Sexism in Language Essay - 1969 Words

Sexism in Language We all know that men and women are different. They look different, act different, walk, talk, and even smell different. In part, the simple fact that we are different explains why we sometimes have trouble communicating with and understanding the opposite sex. However, a close look at our language may show that there is more to the communication barrier between the sexes than meets the eye. I believe that the English language is very biased towards women. We live in a patriarchal society, an â€Å"order characterized by male dominance and the means of perpetuating that dominance†. Because of this, our language has been molded mostly by males, resulting in this â€Å"sexism in language† (Spender, 1980). This did not happen†¦show more content†¦From the theory of man, researchers have developed the â€Å"patriarchal code†. This is basically a list of over 10,000 English words, (and thousands more from other languages), which all show the sexism of langauge, and the roots from which it came. According to Goueffic, the first word of the patriarchal code is â€Å"manu†: In it’s historical form, manu names the male as creator and causer from Manu, the father of â€Å"mankind†. The code of Manu, circa 2400 B.C., states that â€Å"woman should never be free of subjugation†. This encoding into law of feme control passed through the cultural, symbolic, and legal systems of the Persians, Greeks, Jews and Arabs, etc., down to the Romans as manus, circa 300 B.C. The manus, diffused in society as ‘the hand’, is the law of â€Å"the authoritative control of the husband over his wife†. (p. 233) So the word manus provides the basis for the patriarchal code and the theory of man. The set of words contained in this code are used daily to rebuild and keep the control of â€Å"man†. Because we all use these words every day, they have a dangerous effect on our society. â€Å"The cumulative effect of the words containing man, like the wires of a cage that trap the bird, entrap the mind of both sexes equally but differently† (Goueffic). So why is the masculine nature of English important? There are many reasons, but the most basic is the fact that it perpetuates sexism in our society.Show MoreRelatedSexism, Language, And Language Essay843 Words   |  4 PagesSexism in Language Whether it’s in verbal or written expression, language is our everyday means of interaction. For years, there’s been an ongoing debate about the use of male-based generics and whether or not they promote sexism. Sexist language, as defined by yourdictionary.com, is language that excludes either men or women when discussing a topic that may be applicable to both sexes. Hence, sexist language describes the bias towards a certain sex in language. 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