Gender Language Research Articles

A Comprehensive Study on Gender Language and Its Differences in China

The study of language and gender, especially the study of gender language differences involves many fields such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, language and literature, news media, education, and so on. Starting from the broad definition of gender language, this paper composes and reviews the research history of domestic gender language and its differences. Around the research history of domestic gender language, the research period is divided according to the timeline into germination, genesis, and growth. Divided by theme and content, the main content is the phenomenon of sexism in language; the second is the study of gender language style differences; the third is the root causes of sexism and verbal gender differences, i.e., the construction of the corresponding theories; and the fourth is the discussion of the limitations of the study of gender language in foreign countries.

Examining the Academic Achievement of Latinx Students from an Early Lifespan and Intersectional Perspective

ABSTRACT The present study examined Latinx school readiness and 3rd grade student achievement, considering differences based on social categories of gender, race, ethnicity, and home language. The sample included 683 racially diverse children (Mage = 4.94; SD = .57) of Dominican- or Mexican-origin from Spanish-English or Spanish-only proficient homes. Baseline data included a test of school readiness and mother and teacher ratings of behavior. Follow-up data included the 3rd grade New York State test. Results show that 74% of Latinx children were not proficient in 3rd grade reading, with boys and children from Spanish-only homes less likely to be at grade level. School readiness predicted achievement for all groups. On the whole, Latinx students, and especially boys and non-English speakers, appear to be marginalized in U.S. public education systems.

GENDERED LANGUAGE IN THE CONSTITUTION OF NIGERIA – REPHRASING TO ACHIEVE GENDER NEUTRAL DRAFTING

The use of words to portray gender and therefore apportion benefits or disadvantages is true in both verbal and written communication. This is even truer in legislative drafting, as the use of gendered language may depict a more serious problem of sexism, discrimination and paternalism in the society. Using the doctrinal approach, this paper examined gendered language in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 relating to the qualification and appointment of judicial officers, to analyse the effect of such gendered language on the interpretation of the constitution and the likelihood of the female gender suffering disadvantage thereby. The paper found that the gendered language used in the 1999 constitution of Nigeria in the qualification and appointment of judicial officers, is gender insensitive, ambiguous and capable of excluding the female gender from consideration for appointment to such offices. It also found that the gendered language in the relevant constitutional provisions exhibit masculinity and does not promote the required gender equality in a legal draft. The paper recommended amendment to reconstruct the language of the constitution to achieve gender neutrality.

Short-term memory and knowledge of L1 and L2 by Roma children of Cyprus

The study of short-term memory and language learning conducted with primary school Roma children in Cyprus aimed to determine how children who grow up in economically disadvantaged families learn their mother tongue (L1) Turkish and their second language (L2) Cypriot Greek. Two groups of children (20 children aged 8 and 20 children aged 10), a total of 40, were tested with the Picture short-term memory test, the Peabody vocabulary test, the sentence repetition test and the number repetition test. The study seeks to answer the research question: "How does the short-term memory test help Roma children to perform the tests in their L1 and L2?" The research findings were statistically analysed with SPSS and ANOVA and showed correlations between the independent factors of age group, gender, and testing language. The result showed that the children performed the tests much better in their mother tongue (L1). They need help learning some of the grammatical categories from the Greek language. The Processability Theory of Pienemann (1998) is examined. According to this theory, the production of linguistic structures is possible without any conscious or non-conscious attention because the locus of the attentive process is short-term memory. For the children to attain the necessary academic level of Greek, the teachers working with Roma children should receive training to develop children's bilingualism when instructing children growing up in a multilingual environment such as Cypriot society. Disclosure Statement The authors reported no potential conflicts of interest. * Corresponding author: Hristo Kyuchukov, 0000-0002-1965-8908hristo.kyuchukov@us.edu.pl

Gender agreement in Italian compounds with capo-

Abstract Gender inflection for animated nouns in Italian presents challenges influenced by societal pressures and linguistic structure, especially in morphologically complex words like compounds. The study investigates gender inflection distribution in compounds with capo- compared to other nouns (i.e., occupations traditionally performed by women, by men, and the word capo in isolation), exploring the interplay of social, etymological and morphological factors. 192 native Italian speakers inflected masculine nouns to feminine forms after hearing the stimulus. Results reveal that respondents’ attitudes towards gender-fair language significantly determine the use of feminine, indicating a complex interplay between linguistic structures and social perceptions. Despite historical resistance, the word capa in isolation shows increasing acceptance, challenging entrenched norms. In compounds, capo- element’s gender inflection appears more resistant due to morphological complexity, with an interaction with number. This study advances our understanding of gender inflection, with implications for broader conversations about gender representation and language inclusivity.

(De)Gendering (English-Spanish) Translation of Legal Texts

Abstract Within Western culture, gender is frequently interpreted in terms of binarism (male versus female), derived from biological sex at birth. Nevertheless, there is an accelerating percentage of non-binary and transgender people, who are not related to binary nomenclature, and they also need to resort to legal documentation and their renderings into other languages. This fact becomes a troublesome issue that must be nowadays solved, especially when translating into Spanish, a grammatical gender language, from English, a non-grammatical gender language. In this paper we will first select a corpus of eight British legal documents representing highly demanded translation briefs. We will then search for 15 problematic lexical items, searching for their lexicographic definitions and translations, and we will later resort to their most feasible translations into the Spanish language, considering both gendered translations and genderless ones. Our research shows how the Spanish language has its own translation techniques, especially paraphrasing, to be able to provide the English-Spanish target readership with binary legal terms, and especially with non-binary ones.

On Gender Equality in Junior High School English Textbooks: A Case Study of the Chinese PEP Eighth-Grade Textbooks

With the development of society, the consciousness of female subjectivity has gradually awakened, and the issue of gender equality in the field of education has also attracted more and more attentions. Education plays an important role in constructing students’ concept of gender equality, and textbooks, as an important medium for students to receive education, are an important part of promoting educational equality. In addition, the junior high school stage is a critical period for students to develop values, and textbooks, as an educational medium, should help students establish a correct understanding of gender roles. However, previous studies have shown that there is an implicit bias of gender inequality in teaching materials. This study conducts an in-depth study on gender equality in the PEP eighth-grade English textbooks. It adopts the literature review method to sort out the relevant research at home and abroad, and uses the content analysis method to comprehensively analyze the gender roles, illustrations, and language use in the textbooks. It also combines quantitative and qualitative analysis methods to discuss the current situation and causes of gender equality. The study finds that there are gender stereotypes and gender discrimination in textbooks, which have an impact on students’ gender perception and self-perception. Concerning these issues, this paper proposes improvement countermeasures, aiming to promote the fairness of junior high school English education, to help students establish correct gender concepts and self-awareness, and to provide references and suggestions for the compilation of teaching materials.

Puerto Rican welfare queens and the semiotics of respectability: The language of race, class, and gender

AbstractIn this article, we explore how raciolinguistic parody functions in a society that hegemonically denies racial divisions. Through an analysis of Puerto Rican comedian Natalia Lugo's YouTube portrayals of her character, Francheska the Yal ‘welfare queen,’ we argue that covert racialization operates through a semiotics of respectability, whereby disreputable forms of femininity, class expression, and nonstandard language are co‐indexical with the yal’s failure to normatively “whiten” herself. We contend that US colonial narratives that scapegoat poor women of color for the island's poverty are reconstructed in Lugo's parodies by depicting the yal as provincial and excessive. Lugo's performative choices underscore the interplay of linguistic, material, and discursive elements that marginalize the yal, enabling parody without challenging structural inequalities. Our analysis sheds light on the ways in which semiotic practices reify such social hierarchies where they are systemically denied.

Gendered Differences in Acknowledgements for Doctoral Advisors at a Land-Grant University

The acknowledgements section of a doctoral dissertation provides a rare view into the student-advisor relationship. The gendered differences for how doctoral students acknowledge male and female advisors was examined in 208 dissertations from a U.S. land-grant university. Doctoral students used a greater number and diversity of words when acknowledging female advisors. Nine hierarchical thematic roles and obligations of advisors were identified and were equally represented in acknowledging male and female advisors. Doctoral students described the roles and obligations of their doctoral advisor independently of gender; however, they used gendered language, which highlights the persistence of gendered norms within academic culture.

Investigating the Linguistics Features, Impacts, and Corresponding Strategies of Translation in Feminist Literature

With the growing interest in feminism, feminist translation has become an important field of study. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of feminist translation, focusing on its impact, linguistic characteristics, translation strategies, and applications. It explores how feminist translation critically engages with language to address gender biases and patriarchal norms. The analysis underscores the significance of feminist translation in promoting gender equality and empowering marginalized voices. The discussion on linguistic characteristics highlights how feminist translation scrutinizes gendered language, stereotypes, and linguistic bias. It emphasizes the need to challenge the use of gender-specific terms and advocates for more inclusive language practices. Alternative strategies, such as gender-inclusive language and cultural adaptation, are examined as effective means to challenge linguistic biases and promote equality. Furthermore, the examination of translation strategies delves into the interventions employed by feminist translators. These strategies aim to disrupt patriarchal narratives, expose gender biases, and foster critical dialogue. They include amplifying women's visibility and agency, introducing alternative readings, and incorporating cultural adaptations. The applications of feminist translation in various domains are explored, revealing its impact and transformative potential. Specifically, in literature and arts, feminist translation amplifies marginalized voices, challenges traditional gendered narratives, and facilitates cross-cultural exchange. In legal and political discourse, it addresses gender biases in laws and policy documents. Additionally, feminist translation plays a role in media and activism, disrupting harmful representations and promoting social justice. Feminist translation emerges as a dynamic and transformative practice that confronts gender biases, challenges oppressive discourses, and advocates for gender equality. It recognizes the power of language to shape societal norms and actively employs strategies to subvert gender biases within translation.

Gender Bias in Artificial Intelligence-Written Letters of Reference.

Letters of reference (LORs) play an important role in postgraduate residency applications. Human-written LORs have been shown to carry implicit gender bias, such as using more agentic versus communal words for men, and more frequent doubt-raisers and references to appearance and personal life for women. This can result in inequitable access to residency opportunities for women. Given the known gendered language often unconsciously inserted into human-written LORs, we sought to identify whether LORs generated by artificial intelligence exhibit gender bias. Observational study. Multicenter academic collaboration. Prompts describing identical men and women applying for Otolaryngology residency positions were created and provided to ChatGPT to generate LORs. These letters were analyzed using a gender-bias calculator which assesses the proportion of male- versus female-associated words. Regardless of the gender, school, research, or other activities, all LORs generated by ChatGPT showed a bias towardmale-associated words. There was no significant difference between the percentage of male-biased words in letters written for women versus men (39.15 vs37.85, P = .77). There were significant differences in gender bias found by each of the other discrete variables (school, research, and other activities) chosen. While ChatGPT-generated LORs all showed a male bias in the language used, there was no gender bias difference in letters produced using traditionally masculine versus feminine names and pronouns. Other variables did induce gendered language, however. ChatGPT is a promising tool for LOR drafting, but users must be aware of potential biases introduced or propagated through these technologies.

Virtual Patient and Family Engagement Strategies in Critical Care: A Scoping Review.

Background: Family engagement in care is increasingly recognized as an essential component of optimal critical care delivery. However, family engagement strategies have traditionally involved in-person family participation. Virtual approaches to family engagement may overcome barriers to family participation in care. The objective of this study was to perform a scoping review of virtual family engagement strategies in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: Studies were included if they involved a virtual engagement strategy with family members of an ICU patient and reported either (1) outcomes, (2) user perspectives, and/or (3) barriers or facilitators to virtual engagement in the ICU. Study types included primary research studies and review articles. Study selection followed the Joanna Briggs Institute Methodology for Scoping Reviews guidelines without any cultural, ethnic, gender, or specific language restrictions. The source of evidence included Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases from inception to November 17, 2023. Google scholar was searched on December 1, 2023. Data were extracted on virtual engagement strategy used, outcomes (patient-centered, family-centered, and clinical), perspectives (patient, family, and health care professional [HCP]), and reported barriers or facilitators to virtual engagement in the ICU. Results were categorized into adult or pediatric/neonatal ICU setting. Results: Virtual engagement strategies identified were virtual visitation, virtual rounding, and virtual meetings. Family and HCPs were generally supportive of virtual visitation and rounding strategies. Overall, virtual strategies were associated with improved patient, family, and HCP outcomes. There were a few randomized interventional studies evaluating the effectiveness of virtual engagement strategies. Family, HCP, technological, and institutional barriers to the implementation and conduct of virtual engagement strategies were reported. Conclusions: Virtual family engagement strategies are associated with improved outcomes for patients, family, and HCPs. Identified barriers to virtual family engagement should be addressed. Future studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual family engagement strategies in a more rigorous manner.

Officers and men and fallen heroes: The discursive construction of regimented masculinity in the Nigerian Army

This paper examines the use of gendered language in the Nigerian Army's community of practice through the application of insights from language ideology and theory of masculinity. Data were generated by means of participant observation and semi-structured interviews in a one-year fieldwork involving representative sample of 18 personnel of the 6 Battalion, Ibawa and 2 Brigade, Uyo, both in Akwa Ibom State in South-eastern Nigeria. The findings show that the Nigerian Army maintains institutional gendered language practices used among its personnel in regimented functions and social events. The gendered registers occur in the soldiers' generic use of male address terms, adaptation to male-coded voice pattern in parades, masculinisation of Army's workout songs, and the subordination of femininity in institutional associations, all combined to construct the regimented and performative masculinisation of the profession. This practice is observed to be informed by the numerical domination of men in the profession that was originally perceived as males'; a conception that has shaped the linguistic ideology and performance of the Nigerian Army to rehearse masculine orientations. It is however recommended that the Army's language practices should capture modern ideals of a gender sensitive world that connect to the clamour for gender equality and equal social belonging through the inclusion of feminine linguistic markers in workplaces.

Validating the Chinese version of short‐form foreign language classroom anxiety scale

AbstractThis three‐phase study utilized item response theory (IRT) and both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA) approaches to validate the short‐form foreign language classroom anxiety scale (S‐FLCAS) for measuring Chinese college students' foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA). The sample consisted of 855 Chinese college students. Phase 1 was conducted within the EFA and CFA frameworks to investigate the construct validity of the S‐FLCAS. Phase 2 was conducted within IRT frameworks to assess the reliability of this scale. Lastly, Phase 3 adopted multi‐group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) to explore the measurement invariance across gender and second language (L2) learner groups. The findings revealed that the Chinese version of S‐FLCAS is a reliable and valid instrument, exhibiting unidimensional characteristics. Configural, metric, and scalar invariance were identified across gender groups, while configural, partial metric, and partial scalar invariance were observed across L2 groups. This study further discussed the reasons for some suboptimal performance of the S‐FLCAS and practical implications for researchers and university educators.

Gender Identity and Language.

Gender Identity and Language.

Unearthing a hidden curriculum of gendered museum languages through critical feminist visual discourse analysis

ABSTRACT This article explores the hidden gendered curriculum concealed in the texts, exhibitions and other structural devices of museums and what they teach visitors to see and think. Grounded in conceptualisations of culture, representation, and language, past feminist studies of museums and applying feminist visual discourse analysis (FVDA) we found hiding in plain sight in public museums in Canada and England a diversity of ‘languages’ that subversively aggrandised masculine power and privilege and (re)inscribed negative or limited understandings to women which we argue as feminist adult educators have epistemic, identity and agency consequences. We also argue that whilst museums are trying to address often centuries old exclusionary gendered practices progress is slow because these practices are so embedded and unconscious and reflect pervasive social notions of ‘common sense’. Our study makes an important contribution to feminist museum studies by rendering visible a web of complex structural and textual gendered biases and to adult education. By adding museums to our curricula we can provide our students with a visual and immersive way to hone the critical visual literacy skills needed to understand more fully how both seen and unseen languages operate not just in the museum, but across society.

SayHello: An intelligent peer-to-peer polyglot voice-to-voice conversation application

As the entire world is becoming increasingly a global village, the need for reliable, smooth, and easy-to-use applications that facilitate the communication process between people speaking different languages worldwide becomes essential, especially in the tourism industry. While numerous online and mobile applications attempt to bridge the linguistic gap using text-to-text, text-to-voice, or voice-to-text-to-voice translators, they often fall short due to constraints such as the need for a single shared device, manual setup of speaker’s gender and preferred language, and an inability to communicate from a distance. These applications struggle to mimic the practical nature of real-time multilingual conversations where immediate and clear communication is paramount. This paper introduces an intelligent peer-to-peer polyglot voice-to-voice mobile application to facilitate the communication of people speaking different languages worldwide transparently mimicking a live conversation whether the involved parties are close to each other or at a nearby distance. People can interact with others transparently using their preferred language, irrespective of others’ languages, while the application automatically recognizes the language, gender of the speaker, and spoken words with very high accuracy. Five languages were implemented in the developed application as a proof-of-concept, and it is designed to smoothly and simply adapt more in future updates.

EFL Omani Foundation Programme Students’ Attitudes Towards Reading in English and Their Knowledge of Reading Comprehension Strategies

This study investigated the importance of reading in English for EFL Foundation Programme students at a private college university in Oman. It discussed the students' attitudes towards reading in English and their knowledge of reading comprehension strategies. The instruments used included a short questionnaire and a reading achievement test. They were handed to sixteen mixed-age and gender students from level one and sixteen mixed-age and gender students from level two. The findings of the study instruments' data showed that gender and English language proficiency had no statistically significant effect on the level of knowledge of reading comprehension strategies in English. They also revealed that age had no statistically significant effect on attitudes towards reading in English.Moreover, they showed no statistically significant correlation between the knowledge of reading comprehension strategies and attitudes toward reading in English. Although there were positive reading attitudes, students showed weak knowledge of reading comprehension strategies. The study recommends that EFL teachers develop their students' knowledge of reading comprehension strategies.

Seeking a “Supportive” Leader: Gendered language in leadership job postings and women’s leadership identification

Evidence suggests that women are underrepresented in leadership positions in Canada (MacDougall et al., 2021). While past research has shown that masculine wording reduces job attractiveness for women, few scholars have examined the effect of gendered language in a leadership context. First, we conducted a directed content analysis to assess the prevalence of gendered language in existing Canadian leadership job postings. This revealed that gendered language exists in job postings at expected levels, with masculine language occurring more frequently, especially in male-dominated industries. Second, we explored how gendered language impacts women’s intentions to apply for leadership positions and the potential roles of stereotype threat and perceived self-efficacy. Results indicated that, for women with lower self-efficacy, feminine language in job advertisements leads to greater application intentions through its effect on leadership identification. These findings suggest that more inclusive, feminine language in leadership job advertisements may encourage more women to apply

105 Gender-Diverse Inclusion: The Language of Sex and Gender in PrEP Clinical Trials

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: To construct an assessment scale capable of evaluating a trial’s gender literacy or the extent to which biologically assigned “sex” is understood as separate from culturally defined and personally embodied “gender”. This scale in tandem with a policy brief will outline recommendations for inclusive medical nomenclature in the clinical space. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Using clinicaltrials.gov, inclusion/exclusion criteria was recorded for PrEP interventional trials (i.e., Truvada, Descovy). To evaluate these trials, an assessment scale for “gender literacy” is necessary. This scale relies on the fact that sex and gender are distinct elements to one’s identity and ought to be reported as such. As a form of content analysis, where literary information (eligibility criteria) is evaluated based on set rubric, this scale will require validation through inter-coder agreement. Evaluated in a group of 5 college-age students, this scale was used on selected PrEP clinical trials to verify if there was high agreement in the scores given. After validation, the dataset from clinicaltrials.gov underwent evaluation using the proposed assessment scale for gender literacy. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The student coders had a Kalpha of 0.4 in the first round of grading. After retraining, their Kalpha increased to 0.68. The grading involved a subjective language rating (LIR), evaluating the usage of inclusive language, and a numerical score (GR) for the demographics of inclusion in a trial. After this inter-coder agreement validation, 216 active PrEP clinical trials (as of March 2023) were downloaded from clinicaltrials.gov. Grading of these trials showed that cisgender males represented 40% of participants, while 28% represented both transgender men and women, and less than 1% represented non-binary individuals. Moreover, more than half of the trials (52%) exhibited cisgender-oriented language or made no reference to gender identity. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: It is a scientific imperative for clinical trials to have representative participant bases in order to derive data that is generalizable to afflicted populations. Especially for PrEP clinical trials, where gender-diverse individuals need visibility, trial design must be carefully crafted so as not to exclude through dated or exclusionary language.