How sex roles are represented, reflected and conserved in the Norwegian Language

Abstract

As an example of the complicated "language - social reality" relationship, the representation of the sex roles (social reality) in Norwegian (language), is analysed. The main part is devoted to an analysis of "social realities" im plied by the words "mann" (man) and "kvinne" (woman). Various tech niques, varying from dictionaries via word associations to sentence comple tion tasks, were applied in this analysis. The analysis unequivocally re vealed that the perspective(s) and interest(s) represented and expressed in the Norwegian Language, is that of the man at the woman's expense. Taking this analysis as a point of departure, it is shown; (a) How the language resists social change of the type that the women's liberation movement represents, and (b) how our male dominated society is transferred to new generations via the language. Finally, (c) strategies for how language may be changed into a possible ally of the women's liberation movement, are outlined.- Theoretically, the analysis is an illustration of (1) the subtle two-way inter action between language and social reality, and (2) the fact that whenever possibly divergent or rival interests and perspectives may be represented and expressed in the language, the interests and perspectives of the one in power (in our case the man) will dominate at the expence of the weaker one (in our case the woman).