Unveiling Gendered 3MT Presentations: A Corpus-based Analysis of Evaluative Language Important

Abstract

Originating at the University of Queensland (UQ), the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) has evolved into a pivotal form of academic communication. The linguistic resource important is often employed by presenters to underscore the significance of specific concepts, discoveries, or viewpoints, revealing their epistemic and evaluative stance. By constructing a corpus encompassing all award-winning 3MT presentations from UQ, with a particular focus on the usage of important and its related words, we found that (1) there was no statistically significant gender-based discrepancy in the frequency of employing important; (2) male presenters employed important in isolation, while their female counterparts opted for more expansive terms such as significant or crucial, encompassing a broader range of interpretations; (3) in terms of contexts, female speakers tended to extend their use of these terms beyond academic contexts, linking them with lived experiences more often than male presenters. The observed patterns related to how male and female presenters convey the importance of their research can enhance our comprehension of the subtle ways in which language mirrors and perpetuates gendered norms and expectations. More importantly, they may facilitate progress towards fostering more inclusive and equitable academic environments.