Constructing gender identity in two languages

Abstract

This article explores ways that some Arabic and English bilingual Lebanese students use in constructing their gender identities in the two languages (Arabic and English). The research discussed addresses three questions: (1) To what extent does what the participants say reflect their ideology and gender identity? (2) Do they construct gender according to the cultural norms of the language they are speaking? and (3) Does speaking or learning a second language (SL) in the native country affect their gender performance in the native language (NL), i.e., does the ideology of the foreign culture affect the way they construct gender in the NL or vice versa? The findings show that males and females construct different feminine and masculine identities, in a range of ways, even when speaking the same language (English). I argue that this is because different interpretive repertoires imply different subject positions. Only one male conformed with the native language culture (NLC) stereotypes, one female conformed partially, while the two males and two females seemed to rebel against NLC. In the present study, the discourses produced in English and Arabic display differences in how the two languages construct gender. When people learn and use a foreign language in the mother country, they may either undergo different degrees of change in their understanding of gender, or may use the foreign language as a means of translating their NLC, i.e., find words to express gender ideologies of their NLC.