A corpus-based study on English sexist expressions: An analytical approach to the use of gender-specific titles, job titles, and generic pronouns.

摘要

The feminist movement, which dates back to the 1970s, is often regarded as a social campaign that aimed for the equal treatment of men and women, but it can also be seen as a linguistic campaign designed to secure equality between the sexes. The influence of the feminist movement on the English language is observed in its recent trends, including the avoidance of the pseudo-generic "man" or "he" when referring to a person whose sex is unknown.; However there is no clear evidence that these traits are widespread enough to state that they are now standard. Nor can we say that there have been enough analytical studies conducted on the use of sexist expressions in today's EFL text books and dictionaries.; In this paper, the discussion is limited to the use of gender-specific occupational titles, generic pronouns, and such titles for women as MS, MISS, and MRS. These expressions are studied comprehensively using a computer.; First, we survey the guidelines published in English-speaking countries by governments, publishers, or public organizations, such as associations of English teachers. Then, all the English textbooks used in Japan and dictionaries for EFL learners are examined closely in order to see what expressions are being taught in school. Finally, various English computer-readable English texts produced by media, governments, and academics, as well as some widespread corpora such as BNC and BOE, are studied.