ACTIVITY 1: Writing Composition (15 points)

Instruction: You are going to make a speech that shows the relationship between gender and language,
promoting gender equity and discouraging gender stereotyping.

NOTE! Do it in any separate sheet of paper.

ANALYSIS: (It is just only a guide question. Do not include this)

1. How important it is to have a gender- fair language?
2. How do language and culture molds the society?
3. How does men and women treated by the society?

ABSTRACTION:

Gender and Language: The Relationship between Language and Gender

What is Language?

Language is a way through which human beings communicate with one another. It is specific quality that
is only present in human beings. It can either be in spoken or written form. It is because of language we
are able to exchange our ideas, beliefs, thoughts, emotions, knowledge as well as our imaginations. In
other words we can define language as a system of communication through the combination of words into
sentences. The scientific approach towards language is known as Linguistics.

Language can be used to abuse, such as in the case of sexual harassment, or to perpetuate stereotypes. It is
a powerful force that plays a significant role in how perceives the world.

What is Gender?

The word “Gender” is a social phenomenon used for defining men and women. It is derived from Latin
word ‘genus’ and ‘gendre’ (old French word) that means sort or kind. It is fixed by the origination of
errands, tasks and parts assigned to men and women in public area and in their private life. It is
constructed socially not biologically determined as the output of sexual traits of both men and women.
Sex is different from gender as it refers the biological and physical difference i.e. maleness and
femaleness.

Invisibilization of Women
The invisibilization of women is rooted in the assumption that men are dominant and are the norm of the
the fullness of humanity, and women do not exist.

Some obvious examples of women invisibilization in language are;

1. The generic use of masculine pronouns or the use of a masculine general.

The use of word “mankind” assumes that men are representative of all people on this planet, and that
women’s presence or roles are not acknowledged. Similarly, saying “guys” when referring to a mixed-
gender group assumes that girls are invisible, and calls attention to the male gender, giving them a strong
presence.

2. The assumption that certain functions or jobs are performed by men instead of both genders.
For example, the sentences “ The farmers and their wives tilled the land.” Or “ The politicians and their
wives lobbied for change.” Assume that men can have jobs as farmers and politician, and women who do
the same work are still made to be known as wives, with their identities forever linked to being married to
their husband.

3. The use of male job titles or terms ending in man to refer to functions that may be given to both
genders.
For instance, the titles “ businessman” and “chairman” assume that all businessmen or chairmen are men
that certain jobs may not be for women, which is not true.

Trivialization of women

1.Bringing attention to the gender of a person, if that person is a women.

The use of “lady” “girl” or “women” along with the noun brings attention to the gender of the person
rather than to the job or function. Examples of these include “girl athlete,” “women doctor,” “lady
guard,” and “working wives.” This notion also works for men who enter traditionally female jobs such as
“male nurses,” male nannies” or “male secretaries.”

2. The perception of women as immature.

Women may be labeled as “darling” or “baby” by those who do not know them, making them appear
childlike or juvenile.

3. The objectification, or likening to objects, of women.

By being called “honey,” “sweet” or “chick’ women become devalued, especially if they are in an
environment that merits formality such as the workplace.

LANGUAGE AND GENDER

Language exists as a system of symbols, in terms of abstract thinking and senses, it reveals a method
and pattern to describe the objective world. From another perspective, language system and language
structure’s difference reflected our different recognitions of the world in some degree. In addition, as a
kind of historical and cultural heritage, during the process of using it , the language in a certain sense,
reflects the formation of cultural traditions , evolution of civilization, national spirit creation, social life
improvement. If we could stand on the panoramic view when we observed the specific using conditions
during the mutation and change process in concrete social context, the research of sociolinguistics can
open up more growth point in exploring the process of linguistic theory.

Language gender difference has always been complex. Gender differences in language are not only
regarded as a linguistic phenomenon but also as a social phenomenon, and become the popular
subject of linguistics and sociolinguistics. The linguists from all countries have made a lot of
profound significant exploration according to the gender differences of language use phenomenon to
explain the cause of gender difference. The gender difference referred in language, is a kind of
language phenomenon in the display of society, culture, customs and other considerations of language
users. It has a rich cultural background, historical connotation and profound social reality, reflecting
the social psychology, folk psychology and the social and cultural value orientation. Gender
differences have important academic significance and application value in the sociolinguistics. It
widens our research horizon, deepens our cognition of the universal law of language; at the same time,
it helps us to better explain the factors in the internal change of language development. In terms of
language structure, gender difference reveals the relationship between gender and language. The
interaction between language and gender and the objective existence of gender difference make the
difference of gender language users, meanwhile the phenomenon of gender differences in language
promote and enhance the different gender language users’ new requirements and provisions for
language in the social cultural life in turn. Gender differences in language can be divided into absolute
and relative gender differences, sociolinguistics mostly focus on relative gender language differences.
In general, the relative gender differences mean men and women show significant differences in the
characteristics when using the same language or dialect, and they usually form variations of gender.

Language and Gender:

Men and women interact as social beings. Language is an important tool for the people.
(www.yikes.com/~noah/transfer/Linda.doc) .As mankind has gender difference, language has the same.
There are certain differences when it comes to language use by men and women. The study of how
gender is reflected in language is a recent branch of linguistics; it has developed research findings in the
early 1960s. The research on the relationship between language and gender developed on some levels:
1) The gender difference in language form and structure,
2) The gender difference in utterance style and
3) The reasons for gender difference in language. (www.yikes.com/~noah/transfer/Linda.doc)

Within our culture there remains a deep rooted belief about how men and women behave and are
supposed to behave. A major part of this is based upon how we speak and it has developed into the field
of “folk linguistics”. (Broadbridge, 2003). In order to find some possible answers about gender
differences in language use one has to go back in time and look at the historical background. Old letters,
novels, diaries and poems provide us with evidence of folk linguistic beliefs regarding gender
differences in language. To get more evidence about the gender differences in language use it is
important to discuss about the approaches which will actually give a certain result.

Philippine Culture and Language

Filipino people are known as settlers in many parts of the world. They are like the chameleon who
easily adapts to different environments. They thrive to survive. Survival of the fittest is their banner.
The Republic of the Philippines was named to honor King Philip II of Spain in 1543. Filipinos are
originally from the southern part of Asia. People from countries like China, India, the United States and
Spain married Filipinos resulting in a great deal of stock blending. 79 indigenous ethnic groups
compose the Filipino people. According to Wikipedia, the last five hundred years of eventful history of
the country added an impact to the cultural blend of the Asian and Western population. The colonial
reign of the Spaniards in 1570-1898 as well as the Americans in 1903-1946, resulted in the expansion of
Christian values, which gave an identity to every Filipino. And the interaction with other countries’
cultures, like the ones from China, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, gave a specific Asian touch to the
cultural heritage of the Philippines.

Language
There are 175 estimated languages spoken in the Philippines.  Almost all are classified as Malayo-
Polynesian languages. Among those languages, there are 13 indigenous languages with nearly 1 million
speakers.

For more than three centuries Spanish was the official language under Spain’s colonial rule.  It was
spoken by 60% of the population as either a first, second or third language in the early 20th century. 
However, the use of Spanish began to decline after the United States occupation in the early 1900’s.  In
1935 the Constitution of the Philippines named English and Spanish the official languages.  In 1939 the
Tagalog language was named the national language.  The language was renamed “Pilipino” in 1959 and
finally “Filipino” in 1973.  The present Constitution names Filipino and English as joint official
languages.

In spite of being the national language, only about 55 percent of Filipinos speak the language. In
addition to Filipino are about 111 distinct indigenous languages and dialects, of which only about 10 are
important regionally.
English is generally used for educational, governmental and commercial purposes and is widely
understood since it is the medium of instruction in schools. The Philippines are the third largest group of
English speaking people in the world, after the United States and the United Kingdom.
Since English is widely spoken in the Philippines, it is common to hear Filipinos use a mixture English
and Filipino words or phrases, known as "Taglish" (a mixture of English and Tagalog), in their
everyday conversations. A steadily dwindling minority still speak Spanish, which had at one time been
an official language.

Culture
The Philippines is a country that has varied cultural influences. Most of these influences are results of
previous colonization, deriving mainly from the culture of Spain and the United States. Despite all of
these influences, the old Asian culture of Filipinos has been retained and are clearly seen in their way of
life, beliefs and customs. Wherever you go, Filipino culture is very evident and has largely been
appreciated and even applauded in many parts of the world.
 Music, Arts and Literature
Filipinos are very fond of music. They use various materials to
create sound. They love performing dances (Tiniking and
Carinosa) and group singing during festive celebrations. Settlers
from Spain introduced to them a variety of musical instruments
like the ukulele, trumpet, drums and violin. Most of their music
is contemporary and they have also learned to write their own
songs based on real life events. People are also fond of folklore,
which was influenced by the early church and Spanish
literature.  Jose Rizal, the country’s national hero, is famous for his literature and novels inspired from
the independence story of the country

Religion
The majority of Filipino people practice the Christian religion. Spain highly influenced the people to the
extent that the Philippines became one of the two predominantly Christian nations in the Asia Pacific,
the other being East Timor. According to Wikipedia, Christianity is the religion of about 80% of the
Philippine population (mostly Catholics) while Islam is the religion of 11%, and other religions and
beliefs comprise the 9% of the rest of the population.

Celebrations
Christmas is one of the most loved celebration by Filipinos. Families and relatives gather on the 24th of
December, to celebrate food prepared for “Noche Buena,” a Spanish term which means “midnight
meal” to greet Christmas Day. New Year is another celebration that gathers the Filipino families.
Wearing dotted clothes and preparing round fruits on the table, which symbolize prosperity, is one of
the many customs of the Filipinos.

Sports
Filipinos are not only skilled when it comes to industry but also
in sports. The national sport of the Philippines is called arnis, a
form of martial arts. Filipinos love watching American games
like basketball, football and recently boxing which made the
Philippines more famous all over the world.  Filipino sport star,
Manny Pacquiao, has been put on a pedestal due to his skill in
boxing and more Filipinos have risen to stardom in the sports
arena.
 Family Structure
The basic social unit of the country is the family, which also includes the intermediate family members
(aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins) and other outside relations (godparents and close friends). As
such, many children have several godparents and when parents are out of the country to work, children
are mostly left to the grandparents to watch over them. It is common for members of the same family to
work for the same company, a practice which was influenced by the first Chinese settlers in the
Philippines. Filipino families live in different kinds of house structures depending on their status or
area. For families in rural areas, they live in a nipa hut which is made of bamboo and roofed with leaves
from palm trees or corrugated metal. Filipinos that are ranked as “middle class” live in houses made of
bricks and stones.

Filipino Society & Culture

Filipino Family Values

 The family is the centre of the social structure and includes the nuclear family, aunts, uncles,
grandparents, cousins and honorary relations such as godparents, sponsors, and close family friends.
 People get strength and stability from their family. As such, many children have several
godparents.
 Concern for the extended family is seen in the patronage provided to family members when they
seek employment.
 It is common for members of the same family to work for the same company.
 In fact, many collective bargaining agreements state that preferential hiring will be given to
family members.

 
Filipino Concept of Shame

 Hiya is shame and is a motivating factor behind behaviour.

 It is a sense of social propriety and conforming to societal norms of behaviour.
 Filipinos believe they must live up to the accepted standards of behaviour and if they fail to do
so they bring shame not only upon themselves, but also upon their family.
 One indication of this might be a willingness to spend more than they can afford on a party
rather than be shamed by their economic circumstances.
 If someone is publicly embarrassed, criticized, or does not live up to expectations, they feel
shame and lose self-esteem.
 Etiquette & Customs

Meeting Etiquette

 Initial greetings are formal and follow a set protocol of greeting the eldest or most important
person first.
 A handshake, with a welcoming smile, is the standard greeting.
 Close female friends may hug and kiss when they meet.
 Use academic, professional, or honorific titles and the person's surname until you are invited to
use their first name, or even more frequently, their nickname.

 
Gift Giving Etiquette

 If you are invited to a Filipino home for dinner bring sweets or flowers to the hosts.
 If you give flowers, avoid chrysanthemums and white lilies.
 You may send a fruit basket after the event as a thank you but not before or at the event, as it
could be interpreted as meaning you do not think that the host will provide sufficient hospitality.
 Wrap gifts elegantly as presentation is important. There are no colour restrictions as to wrapping
paper.
 Gifts are not opened when received.

Dining Etiquette

If you are invited to a Filipino's house:

 It is best to arrive 15 to 30 minutes later than invited for a large party.

 Never refer to your host's wife as the hostess. This has a different meaning in the Philippines.
 Dress well. Appearances matter and you will be judged on how you dress.
 Compliment the hostess on the house.
 Send a handwritten thank you note to the hosts in the week following the dinner or party. It
shows you have class.

 
Table manners

 Wait to be asked several times before moving into the dining room or helping yourself to food.
 Wait to be told where to sit. There may be a seating plan.
 Do not start eating until the host invites you to do so.
 Meals are often served family- style or are buffets where you serve yourself.
 A fork and spoon are the typical eating utensils.
 Hold the fork in the left hand and use it to guide food to the spoon in your right hand.
 Whether you should leave some food on your plate or finish everything is a matter of personal
preference rather than culture-driven.

Towards a Gender-fair Language

Can Gender-Fair Language Reduce Gender Stereotyping and Discrimination ?

Gender-fair language (GFL) aims at reducing gender stereotyping and discrimination. Two principle
strategies have been employed to make languages gender-fair and to treat women and men
symmetrically: neutralization and feminization. Neutralization is achieved, for example, by replacing
male-masculine forms (policeman) with gender-unmarked forms (police officer), whereas feminization
relies on the use of feminine forms to make female referents visible (i.e., the applicant… he or
she instead of the applicant… he). By integrating research on (1) language structures, (2) language
policies, and (3) individual language behavior, we provide a critical review of how GFL contributes to
the reduction of gender stereotyping and discrimination. Our review provides a basis for future research
and for scientifically based policy-making.

Linguistic gender asymmetries are ubiquitous, as documented in the contributions in Hellinger and
Bußmann (2001, 2002, 2003), which analyze 30 languages (e.g., Arabic, Chinese, English, Finnish,
Hindi, Turkish, Swahili) from various language families. An almost universal and fundamental
asymmetry lies in the use of masculine generics. In English, for example, generic he can be used when
gender is irrelevant (e.g., the user… he) and in German, masculine role nouns serve as labels for mixed
gender groups (e.g., einige Lehrer, masc.pl ‘several teachers’ for a group of male and female teachers).
Thus, masculine forms not only designate men but also mixed-gender groups or referents whose gender
is unknown or unspecified (see Stahlberg et al., 2007). Feminine forms, on the other hand, do not
function generically but refer to women only (Hellinger and Bußmann, 2001).

That masculine forms are used to represent all human beings is in accord with the traditional gender
hierarchy, which grants men more power and higher social status than women (Ridgeway and Correll,
2004). A large-scale content analysis of 800,000 Reuters news messages (published in English between
1996 and 1997) found that the pronoun he was more frequent than she in the news and also appeared in
more positive contexts (Gustafsson Sendén et al., 2014). The interrelation of language and the gender
hierarchy has also been documented in a study which analyzed the ratio of male to female pronouns
(e.g., he/she, his/hers) in written texts (full texts of about 1.2 million U.S. books, years 1900–2008;
from the Google Books database; Twenge et al., 2012). This ratio was found to reflect the status of
women in the United States during the 20th century. When women’s status was high (as indicated by
educational attainment, labor force participation, etc.), the proportion of female pronouns was higher;
when women’s status was low, female pronouns were less frequent.

Gender-fair language (GFL)1 was introduced as a response to this structural asymmetry and as part of a
broader attempt to reduce stereotyping and discrimination in language (see Fairclough, 2003; Maass et
al., 2013, for the political correctness debate). GFL aims to abolish asymmetries in referring to and
addressing women and men, for example, by replacing masculine forms (policeman) with gender-
unmarked forms (police officer), or by using both masculine and feminine forms (i.e., the applicant…
he or she instead of the applicant… he).

Sexism in Language

What is Sexism in Language?

It is the use of language which devalues members of one sex, almost invariably women and thus foster
gender inequality.

It discriminates against women by rendering them invisible or trivializing them at the same time that it
perpetuates notion of male supremacy.

Language articulates consciousness

It not only orders our thought but from infancy, we learn to use language to give utterance to our basic
needs and feelings.

Language reflects culture

It encodes and transmits cultural meanings and value in our society.

Language affects Socialization

Children learning a language absorb the cultural assumptions and biases underlying language use and
see these as an index to their society’s values and attitudes.

APPLICATION

Essay

1. How do you use communication to assert yourself and your ideas? How do you think people of the
other gender would use language to assert themselves? Will it be the same or different? Why or why
not?

2. How differently do men from older generations speak as compared to women from their
generations? How is this different from how you and your friends speak today?
 3. How do you speak to your female friends and how do you speak to your male friends? Do you shift in
tone or word choice?

4. How do you describe feminine speech? What about masculine speech?

5. How are marginalized individual expressed their rights to be treated fairly by the society as a whole?

Module Assessment:

Song Composition about Gender- fair language

Instruction: Write a song that speaks about men and women. How are women and men portrayed in the
song? What words are used to describe men and women? What verbs are used to discuss them?

In making the song consider the rubrics that given below.

Song Rubrics
Proficient with Meet the Standard Partially meets Does not meet Score
Distinction ( 4) (3) (2) (1)
Lyrics The song lyrics are The song lyrics are The song lyrics are The song lyrics
outstanding. The words good. The words somewhat are not
memorable. The song memorable. The song coherent. The song coherent. The
 lyrics are lyrics are well lyrics are well words are not
enthusiastically received received by the received by the memorable.
by the listeners. listeners. audience.
Creativity The student composed The student The song compose The song
an original song with a composed an original is not very original, compose is not
clear theme. song but there are but there are some very original.
some elements that elements that are The message is
are not excellent. not excellent. not conveyed.
Information The writer expressed The writer expressed The writer The writer
factual information and factual information in expressed factual expressed
incorporated at least 10- a creative manner and information in factual
15 facts and one big incorporated 10- facts manner that information in
idea in a creative and one big idea in a showed little manner that
manner, showing creative manner, effort. The showed no
acceptable effort. The showing acceptable performance of the effort.
performance of the song effort. The song did not meet
was excellent. performance of the expectations.
song meet
expectations.
Organizatio The writer clearly The writer lacked one The writer lacked The song was
n organized information, of the following: two of the unorganized
used mostly correct clearly organized following: clearly and difficult to
grammar and spelling information, correct organized follow.
and used legible grammar and spelling information,
handwriting. usage, and/or legible correct grammar
handwriting. and spelling usage,
and/or legible
handwriting.
Total