Abstract:Language is like a mirror, always reflecting our society. As a social problem with a long history, sexism exists in almost every language. Since the late 1960s, feminism as a social movement striving for the liberation of women and equality of genders has aroused the interest of some linguists in studying the sexism in the English language.

This thesis is on the basis of a lot of previous research, and focuses on the sexism in English vocabulary. Chapter One gives an introduction concerning the definition of sexism and general review of the study. Chapter Two explains the causes of sexism, including three main factors. Chapter Three describes several phenomena of sexism in English vocabulary. Chapter Four provides some ways to avoid sexism in English, and Chapter Five makes a conclusion. Throughout the thesis, a large number of concrete and illustrative examples are included, making the thesis more clearly and more objective.

Keywords:  sexism  English  vocabulary  causes

Contents

Abstract

摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 Sociolinguistics-1

1.2 Sexism-1

1.3 General Review of the Study of Sexism in English-1

Chapter Two Causes of Sexism-3

2.1 Historical Background-3

2.2 Cultural Influence-3

2.3 Social Position-4

Chapter Three Sexism in English Vocabulary-5

3.1 Address Term-5

3.1.1 The Length of Names-5

3.1.2 Personal Names and Family Names-5

3.2 Generic Masculine-6

3.2.1 Generic Pronouns-6

3.2.2 Generic Nouns-7

3.3 Sexism in Proverbs-7

3.3.1 Women Being Garrulous and Obsessed in Proverbs-7

3.3.2 Women Being Stupid in Proverbs-8

3.3.3 Women Being Capricious-8

3.3.4 Women Being the Weak Sex-8

3.3.5 Women Being Trouble Makers-8

3.4 Semantic Dissymmetry in Vocabulary-9

3.4.1 Broadening-9

3.4.2 Narrowing-9

3.4.3 Non-parallel Semantic Developments of Paired Terms-10

3.5 Word-Formation-11

3.5.1 –ess-11

3.5.2 –ette-11

3.5.3 –ine-11

3.5.4 –trix-11

Chapter Four Ways to Avoid Sexism in Language-13

4.1 Ways to Avoid Generic Masculine-13

4.1.1 Use Plural Forms-13

4.1.2 Replace the Pronoun with Other Words-13

4.1.3 Omit the Pronouns-13

4.1.4 Use the Passive Voice-14

4.2 Address Forms-14

Chapter Five Conclusion-15

References-16