all humans, male and female. This practice can make women invisible in language or altogether excludes them. It can also lead to their portrayal as deviations from this 'male = human' norm. Sexism was defined by Wilson as - set expectations of women's appearance, actions, skills, emotions and proper place in society (45). It is generally conceived as anything that conveys that one sex is superior to the other. In most societies, it is commonly shown in behaviours that depict males as superiors to females. One of the points of Oxford Dictionaries, part of Oxford University Press (OUP), is to show how words are used in the real world. And that is their response to allegations of sexism. "The example sentences we use are taken from a huge variety of different sources and do not represent the views or opinions of Oxford University Press," they said in a statement.
In other words, it's not the dictionary that's sexist, it's the English-speaking world. Why choose "feminist" over, say, "rightwingef', "communist" or "fan", though? As if not quite convinced by its own explanation, the OUP is now "reviewing the example sentence for 'rabid' to ensure that it reflects current usage".
That can only be a good thing. But a word of warning: it might not deliver the answer you'd hope for. Perhaps "rabid" is collocated with "feminist" more often than with those other words (if the data the OUP uses includes online discussions, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case). Sexist a s-sumptions find their way into speech and writing for the simple reason that society is still sexist.
Collins dictionary says that this is a 19th-century contraction of "sweetheart", a term of endearment, particularly to women. From 1887, however, it is attested as meaning "a female of immoral character; a prostitute".
Thinking about the male equivalents of some of these words throws their sexism into sharp relief. Master for mistress; sir for madam; governor for governess; bachelor for spinster; courtier for courtesan - whereas the male list speaks of power and high status, the female list has a very different set of connotations. These are of either subordinate status or sexual service to men. The crucial thing to remember is that at one time, they were simply equivalents.
These eight words show how social conditions leave their mark on the language. The process of pejoration may take place below the level of consciousness, but in historical perspective, the direction of travel is obvious. Have the achievements of the feminist movement percolated down through the many layers of our language? The Oxford Dictionaries controversy suggests not. Can the words we use to describe women avoid the fate of hussy, mistress and courtesan? There's hope, but only time will tell.
Naming practices for women and men are often asymmetrical. Inequality is implied, for instance, in cases where a woman's title is not mentioned but a man's is; where a woman is addressed simply by her first name but a man is addressed by his title, first name and surname; and in some salutations, directed to a man and a woman, when the woman is not addressed. Certain language can help to reinforce the idea of male superiority and female inferiority. What is now termed "sexist" language often suggests an inherent male dominance and superiority in many fields of life. Male pronouns, he, his and him are used automatically even though the sex of the person is not known. "A student may wish to ask his tutor about his course". Or we say, "Who'smanning the office today?"
At work there is a tendency to associate certain jobs with men or women. For example, "A director must be committed to the well-being of his company." but "A nurse is expected to show her devotion by working long hours." In addition, job names often include reference to the sex of the person: "We're employing some new workmen on the project." "I'm talking to a group of businessmen next Friday." "The chairman cannot vote." "He is a male nurse" "I have a woman doctor." The use of such words tends to reinforce the idea that it is not normal for women to be in professional, highly-paid, technical and manual jobs. Also, that it is not natural for a man to work in such a caring (and generally poorly-paid) role as that of a nurse.
It is also acceptable to address reports and references to 'To whom it may concern' if the recipient is unknown to the writer. The use of the person's first name and surname only in salutations, e.g. 'Dear Pat Koutsoukis', has become acceptable in cases where the person's title (and / or sex) is unknown. When one is replying to correspondence signed jointly by a man and a woman, both persons should be acknowledged in the salutation in the order and form in which their names appear in the correspondence.
Goddard and Patterson decided to refer to the English language as a gendered language based on three facts:
1. It is a language that is made up of sex-exclusive vocabulary (hunk for man, chick for women).
2. The language contains linguistic items that remain the same but change in meaning when referring to a man or a woman (tramp).
3. It is a language that carries within it a shared understanding about how men and women are meant to behave and the characteristics they are meant to possess1.
Summary
Sexist language is language that expresses bias in favor of one sex and thus treats the other sex in a discriminatory manner. In most cases the bias is in favor of men and against women. The existence of sexist language is due to sexism in society. As a social phenomenon, language is closely related to social attitudes. In the past, women are supposed to stay at home, remaining powerless and generally subordinate to man, whereas men are considered as the center both in the family and society. In a word, for a long time women have been looked on as "the weaker sex" in society. Even in English-speaking countries, which hold the claim that "every one is created equal", discrimination against women exists. Language simply reflects this social fact. However, because of their greater status-consciousness, the movement amongst feminists to reduce sexual discrimination and sex-role stereotyping has led to a number of conscious attempts to influence and change languages and linguistic behavior.
References
1. Atkinson K. Language and Gender. In Jackson, S. et al. (Eds.) Women's Studies: A Reader. Hertfordshire: Harvester Wheatshef, 1993.
2. Cameron, D.Language, gender and sexuality: current issues and new directions', Applied Linguistics 26 (4), 2005: 482-502.
3. Finocchiaro, M. and Brumfit C. The Functional-Notional Approach: From Theory to Practice. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
4. Fromkin, V, R. Rodman & N. Hyams. An Introduction to Language. (8th Edn.) Boston, U.S.A.: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007.
5. John Lyons, 1970, Lingustic Semantics: An Introduction, Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press & Cambridge University Press.
6. Nilson, Alleen Pace and Haig Bosmajian, H Lee Gershung, Julia P Stanley, Sexism and Language, iuinois, NCTE, 1977.
1 Linguistic Sexism: An Overview of the English Language in Everyday Discourse, Umera-Okeke, Nneka/
7. Peter Trudgill, 1983, Sociolinguistics: An Introduction to Language and Society, Penguin Books.
8. Wardhaugh, Ronald, 1986, An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ ЭФФЕКТИВНОГО ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ ПРЕЗЕНТАЦИИ НА ЗАНЯТИЯХ АНГЛИЙСКОГО ЯЗЫКА
1 2 © Баярчимэг Ч. , Оюунсурэн Ц.
Аграрный университет, Монголия, г. Улан-Батор
В настоящее время информационные технологии занимают все большее место в нашей жизни. Поэтому, использование презентации на занятиях иностранного языка является потребностью времени. Традиционно, изучение темы или раздела заканчивается повторением, закреплением и обобщением. Все эти элементы можно объединить, предложив учащимся на завершающем каждую тему этапе, создать презентацию, вместо традиционного реферата. Создавая презентацию, студентам предоставляется возможность систематизации приобретенных знаний и навыков, их практического применения, а также возможность реализации интеллектуального потенциала и способностей. Очень важно учащимся почувствовать интерес к самостоятельной творческой работе, ощутить значимость результатов своей работы, т.к. презентация -это готовый методический материал для занятия, а также ощутить собственную успешность.
Ключевые слова информация, возможности, объем, логическое мышление, мотивация.
В настоящее время необходимо умение получать информацию из разных источников, пользоваться ей и создавать ее самостоятельно. Широкое использование презентации открывает для преподавателя новые возможности в преподавании не только иностранного языка, но и других предметов. Все хорошо знают, как сложно сформировать у учащихся потребность изучения иностранного языка, убедить их в необходимости владения языком. Использование информационных технологий в преподавании английского языка помогает учителям подобрать методические средства и приемы, которые позволяют разнообразить формы работы и сделать занятие более инте-
1 Преподаватель кафедры Иностранных языков, доктор педагогических наук, доцент.
2 Преподаватель кафедры Иностранных языков.
