Language is a mode of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. Thus, communication is an important part of our daily interactions across the socio-cultural dimension of division of humans into male and female persons (i.e. gender). This paper seeks to look at relationship between language and gender in our daily life.
In a predominantly patriarchal society, females have been delegated the role of the lesser gender for ages (Romaine 107). As times change, the current societal setting’s language is more gender neutral as opposed to previous times. There has been a reduced use of various words previously associated with female emasculation. I have noted that people are striving to be more conscious to the issue of encouraging gender neutrality in the language they use. A good example is the push for a third gender by the transgender community. I can attribute this to the increased public sensitization on gender issues.
Drawing from my own experience. a few weeks ago. I came across a confrontation between two men. This was initiated by a conversation between the two when one referred to the other’s girlfriend as a “bitch”. Both men seemed to know the negative connotations associated with the name as a derogatory term for females although one did not care about it as much (Romaine 108). Most people are aware of the need for gender neutral language but a few have reserved sentiments (Romaine 109). This incident perfectly captures the situation at hand. We are not yet there but the advancements made are worth noting.
Human communication, either spoken or written, needs to be gender neutral in the most subtle of details. As a society, we are actively advancing towards making that possible. Sensitization has played an important role in the gains made. However, there are some still reserved about male masculinity. Language in relation to gender is a sensitive issue and we should choose words with better care.
Work Cited
Romaine, Suzanne. Language in Society: Language and Gender. Oxford University Press, 2000.
