語(yǔ)言中的性別偏見(jiàn)
語(yǔ)言是一個(gè)非常強(qiáng)大的元素。它是溝通最常用的方法。然而，語(yǔ)言常常被誤解和曲解，因?yàn)?/span>語(yǔ)言是一個(gè)有著大量細(xì)微差別的非常復(fù)雜的機(jī)制。有時(shí)候當(dāng)和某個(gè)人交談時(shí)，我們必須考慮此人的語(yǔ)言譜系。有些人使用的語(yǔ)言被認(rèn)為帶有偏見(jiàn)。這帶來(lái)了關(guān)于語(yǔ)言使用的問(wèn)題:是語(yǔ)言導(dǎo)致了偏見(jiàn)還是語(yǔ)言只是使用者一直存在的偏見(jiàn)的反映,有人相信我們?cè)谌粘?duì)話中使用的語(yǔ)言本身就是帶有偏見(jiàn)的。比如，他們感到“mailman”這個(gè)詞就是排除了女性郵遞員的。還有人認(rèn)為語(yǔ)言是人們內(nèi)心偏見(jiàn)的反映。也就是說(shuō)，人們?cè)趯?duì)話中選擇使用的詞匯就代表著他們內(nèi)在的偏見(jiàn)。
英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言中曾經(jīng)存在過(guò)，目前仍然有一些固有的對(duì)女性性別歧視的詞語(yǔ)(有些詞因?yàn)椤罢紊险_”浪潮的到來(lái)已經(jīng)發(fā)生了改變)。比如，(在Merriam-Webster字典中) 那個(gè)調(diào)查(來(lái)自學(xué)生或消費(fèi)者的)書(shū)面投訴，把發(fā)現(xiàn)寫(xiě)成報(bào)告，協(xié)助達(dá)成公平公正協(xié)議的人是“ombudsman”，但是在印第安那州立大學(xué)使用的詞是“ombudsperson”。這是一個(gè)在英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言中存在性別偏見(jiàn)的例子。語(yǔ)言上的安排使得男性等同于地位尊貴，而女性則是被男性支配和命令的服務(wù)型地位。所以用來(lái)傳遞男性?xún)?yōu)越的語(yǔ)言通常反映了男性的優(yōu)勢(shì)地位和女性的從屬地位。甚至在關(guān)系中，家里的男性通常就被認(rèn)為是“當(dāng)家人”，哪怕是一個(gè)四歲的孩子。一個(gè)四歲的男孩，僅僅因?yàn)樗男詣e，就比他的可能接受過(guò)高等教育并且智商很高的媽媽更合格和更有能力處理家里的各種事務(wù)，這樣的說(shuō)法很侮辱人。這種情形中肯定存在不平等。
在美國(guó)文化里，女人的價(jià)值在于她身體的魅力，而男人的價(jià)值在于他的體力和成就。在配對(duì)詞的例子中偏見(jiàn)是很明顯的。男性的詞總是放在女性的詞的前面，比如以下例子:Mr. and Mrs., his and hers, boys and girls, men and women, kings
and queens, brothers and sisters, guys and dolls, and host and hostess. 這顯示了許多英語(yǔ)詞匯的用法也是造成英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言中存在偏見(jiàn)的因素。
Alleen Pace Nilsen 注意到一些例子，女性被看成是被動(dòng)的而男性是主動(dòng)的和促使事情達(dá)成的人。她用了婚禮的例子。在婚禮開(kāi)始的時(shí)候，父親被問(wèn)到是誰(shuí)要嫁女，他回答，“是我?！痹谶@點(diǎn)上Nilsen認(rèn)為是性別偏見(jiàn)在作怪。女性被當(dāng)成一件東西從一個(gè)男人(父親)手里交到另一個(gè)男人(準(zhǔn)丈夫)手里的傳統(tǒng)觀念一直在起壞影響。另一個(gè)例子是在性關(guān)系中。當(dāng)男性娶女性時(shí)，女性成為了新娘。男性拿走了女性的處女之身而女性失去了她的處女之身。這里的意思是她無(wú)能，顯然是性別原因，她無(wú)法保住本屬于她的東西，這樣加強(qiáng)了男性的能力和權(quán)力來(lái)獲取并不屬于他的東西。
按照語(yǔ)言學(xué)上的區(qū)別，做一個(gè)男人被認(rèn)為是一種榮耀。因?yàn)檫z傳原因被賦予特質(zhì)成為一個(gè)男人就像是上帝給與的仁慈和無(wú)功受祿。與作為一個(gè)男性相關(guān)的積極內(nèi)涵遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)大過(guò)一個(gè)女性。Nilsen給出了“shrew”和“shrewed”的例子。 “shrew”(地鼠)這個(gè)單詞原來(lái)指一種身體很小但特別惡毒的動(dòng)物。但是，在尼爾森的詞典里，“shrew”的意思是一個(gè)“脾氣極壞、罵罵咧咧的女人”。然而單詞“shrewed”， 來(lái)自于同一詞根，被定義為““具有聰明的明辨意識(shí)的(精明的)”。 在她的字典里，“shrewed”收錄的例子是一個(gè)精明的男性商人。人們一般也不會(huì)責(zé)備小姑娘是“假小子”，但是會(huì)用這個(gè)詞來(lái)嘲笑玩布娃娃或騎女孩自行車(chē)的小男孩。
在朋友之間進(jìn)行的對(duì)話里，你有時(shí)會(huì)聽(tīng)到“babe”,“broad”和“chick”這樣的
單詞。這些詞是有關(guān)女性的或指向女性的。當(dāng)然人們有權(quán)力使用這些詞來(lái)反映女性，
但有那么多可選擇的詞可以用為什么還要用這些詞呢,語(yǔ)言是交流最強(qiáng)大和最有效
的工具，它也是毀滅的最有效武器。
盡管在英語(yǔ)中有偏見(jiàn)存在，在認(rèn)識(shí)這些偏見(jiàn)上現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)有了相當(dāng)?shù)母淖?，人們?/span>
式制定了一些必須的改變，這樣它們可以在全社會(huì)執(zhí)行。人們做出合理的內(nèi)在調(diào)整
來(lái)使用合適的，能有效包含兩種性別的語(yǔ)言是很有必要的。我們可以給語(yǔ)言的使用
加以限定。在語(yǔ)言范圍里我們?cè)试S使用什么和什么是合適的取決于我們的決定。
Text comprehension
IV. Explain in your own words the following sentences. 1. Language is an intricate system capable of expressing subtle
differences in meaning, emotion, attitude and so on. 2. The words people choose to use in conversation show the prejudices they
hold within themselves.
3. Nilsen argues that, at the beginning of a wedding ceremony, when the
father is asked who gives the bride away and he answers, 'I do,' sexual
prejudice shows itself.
4. To be born a man, with the mark of 'male,' is almost like receiving grace,
a favor from God one doesn't actually deserve.
Vocabulary
I. Explain the underlined part in each sentence in your own words. 1. consider / take into consideration
2. by its very nature
3. men's superiority
4. the reason that leads to
5. begins to exercise an influence
6. in connection with
II. Fill in the blank in each sentence with a word or phrase taken from the box in its appropriate form.
1. bias
2. perpetuate
3. oriented
4. achievements
5. exalts
6. misinterpreted
7. In reference to
8. yielded
9. tempers
10. supremacy
III. Choose a word that best completes each of the following sentences. 1—5 CDABC 6 – 10 AABCD
IV. Fill in each blank with one of the two words from each pair in its appropriate form and note the difference in meaning between them. 1. (Both words refer to an unfair, irrational, or unexamined attitude towards issues or people based on generalized preconceptions. Prejudice refers to a dislike or even hatred for a particular group, race, or religion, in a largely unexpressed or even unknown manner. Bias points to a predisposition either for or against something. Where prejudice can indicate a fixed, inflexible attitude, bias might suggest only a tendency to take a given view.)
a. bias b. prejudice c. bias d. prejudice
2. (Request suggests a courteous statement of desire, and it is frequently used as a euphemism for 'demand' in order to hide the latter's harshness. Claim suggests that a right is being asserted or one has the right to something.)
a. requested b. claim c. requested d. claim
3. (Both verbs apply to things that are brought or fastened together. Connect is used of things that come into contact at some point while clearly remaining separate. The word may also suggest a contact that results in the transfer of power from a source to a receiver. Attach applies to the fastening on of a part to a whole, of a lesser thing to a greater, or of something movable to something fixed.)
a. connecting b. connected c. attaches d. attached
4. (Example may indicate something physically presented as a specimen, and more often it suggests the citing of supplementary material. The word often implies brief citations given for clarity rather than to corroborate a thesis. Instance points to particular or concrete examples or occurrences.) a. instances b. example c. instances d. example
V. Give a synonym or an antonym of the word underlined in each sentence
in the sense it is used.
1. strong (mighty, forceful)
2. understand (comprehend, interpret)
3. entertain (cherish, nurture)
4. include (embrace)
5. unbiased (just, balanced)
6. inferiority (subservience)
7. conventional (common, usual, habitual)
8. little (small, inconsiderable, insignificant)
VI. Rephrase each of the following sentences with the word given in capital
letters.
1. The aircraft can carry 480 people excluding the crew and cabin staff. 2. His poetry conveys a great sense of religious devotion. 3. The judge decided that allowing the videotape as evidence would be
prejudicial to the outcome of the trial.
4. It seems he's not solely to blame for the accident.
5. The political disparity between the two communities is obvious. 6. At the ceremony many speakers exalted his lifetime contribution to the movie industry.
7. In the last two to three years, drinkers have become more discerning and
are now enjoying a wider variety of beer of better quality. 8. The changes to the national health system will be implemented next year
Grammar
II. Complete the following sentences using the appropriate relative words. Use a preposition where necessary.
1. that ('That' is preferred when the antecedent is 'anything.') 2. who / whom / -- ('Who' is more natural; 'whom' is very formal.) 3. that / which
4. when / at which / --
5. whereby / in which / by which
6. whose ('Whose' can be used when the antecedent is non-personal.) 7. why / that ('Why' is formal.)
8. that / -- ('That' is preferred when the antecedent is modified by an
adjective in the superlative degree.)
9. whom
10. that / -- ('That / --' is used when the relative word functions as a complement in the relative clause.)
III. Combine the two sentences in each group into one, using a relative clause.
1. The extra work she took on was starting to affect her health. (The relative word can be omitted when it functions as the object.)
2. Adam, whose novel the TV series is based on, will appear in the first episode. (Since the antecedent is a proper noun, which is definite in reference, the relative clause modifying it is nonrestrictive.)
3. The trees which / that were blown down in last night's storm are being cut down.
4. Dorothy was able to switch between German, Polish and Russian, all of which she spoke fluently.
5. The hurricane, which caused such damage in the islands, has now headed out to sea.
6. The house which / that is next to ours is for sale.
7. Neil Smith, whose parents are both teachers, won first prize in the competition.
8. They climbed up to the top of a large rock, from which they got a good view.
IV. Put the verbs into the most appropriate form.
1. hear, will suppose, no longer wish (We use the present tense in the adverbial clause to refer to the future time.)
2. will cover
3, are you going (The present progressive expresses the arrangement for the future.)
4. are going to invite,
5. will be attended to,
6. am going to watch ('Be going to' expresses the speaker's intention.)
VI. Translation
I. Translate the following sentences into Chinese.
1. 甚至在親屬關(guān)系上，家中的男人常被稱(chēng)為“當(dāng)家的”，即便只不過(guò)是個(gè)四歲的娃
兒。
2. 在美國(guó)文化里，女人的價(jià)值在于她身體的魅力，而男人的價(jià)值在于他的體力和成
就。
3. 這說(shuō)明:由于性別的原因，女人無(wú)法把握屬于自己的一部分，卻使得男人能夠理
所當(dāng)
地獲取并不屬于他的東西。
4. shrew(鼩鼱)這個(gè)單詞原來(lái)指一種身體很小但特別惡毒的動(dòng)物。但是，在尼爾森
的詞典里shrew的意思是一個(gè)“脾氣極壞、罵罵咧咧的女人”。
II. Translate the following sentences into English.
1. I marvel at the poet's ability to express different nuances of feeling. 2. Although you have good teachers and a favorable environment, it is your personal effort that comes into play in the success of your English studies. 3. As English majors, we need to have a keen awareness of the subtle differences between word meanings.
4. Some new policies in the educational system will be implemented next year.
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