Unit 12 Gender Bias in Language课文翻译综合教程一

Unit 12 Gender Bias in Language

Language is a very powerful element. It is the most common method of communication. Yet it is often misunderstood and misinterpreted, for language is a very complicated mechanism with a great deal of nuance. There are times when in conversation with another individual, that we must take into account the person’s linguistic genealogy. There are people who use language that would be considered prejudicial or biased in use. But the question that is raised is in regard to language usage: Is language the cause of the bias or is it reflective of the preexisting bias that the user holds? There are those who believe that the language that we use in day-to-day conversation is biased in and of itself. They feel that the term \"mailman\for example, is one that excludes women mail carriers. Then there are those who feel that language is a reflection of the prejudices that people have within themselves. That is to say, the words that people choose to use in conversation denote the bias that they harbor within their own existence.

There are words in the English language that are existing or have existed (some of them have changed with the new wave of “political correctness” coming about) that have inherently been sexually biased against women. For example, the person who investigates reported complaints (as from consumers or students), reports findings, and helps to achieve fair and impartial settlements is ombudsman (Merriam-Webster Dictionary), but ombudsperson here at Indiana State University. This is an example of the gender bias that exists in the English language. The language is arranged so that men are identified with exalted

positions, and women are identified with more service-oriented positions in which they are being dominated and instructed by men. So the language used to convey this type of male supremacy is generally reflecting the honored position of the male and the subservience of the female. Even in relationships, the male in the home is often referred to as the “man of the house,” even if it is a 4-year-old child. It is highly insulting to say that a 4-year-old male, based solely on his gender, is more qualified and capable of conducting the business and affairs of the home than his possibly well-educated, highly intellectual mother. There is a definite disparity in that situation.

In American culture, a woman is valued for the attractiveness of her body, while a man is valued for his physical strength and his achievements. Even in the example of word pairs the bias is evident. The masculine word is put before the feminine word, as in the examples of 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. This shows that the usage of many of the English words is also what contributes to the bias present in the English language.

Alleen Pace Nilsenn notes that there are instances when women are seen as passive while men are active and bring things into being. She uses the example of the wedding ceremony. In the beginning of the ceremony, the father is asked who gives the bride away and he answers, “I do.” It is at this point that Nilsen argues that the gender bias comes into play. The traditional concept of the bride as something to be handed from one man (the father) to another man (the husband-to-be) is perpetuated. Another example is in the instance of sexual

relationships. The women become brides while men wed women. The man takes away a woman’s virginity and a woman loses her virginity. This denotes her inability, apparently due to her gender, to hold on to something that is a part of her, thus enforcing the man’s ability and right to claim something that is not his.

To be a man, according to some linguistic differences, would be considered an honor. To be endowed by genetics with the encoding of a male would be as having been shown grace, unmerited favor. There are far greater positive connotations connected with being a man than with being a woman. Nilsen yields the example of “shrew” and “shrewd.” The word “shrew” is taken from the name of a small but especially vicious animal; however in Nilsen’s dictionary, a “shrew” was identified as an “ill-tempered, scolding woman.” However, the word “shrewd,” which comes from the same root, was defined as “marked by clever discerning awareness.” It was noted in her dictionary as a shrewd businessman. It is also commonplace not to scold little girls for being “tomboys” but to scoff at little boys who play with dolls or ride girls’ bicycles.

In the conversations that come up between friends, you sometimes hear the words “babe,” “broad,” and “chick.” These are words that are used in reference to or directed toward women. It is certainly the person’s right to use these words to reflect women, but why use them when there are so many more to choose from? Language is the most powerful tool of communication and the most effective tool of communication. It is also the most effective weapon of destruction.

Although there are biases that exist in the English language, there has been considerable change toward recognizing these biases and making the necessary changes formally so that they will be implemented socially. It is necessary for people to make the proper adjustments internally to use appropriate language to effectively include both genders. We qualify language. It is up to us to decide what we will allow to be used and made proper in the area of language.

语言中的性别偏见

语言是一个非常强大的元素。它是沟通最常用的方法。然而，语言常常被误解和曲解，因为语言是一个有着大量细微差别的非常复杂的机制。有时候当和某个人交谈时，我们必须考虑此人的语言谱系。有些人使用的语言被认为带有偏见。这带来了关于语言使用的问题：是语言导致了偏见还是语言只是使用者一直存在的偏见的反映？有人相信我们在日常对话中使用的语言本身就是带有偏见的。比如，他们感到“mailman”这个词就是排除了女性邮递员的。还有人认为语言是人们内心偏见的反映。也就是说，人们在对话中选择使用的词汇就代表着他们内在的偏见。

英语语言中曾经存在过，目前仍然有一些固有的对女性性别歧视的词语（有些词因为“政治上正确”浪潮的到来已经发生了改变）。比如，(在Merriam-Webster字典中) 那个调查（来自学生或消费者的）书面投诉，把发现写成报告，协助达成公平公正协议的人是“ombudsman”，但是在印第安那州立大学使用的词是“ombudsperson”。这是一个在英语语言中存在性别偏见的例子。语言上的安排使得男性等同于地位尊贵，而女性则是被男性支配和命令的服务型地位。所以用来传递男性优越的语言通常反映了男性的优势地位和女性的从属地位。甚至在关系中，家里的男性通常就被认为是“当家人”，哪怕是一个四岁的孩子。一个四岁的男孩，仅仅因为他的性别，就比他的可能接受过高等教育并且

智商很高的妈妈更合格和更有能力处理家里的各种事务，这样的说法很侮辱人。这种情形中肯定存在不平等。

在美国文化里，女人的价值在于她身体的魅力，而男人的价值在于他的体力和成就。在配对词的例子中偏见是很明显的。男性的词总是放在女性的词的前面，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. 这显示了许多英语词汇的用法也是造成英语语言中存在偏见的因素。

Alleen Pace Nilsen 注意到一些例子，女性被看成是被动的而男性是主动的和促使事情达成的人。她用了婚礼的例子。在婚礼开始的时候，父亲被问到是谁要嫁女，他回答，“是我。”在这点上Nilsen认为是性别偏见在作怪。女性被当成一件东西从一个男人（父亲）手里交到另一个男人（准丈夫）手里的传统观念一直在起坏影响。另一个例子是在性关系中。当男性娶女性时，女性成为了新娘。男性拿走了女性的处女之身而女性失去了她的处女之身。这里的意思是她无能，显然是性别原因，她无法保住本属于她的东西，这样加强了男性的能力和权力来获取并不属于他的东西。

按照语言学上的区别，做一个男人被认为是一种荣耀。因为遗传原因被赋予特质成为一个男人就像是上帝给与的仁慈和无功受禄。与作为一个男性相关的积极内涵远远大过一个女性。Nilsen给出了“shrew”和“shrewed”的例子。 “shrew”（地鼠）这个单词原来指一种身体很小但特别恶毒的动物。但是，在尼尔森的词典里，“shrew”的意思是一个“脾气极坏、骂骂咧咧的女人”。然而单词“shrewed”， 来自于同一词根，被定义为“具有聪明的明辨意识的（精明的）”。 在她的字典里，“shrewed”收录的例子是一个精明的男性商人。人们一般也不会责备小姑娘是“假小子”，但是会用这个词来嘲笑玩布娃娃或骑女孩自行车的小男孩。

在朋友之间进行的对话里，你有时会听到“babe”，“broad”和“chick”这样的单词。这些词是有关女性的或指向女性的。当然人们有权力使用这些词来反映女性，但有那么多可选择的词可以用为什么还要用这些词呢？语言是交流最强大和最有效的工具，它也是毁灭的最有效武器。

尽管在英语中有偏见存在，在认识这些偏见上现在已经有了相当的改变，人们正式制定了一些必须的改变，这样它们可以在全社会执行。人们做出合理的内在调整来使用合适的，能有效包含两种性别的语言是很有必要的。我们可以给语言的使用加以限定。在语言范围里我们允许使用什么和什么是合适的取决于我们的决定。