Sexism in English Proverbs 英语谚语中的性别歧视 19页

2010届英语专业学士学位论文TableofContentSexisminEnglishProverbsTableofContent中文摘要ⅠAbstractⅡ1Introduction12LiteratureReview23SexisminEnglishProverbs33.1SexisminEnglishProverbs33.1.1Women’sWords33.1.2women’sSocialRoleandStatus43.1.3women’sWisdomandMentality53.1.4women’sAppearanceandManner53.1.5Marriage63.1.6women’sCharacters63.1.7Others73.2CausesofSexisminEnglishProverbs73.2.1SocialDivisionofLabor73.2.2CulturalFactor83.2.3HistoricalBackground93.2.4ReligiousPsychology104theTrendofSexisminEnglishProverbs115Conclusion13References14Acknowledgements15 摘要语言是现实社会的一面镜子，能够真实的反映这种社会习俗及价值观念，而作为语言中的精华——谚语更是浓缩了文化的内涵。英语谚语源远流长，记录了不同时代劳动人民的经验。它的来源极为广泛，从文学作品到民间传说，从宗教信仰到自然现象，不同时代，不同阶级人民的心得，经验及智慧都浓缩在当时的谚语中。因而从谚语中探索性别歧视更具有广泛的代表性和极强的说服性.笔者以女权主义为视角，侧重于对性别歧视在英语谚语中的现象进行研究。本文运用对比法从言语类、角色类、理性类、容止类、婚嫁类、性情类和其它类七个方面阐述性别歧视在英语谚语中的具体体现，并且从社会分工、文化因素、历史背景和宗教心理四个不同的角度分析了性别歧视的形成原因。目的是通过对谚语的分析揭示语言中对女性的歧视，从而提高人们关于性别歧视的意识，帮助人们减少，继而消除在日常生活以及语言中的性别歧视现象，也期待为今后的进一步研究能有所帮助。关键词：英语谚语；性别歧视；女权主义Ⅱ AbstractLanguage,asamirroroftherealworld,couldgiveusavividreflectionofsocialcustomsandvalues.Theproverbs,theessenceoflanguage,areactuallyapureconcentrationoftheentirecontentofculture.Withalonghistoryandtheirancientorigins,Englishproverbsstemfromtheaccumulationofexperience,whichhasbeenhandeddownthroughgenerations.Fromliteraturetofolklegends,fromreligiousbeliefstonaturalphenomena,thebroadscopeofproverbscoversallunderstanding,experienceandwisdomofthepeoplewhohavelivedindifferenttimesandfromthedifferentclasses.Thusaproverbisamorerepresentativeandmorepersuasiveperspectivetomakearesearchonsexdiscrimination.ThethesisaimsatspecializinginsexdiscriminationreflectedintheEnglishproverbsfromthefeministperspective.Thethesishasprobedintothephenomenonthroughacomparativestudyoftheproverbsappliedinlanguagesfromthedifferentaspects.Andthethesishasalsoinvestigatedintothecausesofsexismfromfouraspects:socialdivision,culturalfactor,historybackground,religiouspsychology;revealingthesexbiasagainstwomeninvocabularysoastoenhancepeople"sawarenessaboutsexismaswell;tryingtofindoutsolutionstohelppeoplereduceandeveneliminatethesexisminthedailylinguisticexpressionsandlayasolidfoundationforfurtherresearchinthisfieldofstudy.Keywords:EnglishProverbs，Sexism，FeminismⅡ SexisminEnglishProverb1IntroductionAccordingtoWebsterNinthNewCollegiateDictionary,“sexism”is"prejudiceordiscriminationbasedonsex;esp.discriminationagainstwomen".WhileinOxfordAdvancedLearner"sDictionaryofCurrentEnglish,“sexism”isdefinedas"unfairorunreasonablediscriminationbetweenthesexes;unreasonablemaintainingoftraditionalsexualrules(e.g.thatmenarestrongandwomenareweak)".Therefore,sexismisasystemofbeliefsandpracticesthataffirmthedominanceofmenoverwomen.Apprehendedbymostpeopleas"onlynatural,"sexismpervadessocialrelationsandinstitutions,affectingeverythingfrompeople"sdomesticarrangementtotheircareerchoices.WiththearrivalofthefeministmovementwithinEnglishspeakingcountries,attentionhasbeengiventochangingthestructureswhichsupportandpromotesexismwithinthesociety.Oneofthesestructuresislanguage.Sexisminlanguageisthephenomenonthatwhenyouusethelanguage,itshowsdiscriminationagainstwomen.“Sexistlanguage”hasbeendefinedas"words,phrases,andexpressionsthatunnecessarilydifferentiatebetweenfemalesandmalesorexclude,trivialize,ordiminisheithergender"(Parks&Roberton,1998,p.455).Theoretically,sexistlanguagecouldhavedeleteriouseffectsoneitherwomenormen,butempiricalevidenceinEnglishspokensocietiesstronglysuggeststhatthepreponderanceofnegativeresultsaccruetowomen.ConcernaboutthenegativeeffectsofsexistlanguageisgroundedintheSapir-Whorfhypothesisoflinguisticrelativity,whichsuggestsanaffinitybetweenlanguageandculture(Cameron,1985;Carroll,1956;Simpson,1993;Thorne,Kramarae,&Henley,1983).Proverbisaspecialformoflanguage,isoneoftheidiom.Itisspreadamongthepeoplewithit’svisualcommonandmeaningfulsentences.Itisalsooneformoffolklore.Proverbisthecrystalofmankindwisdom,istheembodimentofsimplelanguage.Thelinguistsvividlycompareittothemirrorofanation,livefossiloflanguage.EnglandwriterWilliamPenn(1935)saidthatthewisdomofnationliesintheirproverbs.Proverbistheproductofcultureandnotion,isasmallsocialencyclopedia.Peopleallthinkhighlyofit.Itreflectsthespecificallysocialculture,life,customandmodeofthinkinginsuchatime.Language,asamirroroftherealworld,couldgiveusavividreflectionofsocialcustomsandvalues.Theproverbs,theessenceoflanguage,areactuallyapureconcentrationoftheentirecontentofculture.Itisinvolvedineverypartofoursociallife.Withalonghistoryandtheirancientorigins,theEnglishproverbsstemfromthe共15页第13页 accumulationofexperience,whichhasbeenhandeddownthroughgenerations.Itinvolveswidesources,fromliteraryoutputtofolktale,fromreligionbelieftonaturalphenomenon,differenttimes,differentclasses,people’sunderstanding,experienceandwisdomwereconcentratedinproverbsofthattime.ThusaproverbisamorerepresentativeandmorepersuasiveperspectivetomakearesearchonSexism.2LiteratureReviewTheearliestexamplerelatedtoSexismappearedinthe17thcentury，whichisreportedthatthedivergenceofmale/femalelanguageintheCaribbeanArea.Althoughtherewasnosystemstudyaboutthegenderlanguage,somebodystillregardedthemalelanguageasthesterlinglinguistexpressions;onthecontrary,thefemalelanguagewasnonstandard.TheearliestresearcherwhostudiesSexismfromtheangleoflinguisticswastheDanishlinguistO.Jespersen.HehadpointedoutthatEnglishwasthemostmasculinelanguagethathehadbeenfamiliarwith,intheGrowthandStructureoftheEnglishLanguagewhichwaspublishedin1923.Atthebeginningof20century,therewasaviewthatstandardexpressionwasmalelanguage,andthatitwasadivergetostandardexpressionforfemalelanguage.Obviously,thispointwasaprejudicetofemalelanguage.In1960s,asafringedisciplinebetweenlinguisticsandSociology,sociolinguisticswasformedintheU.S.A,andthenithasbecomestrongerandstrongergradually.ThedevelopmentofWesternWomen’sLiberation,FeminismandSociolinguistics,tosomeextent,havepushedthestudyofSexism.Somescholarsthoughtthatanewlinguistics,whichwasclaimedtheequalitybetweenmaleandfemale,orthecriticismoftheequalitybetweenmaleandfemale.In1970s,AsrepresentedbysomelinguistssuchasLakoff.Trudgill,Zimmerman,West,Thorne,andHenlein1980"sandBolingerin1990"s,theyhavedonesomefurtherresearchforsexdiscrimination，andthereasonsofSexism.InLanguageandWomen"sPlace,Lakoffpointedoutthat,intheviewthatlanguagehasreflected,maleliveinthecenterposition,forsurefemale’simageweremutilated.ButBolingerregardeditasanexampleofSexism.ThelinguistswhotookLakoffasrepresentativetriedtheirbesttodescribelinguisticswithallscientificknowledgethatrelatedtohumanbeings.SuchasPsychology,Sociology,Ethnology,anthropologyandHistoryetc.Theresultsoftheresearchevenhaveaffectedtosetupandcarryoutsomelinguistpolicysuccessfully.ThereweremanyimportantbooksfortheresearchofSexisminEnglish.Suchas:D.Bolinger’sAspectsofLanguage(1968),Language:theLoadedWeapon(1980)；Lakoff’s共15页第13页 LanguageandWomen’sPlace(1973);M.Schulz’stheSemanticDerogationofWoman(1975);FromkinVoctoria&RobertRodman’sAnIntroductiontoLanguage(1998),etc.From1980sto1990s,basically,linguistshaddonethefurtherdiscussandresearchonthepreviousachievements.Someothernewscholarshadtookpartintheresearch,suchasJ.Holmes,J.Coates,D.Cameron,andM.R.Key,etc.Theirresearchnotonlylimitedtosexdiscriminationagainstwomeninthestudy,butalsohadtakenaveryobjective,Scienceandpragmaticattitude.TheydescribedthephenomenonofdiscriminationagainstwomeninEnglish,aswellasdescribedthephenomenonofdiscriminationagainstmeninEnglish,reflectingthelawofsocietyandlanguagedevelopment.Atanearlystage,Chinesescholarsfocusedonresearchongenderdifferences.Theymainlyinspectedthedifferencesbetweenfemaletermsandmaletermsfromthevoice,tone,vocabulary,sentencestructureandothertermsofsurfacephenomena.Therefore,withthedevelopmentofFeministMovement,ChinesescholarsgraduallyshiftedtheemphasistoresearchonSexism.Withthein-depthstudy,theyfocusedoncommunicationstrategies,discoursestyle,etc.ScholarshavestudiedSexismfromdifferentangles,andthenprobedthereasonsofSexismaccordingtonationalconditions.Therewerealargemountofarticlespublishedonperiodicals.QinXiubai’sHistoricalandculturalPerspectiveofSexisminEnglish(ModernForeignLanguages,thesecond,1996)researchedgenderlanguagefromtheviewofhistory,societyandculture.Theyprovidedaperspectivefromthesocialandculturalstudyofgenderlanguage.SunQingcheng’sConceptsonSexism-bothSemanticDemotedLawandLingualAffiliation(JournalofForeignLanguages,thefifth,1993)analyzedtheexistenceofmaleandfemalediscriminationobjectivelyinbothEnglishandChinese.ZhuangHecheng’sSexisminEnglishVocabulary(studyofforeignlanguages,thefifth,1990),ChenZhonghua’sSexisminEnglish(JournalofXiangtanUniversity,thethird,1991),ChenLin’sSexisminEnglishAds.(JournalofPLAForeignLanguagesInstitute,theforth,1993),etc.TheyallanalyzedanddescribedSexisminEnglish.Thevisionofthesestudieswasmoreopenthaneverbefore,itmadeusunderstoodandgraspedtherelationshipbetweenlinguistexpressionsandsexdifferenceroundlyandaccuratelyonahigherlevel.3SexisminEnglishProverbs3.1SexisminEnglishProverbsManyproverbsaggrandizewomen’sshortcomingsandderogatewomen.Intheseproverbs,onegetstheideathatwomenarestupid,evil,greedy,talkative,andsoforth.Actually,thatisnottrue.Thefollowingsevenpartsshouldbeexplainedforthesephenomena.3.1.1Women’sWords共15页第13页 Silenceisbelievedtobetheessentialqualitythatwomenlackof.ThedepictionofwomenasgarrulousandbeingobsessedwithtrivialthingsisdeeplyrootedinthetraditionalideologyInpatriarchalsocietyeventoday,womenaredeprivedoftherighttospeakbymaleswhoactasthedominantpowerofthesociety.Althoughaswidelyaccepted,womenarealwaysbelievedtotalktoomuch,accordingtotheresearchofsomesociolinguistics,maletalkmorethanfemaleinmostoccasions,especiallyinsocialintercourseoccurrencesoit"snodiWculttodrawanaturalconclusionthesocialprescriptionsoftalkinglessandpolitelyisnotaboundruleformentoobserve,butapplytowomenexclusively.Thefollowingaresuchexampletoshowthebiastowardwomen.(1)Wordsarewomen,deedsaremen.(2)Awoman"sstrengthisinhertongue.(3)Silenceisthebestornamentofthewoman.(4)Threewomenandagoosemakeamarket.(5)Manywomen,manywords;manygeese,manyturds.(6)Awoman"stonguewagslikealamb"stail.(7)Foxesarealltailandwomenarealltongue.(8)TheNorthSeawillsoonerbefoundwantingwaterthanawomanbeatalossforword.3.1.2Women’sSocialRoleandStatusIntheolddays,women"ssocialroleandstatuswereneverimportant.Inrespectofgenderroles,awomanwasexpectedtohandlefamilychoresandbegentleandobedienttoherhusbandwhileahusbandwasconsideredtobethemainstayofthefamily.Sincewomen"slackingofeconomicresource,theyhadnosayinfamilyaffairsandeconomicallydependentuponmen.Asaresult,womenwerenotseenasmatesoftheirhusbandsbuttheattachmentandpropertyofmen.Eventoday,menstillplayamoreimportantroleinmostfamiliesdespitethefactthatwomencanworkoutsidenow.AccordingtotheresearchmadeinFrancein2001,atpresentonthewhole,themoneymadebyawifeisabout60%thatofherhusbands(Bo32).Therefore,ahusbandisstillamoreprominentfigureinafamilyandwomeninsomesensearestillsubordinatetotheirhusband.Thefollowingaresomefamousproverbsreflectingwomen"ssocialroleandstatusinEnglish:(1)Ifthehusbandwerenotathome,thereisnobody.(2)Thehusbandistheheadofthewife.(3)Winsmen,winsworld.(4)Awoman’sworkisneverdone.共15页第13页 (5)Thefootonthecradleandthehandonthedistaffisasighofagoodwife.(6)Afairwomanwithoutvirtueislikepalledwine.(7)Allwomenmaybewon.(8)Awoman,adogandawalnuttree,themoreyoubeatthem,thebetterthey’llbe.(9)Wifeisthekeyofthehouse.(10)Itissadhousewhenthehencrowsforlouderthanthecock.(11)Amanofstrawisworthofawomanofgold.(12)Amanisamanthoughhehave/hasbutahoseonhead.(13)Man,womananddevilarethethreedegreesofcomparison.(14)Marriedmanturnshisstaffintoastake.(15)Menmakehouses,womenmakehomes.3.1.3Women’sWisdomandMentalityInformerdays,theexclusionofwomenfromeducationandthusfromliteracywasnotsimplyaside-effectofeconomiccircumstancesbutawayofkeepingthefemaleinherplace-dependentanddomesticated,bothphysicallyandmentally.Beingdeprivedoftherighttoreceiveeducation,womenwererelatedto"stupid"and"shortofwit"inEnglishproverbs,despitetheirgreatcontributionstothescienceandliterature.(1)Longhairandshortwit.(2)Whenanassclimbsaladder,wemayfindwisdominwomen.(3)Womeninstateaffairsarelikemonkeysinglassshops.(4)Awoman"sadviceisnevertoseek.(5)Sevenwomenintheirrightsensesaresurpassedbyamadman.(6)Awoman’smindandwinterwindchangeoft.(7)Women,windandfortuneareeverchanged.3.1.4Women’sAppearanceandMannerWithtimeflying.Maleisusuallyregardedashandsomeman.Butwiththeincreasingoftheages,women’sfaceswillbefullofgofers,andthentheirfacesseemtobevicissitudinous.Thereforetheybecomeoldasthepearlbecomingyellow,andthengraduallybecomedamnugly.Suchasthefollowingtwoproverbs:(1)Sheisnotsmilingwhensheshowsherteeth.(2)Awomanisanangelatten,saintatfifteen,adevilatforty,andawitchatfourscore.TheChinese”男才女貌”means“Themanisableandthewomanisbeautiful”.JustliketheAmericanproverb:Amanissuccessful.Awomanissexy(Nilsen,1982:234).TherearesomefamiliarproverbsinEnglish.Suchas:(1)Afairfaceishalfaportion.共15页第13页 (2)Whenthecandlesareout,allwomenarefair.3.1.5MarriageInthepastaswellasatpresent,marriagestatusdoesmeanmoretowomenthantomen.Forwomen,aslongastheyhavegrownup,theyareregardedasbeingnogoodforparentsthusexpectedtobemarriedoff.Formen,marriageisbeneficialandthepreferredlifestyle.Whencomparingmarriedtounmarriedmenonpsychological,physicalandsocialwell-being,themarriedcomeoutforsuperior.Thisisconformedbystatisticsindicatingthatwhilewivesaretwiceaslikelytoseekdivorceashusbands,bothdivorcedandwidowedmenaremorelikelytoremarry(Lindsey55).Ifmaritalconflictoccurs,thewifeshouldalwaysgiveintoherhusbandbecauseafterall"Godplannedforwomantobeunderherhusband"srule"(Lindsey55),sowomanshouldaccept,adaptto,admireandappreciateherhusband.Theasymmetricalmaritalconditionisclearlydemonstratedasfollows:(1)Marryyoursonwhenyouwillandyourdaughterwhenyoucan.(2)Daughtersanddeadfisharenokeepingwares.(3)Amarriedwomanhasnothingofherownbutherweddingringandherhair-lace.(4)Awomanfollowsherhusbandregardlessofhislot.(5)Adaughtermarriedislikewaterspilled.(6)Agrowngirlcan"tbekeptathome(Yang39).(7)Awomanofnobirthmaymarryintothepurple.(8)Maidensshouldbemeekwhiletheybemarried.(9)Maidssay“Nay”andtake.(10)Maidswantnothingbuthusbands,butwhentheyhavethemtheywanteverything.3.1.6Women’sCharactersTheideathatwomenweremorallyweakerthanmenwasastronglyheldtenetofChristianbeliefinmedievalEurope.Theassociationofwomenwithfrailtyismostobviouslyrevealedinthelegaldebatesofthe19thcenturyconcerningthestruggleofwomenwhowishedtoentertheprofessionsandobtaintherighttovote.Thesupposedfrailtyofwomenwasanimportantprooftotheso-calledkindheartedjudgeswhointerpretedthelawtodenywomentheaccesstohighereducation.Asamatteroffact,astheso-calledweakersex,womenwererestrictedtotakingcareoftheirfamiliesandpreventedfromaharshchangewhichdidn"tmakeadifferencetotheirdiscriminatedstate;onthecontrary,womenwerebeaten,deserted,ortrampledtodeathbytheirlegalprotectors-theirhusbands.(1)Frailty,thynameiswoman.(Shakespeare)(2)Womanismadetoweep.(3)Womenlaughwhentheycan,andweepwhentheywill.共15页第13页 (4)Nothingdriessofastasawoman"stears.3.1.7OthersMythsoffemaleevilarefoundintheearlystrataofhumanculture.Inmanymyths,thefemaleisseenastheenemyofharmony,goodorder,andfelicityinhumanaffairs.Malemythologynotonlymakeswomanresponsiblefortheadventofevilintheworld,butitalsotranslatesfemaleevilintoanontologicalprinciple.Thefemalecomestorepresentthequalitiesofmateriality,irrationality,carnality,andfinitude,whichdebasethe"manly"spiritanddragitdownintosinanddeath.ItseemsthatwomenaretroublemakersandincarnationofevilinEnglishproverbsandidioms.(1)Womenarethedevilsofnets.(2)Man,woman,anddevilarethethreedegreesofcomparison.(3)Nowarwithoutawoman.(4)Nodevilwassobadasshe-devil.(5)WomenarethesnaresofStan.(6)Whereasthedevilcannotcauseamischief,therehesendsanoldwoman,andshedoes.(7)A11wickednessisbutlittletothewickednessofawoman.3.2CausesofSexisminEnglishProverbsWithregardtothecausesofsexisminEnglish,Itisbelievedthattherearefourpredominantfactorsattributingtothat:socialdivisionoflabor,culturalfactor,historicalbackgroundandreligiouspsychology.Bythekeynotehistoricalbackground,IherebymeantheancientcodesandrecordsthatcarrytheofacultureincludingaBythereligiouspsychology,Ilookattheinfluentialclassicsthatarethegenderideology.vehicleofgenderideology一theBible一inordertoacquireagoodunderstandingofhowsexismisconstructed.However,thesexistgenderorientationisafterallrootedinsocialreality,theimmediatesocialsituationandthebroadersocialmilieu(labordivisionandsocialization,forexample).Meanwhile,cultureinevitablyhasaninfluenceintheformingofsexism.3.2.1SocialDivisionofLaborInsociety,thereexistdifferentkindsofdiscriminationsagainstwomen.As"Languageisthemirrorofthesociety"andalanguagereflectsalltheaspectsofasociety,wecansurelyfinddiscriminationsagainstwomeninEnglish.Feministsallclaimthatweliveinapatriarchalsociety:asocietyofmen,ruledmenandformen.Patriarchydepictsmenastheperfectmeasuredandfoundlacking.SimoneDeBeauvoir(1990),normagainstwhichwomeninheressay"WomanasOther"wrote,"Sheisdefinedanddifferentiatedwithreferencetomanandnothewithreferencetoher;sheisthe共15页第13页 incidental,theinessentialasopposedtotheessential.HeistheSubject,theAbsolute一sheistheOther."Inthisculturewomenearnless,havelessrights,andareinmanywayssecond-classcitizens.Women"scontributionstoworkinartsorliteratureandscienceareallundervalued.StuartFlexnerfoundthatamongthosewhocreatedandusedlanguagemostweremen.Inwesterntradition,especiallyintheEuropeanupperclass,peopleembracethatwomenshouldnotandmustn"tworkoutside.Women"splaceisathome,andtheirresponsibilityistodothehouseworkandtobringupthechildren.However,menenjoyamuchvasterworld.Theyhavemoreandbroaderconnectionwithpeopleofdifferentassociationsandstatusesinsociety.ThistraditionalconceptionisstillwidespreadinEuropeandAmericaeventhoughmoreandmorewomenhavelefthome,receivedhigheducationandachievedgreatachievementsindifferentfields.Womenaretreatedastheweakersocietyandtheyrealizetheirownvaluesthroughtheirmarriagetomen.Eventoday,withfeministmovementlikeaspreadingfire,comparedwithcareermen,muchfewerwomentaketheirjobs(Amongthem,mostdonotgotoworkuntiltheirchildrenhavegrownupandhavelefttheirhome.)Uptonow,nonetheless,mendominatethehigherpositionswithbettersalariesandwomenremaininthesubordinatejobs.Thusthesexisminthesocietyhasbeeninexistenceanditisfarfromvanishing,theembodimentofwhichisnecessarilythesexisminEnglish.Wehaveregisters,i.e.setsoflanguageitemsassociatedwithdiscreteoccupationalorsocialgroups,inlanguage.Peopleengagedinthesameoccupation"tendtodevelopsimilaraWIOvocabularies,similarfeaturesofintonation,andcharacteristicsbitsofsyntaxphonology"becausetheyfrequentlyusethemlives.Intheolddays,itmenwhoworkedoutsideandmadealivingtointheirdailysupportthewholefamily,therefore,vocabulariesofoccupationsaremasculinewordsandthelanguageinthefieldsissexistaswell.Atthesametime,womenstayedathome,mostoftheirtalkwasinevitablyrelatedwithfamilyaffairsandraisingofchildren,whichwereregardedtrivialbymaleswhousuallytalkedaboutpolitics,business,andsoon.Thus,wehavemanynegativedescriptionsofwomeninidiomsandproverbs,anothermanifestationofsexisminEnglish.3.2.2CulturalFactorIntheWest,religiouslanguageandtraditionshaveoftenexcluded,discriminatedagainst,andnegativelydefinedwomen.Maleimageryisusedthroughoutreligioustextstoportrayallspiritualmatters,whereasfemaleimageryisusedpredominantlyinreferencetoearthlymatterssuchassexuality(positivesexuality-theimageofthevirginandnegativesexuality=theimageofthewhore).Languageisalsoakindofreflectionofculture.Thedifferentsocialrolesandpositions共15页第13页 ofmenandwomenarealsoreflectedinculture.Womenhavelongbeenconsideredasthedependencyofmen,andtheywerethoughtsubordinatetomen.Mencreatedtheoutsideworldandthewholeuniverse.InOldEnglish,womanwasacompoundwordfromwifeman.Accordingtowesterntradition,femalesshouldbekind,gentle,politeandemotional.Ontheotherhand,malesshouldbefirm,composed,decisiveandhardworking.Allthepeoplelearnfromtheoutsideandchoosethelanguagesuitablefortheirownsex.Socializationisanimportantwaywhichbeginsatbirth,shapingpersonstobehaveinappropriate,prescriptiveways.Muchofpeople"sbehavioristheresultofsocialization.Childrenlearnappropriatebehaviorsthroughrolemodels,gamesandtoys,children"sliteratureandeducationalinstitutions.Individualslearntheirlanguageandculturelongbeforetheylearntothinkindependently.Childrenjustabsorbtheprejudiceagainstgirlandwomeninthesex-biasedfirstreadersandtextbooksanddevelopaccordingtogenderstereotyping.Oneoftheprimaryrolesofeducationalsystemsinanycultureistosocializepeopleintodifferentrolesinthecultures.Oneofthemostpervasiveinfluencesistheliterature,orwritingsthatchildrenreadandthatothersreadtothem.Inthesechildren"sliterature,girlsandboysarefrequentlydepicteddifferently.Girlsaredepictedaskind,attentiveandserving,whileboysarepicturedasadventuresomeandstrong.Thebasicdifferencebetweenthesexesissummedupas"boysdo",and"Girlsare".Socializationthroughthemassmediabeginsevenearlierthansocializationintheeducationalsystem.Throughnurseryrhymessuchas"LittleMissMuffet"and"JackBeNimble"childrenlearnthatgirlsshouldbefearfulandtearfulandboysshouldbeactiveandadventurous.ThroughfairytalesandDisneymoviessuchasSnowWhiteandtheSevenDwarfsandCinderellachildrenlearnthatfemalessucceedbybeingbeautiful,obedient,passiveandsubordinatetomen;onlyinthiswaytheycanmarryandlivehappilyeverafter.Massmediaalsohaveagreatinfluenceonpeople"sviewsaboutgender.PeoplespendalotoftimewatchingTVandreadingnewspapers.Sofewpeopleescapeexposuretothevividandrecurrentpatternsofimages,informationandvaluesintheworldofmassmedia,amongwhichsomearesex-biased.Tosumup,menandwomentakedifferentjobsinsociety,whichisreflectedinEnglish;inturn,sexistlanguagerendersmenandwomentodevelopaccordingtogenderstereotyping.3.2.3HistoricalBackgroundMenandwomenshouldertheresponsibilityofthelivingandmultiplyingofhumanbeingsandtheconstructionanddevelopmentofthesociety.Infact,therearenostatusdifferencesbetweenthem.Nevertheless,inhistory,feudalistthoughtshaveoccupiedpeople"sthoughtsforalongtime.Asaresult,therewasalongperiodwhenmenenjoyedhigherstatus共15页第13页 thanwomen.Theingrainedconceptstillremainsinsomepeople"sheads,andhasleftamarkonlanguage.FriedrichEngelspointedoutthatlanguagewasproducedfromandtogetherwithwork.Asaspecialsocialphenomenon,languagehasdirectrelationshipwithpeople"sproductiveandotheractivities.SincelatePrimevalAge,maleshaveoccupiedthedominantpositioninproductiveandmanyothersocialactivities.Theresultisthatmaleshavealwaysbeeninasuperiorandpriorstatustofemalesinpolitics,economy,cultureandsomeotherfieldsaswellastraditionalthoughts.Theyusuallyactedasthedictatoroffemalesinsociallives,whichisperhapstheoriginalcauseofsexisminEnglish.Aboveall,sexismshouldbeoriginatedinthedifferentrolespeopleplayedintheancientsociety.Atthattime,livingconditionswereverybad,andpeoplewereconstantlyfightingwiththenature.Therefore,menandwomenwereassigneddifferenttasksaccordingtotheirphysiologicalcharacteristics.Thusmenseemedtoplayamoreimportantroleinthefamily.Littlebylittle,mennoticedtheirsuperiorityandbegantodiscriminateagainstwomen.3.2.4ReligiousPsychologySexism,meaningthedegradingofwomentosecond-classstatusisrootedinreligion.MostEnglishspeakersbelieveinreligions,especiallyChristian.Goddoesnotrefusefemaledisciples,however,hedoesnotgivefemaledisciplesatthesamestatusasmalebelievers.Andmaleimageryisusedthroughoutreligioustextstoportrayallspiritualmatters,whereasfemaleimageryisusedpredominantlyinreferencetoearthlymatterssuchassexuality(positivesexuality一theimageofthevirginandnegativesexuality一theimageofthewhore).WomeninboththeOldandtheNewTestamentsofTheHolyBiblearelargelyinvisible:forinstance,Jacob"sdaughters,Rebecca,Lea,RachelandDina,arenotgivenamentioninrelationtoJesus"ancestors.Ifwomenareevermentionedinthetexts,theyareportrayedasthepropertyofamanormen.Besides,intheBible,almostalltheinfluentialfiguresaremen.Themostpowerfulone,theGod,iscalledfather.ThencomeshissonJesusChrist.Wemaylistsometheotherprominentones:Moses,wholedtheIsraelitesoutofEgypt;Abraham,theancestoroftheJews,whoansweredGod"scallandwenttosettleinHara;thethirteendisciplesofJesusareunanimouslymen.IntheBible,therearemanystoriesaboutsonsgettingheritagesfromtheirfathers.Neitherthemothersnorthedaughterswereconsideredeligibletohaveaccesstoheproperty.Inaccountingforaman"slife,whathedid,howmanysonshehad,whatthenameswereandwhattheydidwereoftenmadeveryclear,eveniftheywerenotsoexcellent.Forsonswereregardedasresponsibleforcarryingonthefamilyline,fewwomencouldhavetheirnames共15页第13页 recorded.Amongthem,somearefamousfortheirsonslikeMary,themotherofJesusChrist;ElizabethmentionedbecauseoftheirevildeedssuchasthemotherofJohn.StillotherswereHerodiasandherdaughter,whowereresponsibleforJohn,theBaptist"sdeath;orWilylaban,who,togetherwithheryoungersonJacob,deprivedherfirstbornEsauofhisrightsfortheirinheritance.Amongtheluckywomenwholefttheirnames,veryfewwerenotedfortheirownachievements.Theywereconfinedathome,doingchoresandgivingbirthtochildren.TheHolyBibleisactuallyabookofmen.AsChristianityissuchapowerfulreligioninEnglish-spokencommunities,itisunreasonabletodenythishelpstosetandconsolidatetheinferiorpositionofwomen.Eventoday,ataweddingheldinchurch,thepriestdeclares:"Inowpronounceyoumanandwife."(Not"husbandandwife")Soamarriedmanisstillaman,butamarriedwomanbecomesawifewhohasbeentightlyboundedtoamaneversincethewedding.4theTrendofSexisminEnglishProverbsTheformationofSexisminEnglishproverbisrelatedtohistoryandtraditionalculture.Theyreflectedfemale’ssocialpositioninsuchalongtimelivingly.Butproverbsjustreflectedoneside,notthepanorama.Ontheotherhand,proverb,withit’slonghistory,reflectedthetraditionalopinionandview.Itdepartfromthenowadayssociety.Asweknown,everyimportanthistoricalandpoliticalevent,socialunrest,everysignificantinventionsandnewbeliefcaninfluenceorchangethelanguage,proverbsincluded.ThevalueoftheyounghavechangedsincetheIndustrialRevolutioninthe18century.Peoplebegantousenaturalmethodsratherthanreligiousbeliefstoobserveandunderstandallaspectsoflife,andnowyoungpeopleisdifficulttoblindlyacceptthestoryin"theBible".Peoplebecomeindifferentonthetraditionalideaofthegenderdifferences.Withthesocialdevelopment,Chinaeliminatedthesystemofexploitation;theWestalsoliftedthewomen"sliberationmovement.Allthiswinfortheequalityinpoliticsandeconomybetweenwomenandmen.Withtheprogressofsocialcivilizationandthecontinuousadvanceofwomen’sstatus,somevocabulariesandexpressionshavenotsuitedtothetrendofthetimes,peoplebegantoabstainfromthosevocabulariesandwordsthatdespisewomenorimpliedunequalinthem.Women"sliberationmovementalsohastransformedtheSexisminlanguage.ThemostobviousrepresentationinEnglishistouseaneutralwordoranewwordtoreplacesexdiscriminationlanguage.Suchas:cameraman(摄影师)-cameraoperator;Congressman(国会议员)-memberofCongress;Forefather(祖先)-ancestor;housewife(操持家务者)-housemaker;Spokesman(发言人)-spokesperson;weatherman(气象预报员)-weatherreporter共15页第13页 Withtheincreasedopportunitiesforfemaleeducation,women’sself-consciousnesshasbeenawakenandwomen’spoliticalandeconomicstatushavebeenadvanced.People"sideasandviewsofwomenareconstantlyevolving,andofcourse,theknowledgeofwomenwillnotstandstill.Astheotherhalfparttosupportthesky,womenaretryingtheirbesttochangeandeliminatetheunequalphenomenonofsexdiscrimination.Theestablishmentofthisnewfemaleimagehasindicatedthattoimprovewomen’ssocialstatus,anditistheperformanceofsocialadvancement.MoreandmoresentencesthatpraiseandrespectfemaleareappearingintheEnglishproverbs.Suchas:1.Womenholdhalfthesky.2.Amother"sloveneverchanges.3.Acheerfulwifeisthejoyoflife.4.Thewifeisthekeyofthehouse.5.Hewhodoesnothonorhiswife,dieshonorshimself.6.Agoodwifemakesagoodhusband.7.Agoodwifeisagoodprize.8.Avirtuouswomanisacrowntoherhusband.9.Agoodwifeandhealthisaman"sbestwealth.10.Menmakehouses,womenmakehomes.11.Atentwithoutawifeislikeafiddlewithoutastring.Alltheseproverbsreflectthatwomenareacceptedandrespectedbypeopleinthereallife.Theproverbsaboutwhichdirectlyandobviouslylookdownuponthewomenoncontentwillbequittedthearenaofhistory.Facingthenewworld,peopleaccumulatenewexperienceindailylearning,workingandlives,andbecomepopularintheoral.Throughlong-termtraining,newproverbswillappear.Duetothewomenhaveequalrightswiththemengradually,andsomepeopleregardthelanguageofbelittlingthesexasthetaboo,sothesignoftheproverbwhichhasbecomelessbelittledthewomeniscomingintobeingorwillbecome.Althoughthestatusofwomenhasnotbeenchangedthoroughlyintheconcept,wecanoptimisticallypredict:withthedevelopmentofthewomen’sstatus,moreandmorenewfemaleimagewillbeestablishedandreflectedinlanguage.Meanwhile,languageownsthesenseofthetimes,withthedevelopmentofthesociety,theoldvocabularieswillbeweededout.Newvocabularieswillbeemerged.Thenewfemaleimageiscertainlyrequiredtobedescribedbythenewproverbs.Whenwomenarethoroughlyliberated,womenwillbecompletelyequaltomen.ThecontentoftheSexisminEnglishproverbswillbewashedout,andwillbereplacedbythenewvocabularieswhichareadvancingwithtimes,andpraiseand共15页第13页 respectwomen.Weneedtoworkhardertorealizetherealequalbetweenmenandwomenorthoroughlyweedoutthosediscriminationproverbs.Thereforewomencan’tbesadandhatred,theymustpersistinsturdysoulandpersonality.Theyshouldhugthelifewiththeirwideambition.Theyshouldhavesoberunderstandingandindependentdeliberationoftheirexistence,andthenpromotethefemaleuniquepersonalityandthinkhighlyofthelife.Onlyinthisway,thenewproverbswhichreallyeulogizeandpraisethefemalewillemergeinthedevelopmentoflanguage.5ConclusionObviously,thewomen’sliberationthathasriseninAmericasince1960swillbekeepingonexpanding.Peoplehaverecognizedtheunequaldistancebetweenmenandwomeninthewomen’sliberation.Thewomen’sliberationhasspreadtoallovertheworldandallaspectsindailylife.WeshouldrecognizethattheSexismisnotasinglelanguagephenomenon,weshouldn’tunderstanditwithouttheinfluenceofsocialandculturalbackground.Language,astheimportanttoolofcommunicationofmankind,goeswithoutsayingofsexdiscrimination.Howeveritisfullofsexdiscriminationinthesociety,andtheSexismisreflectedthroughthelanguage.Inotherwords,Sexismisnotattachedtothelanguage,butisrelyonpeople’sthought.SexisminEnglishproverbsindeedthefactthatfemaleistheauxiliaryofmale.ThisthesisusesContrastiveMethodtostatetherepresentationofSexisminEnglishproverbsfromsevensides.Anditanalysisthecausesofthisphenomenonfromthedifferentangle.Thepurposeistoenhancepeople’sawarenessaboutsexismaswell;tryingtofindoutsolutionstohelppeoplereduceandeveneliminatethesexisminthedailylinguisticexpressionsandlayasolidfoundationforfurtherresearchinthisfieldofstudy.ThereisagreatinspirationforustoresearchSexisminEnglishproverbs.Everylanguageexpressideas,anditreflectsthenationalculture.Whenwestudyproverbs,weshouldnotonlyknowthewordsmeaningofproverbs,butalsoknowtheideologiesandcustomsofdifferentnation.Leaningalanguageshouldnotonlymastertheverbalsymbol,justlikethebasicvoice,vocabulary,grammarandavarietyofexpressions,butalsotograsptheimplicatednationalculturalinformation.Onlyinthisway,wecantrulyholdthelanguage,giveafullplayofthecommunicationtools.共15页第13页 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AcknowledgementsFirstandforemost,Iwouldliketoshowmydeepestgratitudetomysupervisor,whohasprovidedmewithvaluableguidanceineverystageofthewritingofthisthesis.Withoutherenlighteninginstruction,impressivekindnessandpatience,Icouldnothavecompletedmythesis.Herkeenandvigorousacademicobservationenlightensmenotonlyinthisthesisbutalsoinmyfuturestudy.IalsooweaspecialdebtofgratitudetoalltheprofessorsinForeignLanguagesInstitute,fromwhosedevotedteachingandenlighteninglecturesIhavebenefitedalotandacademicallypreparedforthethesis.IshouldfinallybegratefultotheauthorswhosebooksandarticlesIreadandcitedinmypaper.共15页第15页