Abstract

Since 1960s, feminist movement has a profound effect on the western society. With feminism, sexism in English language has become an important subject to research and discuss for feminist linguists. Language is a carrier of social culture. Hence, sexism as a social phenomenon can be faithfully reflected by language. Sexism has a long history, and it hides in communication, education and literature. This paper reveals the social circumstance from some specific examples and explores reasons of sexism in English language from the perspectives of history, culture and economy. At the end of the paper, some methods are pointed out to avoid sexist language, which is beneficial to the realization of sexual equality and social harmony. Language is conventional. There will be a long way to go to eliminate the phenomenon of sexism in language. And in the whole process, linguistic learners should work together to offer their efforts.

Key words: Sexism, English, Language, Equality

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. The Phenomenon of Sexism in English Language-1

2.1 Sexism in the meaning of the words-1

2.2 Sexism in the constitution of the words-2

2.3 Sexism in the order of the words-4

2.4 Sexism in English proverbs and English slangs-4

3. The Reasons of Sexism-5

3.1 The historical and cultural reasons-5

3.2 The economic and social status reasons-6

4. Methods to Avoid Sexist Language-7

4.1 Using gender-free terms-8

4.2 Changing the masculine pronoun-8

5. Conclusion-9

References-10