The Oppressive Sexist Male Language: A Feminist Portrayal of the English Language

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the various ways in which language portrays a negative image of women. We argue that this state of affairs is of great concern to feminists. We identify ways in which language has been found wanting in as far as women are concerned. Firstly, language, especially the English language, is accused of creating false gender neutrality because this purported neutrality ends up showing a bias towards maleness. Feminists further argue that the English language makes women invisible and always overshadowed by men. The language is accused of making maleness the standard measure of humanity and maturity. As such, maleness is seen as the norm. They further argue that sex-marking common in the English language encourages male visibility and powerlessness of women in a male dominated world. As a result, the world is seen through an oppressive male worldview. Reform efforts have been piecemeal and as such have largely failed to reach the desired destination. Critics argue that these claims concerning the maleness of the English language are contentious, as they tend to be exaggerated, unrealistic and problematic. Keywords: Feminism, language, male, oppressive, sexist, portrayal, English DOI : 10.7176/JCSD/47-06 Publication date : April 30 th 2019