英语谚语中的性别歧视研究 20页

摘要语言与性别研究一直是语言学家关注的重要课题，国内外诸多的语言学家都对语言中性别歧视这一现象进行了深入研究。语言是现实社会的一面镜子，能够真实地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。本文以女权主义为视角，侧重于对性别歧视在英语谚语中的现象进行研究。本文首先结合国内外学者对语言中性别歧视这一现象的研究，并结合这些研究探讨英语谚语中性别歧视现象，指出谚语与性别歧视的含义与特点；再从性格、言行、才智、婚嫁、地位等五个方面指出性别歧视在英语谚语中的具体表现；然后从历史、社会、文化三个不同的角度分析了性别歧视在英语谚语中形成的根源，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；最后指出性别歧视在英语谚语中的发展趋势。关键词：英语谚语；性别歧视；表现；根源；发展趋势中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com ABSTRACTThelanguageresearchinrelationtogenderhasremainedontheimportanttopicinlinguistics.Lotsoflinguistswhoshowinterestinthisfieldhavedonemanydeepandprofoundresearches.Language,amirroroftherealworld,couldgiveusareflectionofsocialcustomsandvalues.Andtheproverbs,theessenceoflanguage,areactuallyaconcentrationofculture.ThethesisaimsatspecializinginsexdiscriminationreflectedintheEnglishproverbsfromthefeministperspective.CombinedwithsomeresearchesonsexisminEnglishproverbsbyscholarshomeandabroad,thethesisfirstlypointsoutthemeaningsandfeaturesofproverbsandsexism.AndthenthethesisexplainsthemanifestationsofsexismthroughastudyoftheproverbsappliedinEnglishfromfiveaspects:character,wordsanddeeds,abilityandwisdom,marriageandsocialstatus.Thenthethesishasalsoinvestigatedintothecausesofsexismfromthreeaspects:history,culture,society.ThroughtheresearchonEnglishproverbs,thethesistriestorevealthesexbiasagainstwomeninlanguage,andfindoutsolutionstohelppeoplereduceandeliminatethesexisminthedailyexpressions.Finally,thethesispointsoutthedevelopmenttrendofsexisminEnglishproverbs.Keywords：Englishproverbs;sexism;manifestation;causes;developmenttrend中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com Contents1.Introduction12.Definitionsofproverbandsexism42.1Definitionofproverb42.1.1Meaningofproverb42.1.2Featuresofproverb42.2Definitionofsexism62.2.1Meaningofsexism62.2.2Featuresofsexism63.ManifestationsofsexisminEnglishproverbs73.1Manifestationsofsexismintheproverbsaboutcharacter73.2Manifestationsofsexismintheproverbsaboutwordsanddeeds83.3Manifestationsofsexismintheproverbsaboutabilityandwisdom83.4Manifestationsofsexismintheproverbsaboutmarriage93.5Manifestationsofsexismintheproverbsaboutsocialstatus104.CausesofsexismintheEnglishproverbs114.1Historicalreasons114.2Culturalorigin114.3Socialfactors125.DevelopmenttrendofsexismintheEnglishproverbs146.Conclusion15Acknowledgements16References17中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com 1.IntroductionAmericanlinguistEdwardSpaironcesaid:“Languageisaguidetosocialreality.”[1].Language,amirrorofthesociety,loyallyreflectsnotonlyanation’shistoryandculture,butalsobeliefsandbiases.Languageandgenderisapopularissueintheareaofsociolinguistics.SexdiscriminationexistsinEnglishspeakingcommunities.Therefore,wecanfindsexismhereandthereinEnglish.DenmarklinguistO.JesPersenisthefirstonetostudysexismfromtheangleoflinguistics.In1923,hisbooknamedDevelopmentandStructureofEnglishhadeverpointedoutthatEnglishwasthemostmasculinelanguageallovertheworld.In1960,asaninterdisciplinarysubjectoflinguisticsandsociology,sociolinguisticsformedanddevelopedfastinUSA.ThedevelopmentofWestWomen’sLiberationandFeminismstudiesaswellasdevelopmentofsociolinguisticspromotedsexistlanguagestudiestoacertainextent.Somescholarsthoughtthatakindofnewlinguisticsaboutequalitybetweenmenandwomenappeared.Thelinguists,Lakoff,Trudgi,KZimmerman,West,Thonle,HenleandBolingertakenasrepresentativesintheperiodbetween70sand80s,didfurtherstudiesonsexismanddiscussedthecausesofsexisminlanguage.InhisarticleLanguageandWomen’sPlace,Lakoffpointedoutthatintheworldexpressedbythelanguage,themalewasinthecenterandthefemale’simagewasincomplete[2].Bolinger,inhisbook,saidthatthiswasaphenomenonofsexisminlanguage.SomeotherscholarssuchasLakoff,triedtouseallscientificknowledgetodescribelinguistics.D.Bolinger,publishedhisbooksAspectsofLanguagein1965andLanguage:theLoadedWeaponin1980,whichprovidedsomepointsforthestudyofsexism[3].In1973,R.Lakoff,publishedhisbookLanguageandWomen’sPlace,whichelaboratedonwomen’socialplaceandsexisminlanguage.Fromtheendof80sto90s,linguistssuchasJ.Holmes,J.Coates,D.Cameron,M.R.Key,didfurtherstudiesondifferencesofsexistlanguage.Theirstudiesemphasizedtheformsofmenandwomen’sterms.Inourcountry,thestudyonsexistlanguageisverylate,whichbeganfromtheendof70sorthebeginningof80s.WiththedevelopmentofFeministmovement,Chinesescholarsgraduallyswitchtheirstudytothatofsexism.Alotofarticlesarepublishedonvariousperiodicals,suchasWangWenchang’sChairmanorChairperson―AmericanWomen"sMovementandReformofLanguage.Thesescholarsarethefirstonestodiscusstheinfluencesofsexismonlanguage,especiallyonEnglishfromthe中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com perspectiveofWesternFeministmovement.Inotherwords,theybeginthestudyondifferencesofsexistlanguage.Uptotheendof80s,comparedwiththosestudiesofsexisminlanguageinthewesterncountries,Chinesescholarspaytheirattentiontodifferencesofsex.Theyobserveandstudydifferencesofmenandwomen’stermfromtheangleofintonation,toneandlexicon.SunRujianpublishedhisbookSexandLanguage[4]andBaiJiehongpublishedSexistLanguageandLinguistics,whichelaboratedonthestudyonsexistlanguagefromtheangleofsocialpsychologyandpragmatics[5].QinXiubaidiscussedsexistlanguagefromtheangleofhistory,societyandculture,andprovidedanewangleofstudyingsexistlanguageforusinherarticlepublishedonModernForeignLanguages[6].KongQingchengobjectivelyanalyzedaphenomenonofsexismexistingbothinEnglishandChineseinhisarticle[7].ZhuangHecheng,averyfamouslinguistwhopublishedSexisminEnglishLexicon,discussedsexisminEnglishfromtheaspectoflexicon[8].ChenLinpublishedherarticleSexisminEnglishAdvertisementtoputsexismintoadifferentaspecttostudyitscharacter.Thefieldoftheseresearchesisbroaderthanbefore,whichmakesotherlinguistsgrasptherelationshipbetweenlanguageandsexismmoreaccurately[9].Theproverb,aspecialformoflanguage,isakindofidiom.Itisverypopularamongthepeople,andcontainsverydeepimplicationinsentences.Itisalsoakindoffolkliterature.Theproverbishumanbeing’scrystalofwisdom,andembodimentofconciselanguage.Theproverbisalwaysiconicallycomparedto“clearmirrorofanation”and“livingfossiloflanguage”bylinguists.AmongtheresearchesofsexisminEnglishproverbs,linguistsmostlystudythedefinitionofsexismandproverb,sexismreflectedinproverbs,itsoriginandtendency.In2000,XuZhixng,LiLifangandLiLimingwroteanessaySexisminEnglishProverbs.Theysaidthatpeopleputwomenataverylowposition,andlinkedthemwithsomebadhabits[10].Forinstance,theythoughtwomenwereverystupidandlovedtogossip.Intheiressay,theyalsotalkedabouttendencyofsexisminEnglishlanguage.ThenAProbeintotheCausesofSexisminEnglishProverbswaswrittenbyYangQing,YuXiangyuein2003.Theyputalotofemphasisonthecausesofsexism.Theirpaperprobedintothecausesofsexismfromthethreeaspects:historicalreasons,culturaloriginandsocialfactors.Itwasthoughtthatthephenomenonindirectlyreflectedwomen’ssocialstatusindifferentperiodsofsocialdevelopmentandhadcloserelationswithwomen’sstatusanditschanges[11].In2005,ZhangLin,LiuWanqiupublishedanarticleSexDiscriminationinEnglishProverbs,whichanalyzedthephenomenonofsexdiscriminationinEnglishproverbsinthefiveaspectsofcharacter,wordsanddeeds,abilityandwisdom,marriage中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com andsocialstatus;italsodiscussedtherootofthephenomenonfromtheangleofsociallinguistics[12].RongNannan,apostgraduateofHeilongjiangUniversity,wroteathesisfortheDegreeofMasterofArtsentitledSexisminChineseandEnglishProverbsin2007.ThethesisaimedatspecializinginsexdiscriminationreflectedinbothEnglishandChineseproverbsfromthefeministperspective.Thethesisprobedintothephenomenonthroughacomparativestudyoftheproverbsappliedinbothlanguagesfromdifferentaspects[13].Thisessayfromoneaspect—Englishproverbsanalyzessexismandfindsoutitsorigin.However,inthisaspect,theresearchesmadebyscholarshomeandabroadarenotveryrichandprofound.Therefore,thisthesisaimsatstudyingsexisminEnglishproverbs,andunderstandingthevaluesandphilosophyoflifeofpeoplefromEnglish-speakingcountries,whichishelpfulformakingEnglishcommunicationssuccessfully.中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com 2.DefinitionsofproverbandsexismTheproverb,aspecialformoflanguage,isakindofidiom.Theproverbisverypopularamongthepeople,andcontainsverydeepimplicationinsentences.Itisalwaysiconicallycomparedto“clearmirrorofanation”and“livingfossiloflanguage”bylinguists.“Sexism”,derivedfromtheword“racism”,iscreatedbyAmericanfeminists.Sexismisthephenomenonresultedfromphysiologicalsex.2.1Definitionofproverb2.1.1MeaningofproverbAproverb(fromtheLatinproverbium),alsocalledabywordornayword,isasimpleandconcretesayingpopularlyknownandrepeated,whichexpressesatruth,basedoncommonsenseorthepracticalexperienceofhumanity.Aproverbisakindoffolkliterature.Itishumanbeing’scrystalofwisdom,andembodimentofconciselanguage.Proverbs,asoneofthevarietiesofEnglishlanguage,reflectitssocialcustomsandculturalconnotations.BritishwriterWilliamPennoncesaid:“Thewisdomofnationliesintheirproverbs.”[12]Andsomepeoplethoughtthatproverbsweredaughterofdailyexperiences.Theproverbsaretheproductofculturalconceptsandaminisocialencyclopedia.Peopleputahighvalueonproverbs,whichhavebecomeanencyclopediaforpeopletorecognizelife,seekopinionoftheworld,andstrengthenpeople’swill.Itreflectsculture,life,customandmodeofthinking.Asaproductinsomespecialcultures,theproverbs,thisancientwayoflanguagemanifestation,areboundtopresentanation’ssociallife.2.1.2FeaturesofproverbLongmanModernEnglishDictionarygivesadefinitionof“proverb”thatabrieffamiliarmaximoffolkwisdom,usuallycompressedinform,ofteninvolvingaboldimageandfrequentlyajinglethatcatchesthememory.Sowecanseethefeaturesofproverbsasfollowed.(1)Originatingfromandcirculatinginnon-governmentalcircles.中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com Theproverbisaformoffolkliterature,andfolkliteratureisakindofliteraturecreatedandpassedonbyoralform,andcontinuouslyrevisedbythecollective.MostoftheproverbsinEnglisharecreatedbythemajorityoflaboringpeople,butnotbytheminorityofwritersinliterary,alsonotbytherankingofficialsandnoblemeninluxurioussaloonsandtheatres.Asweknow,lotsofpeasantsonfarms,workersinfactories,huntersinwoods,sailorsonthesea,cooksinkitchensandhousewives,etcgetproverbsfrommanufactureandlabor.Inordertosumuptheseexperiencesandintroducethemtodescendants,theymakethoseexperiencesandlessonsfromtheirlivesandfightsagainstnatureintoanotherkindoflanguageusingwordsnotofimposingstaturebutstrong,capableandeasytoremember.Thiskindoflanguageafterlongtime’sthinkingbecomesproverbsatlast.Thecontentsofproverbsareveryplentifulandrangeoverlotsofaspects,particularlycontainprofoundmoral.(2)Abundantincontent,profoundwithmeanings,fullofphilosophy,providingmuchfoodforthought.Englishproverbsmostlyexpressmoraloutlookofpeople,displaynoblemoralcharacter,andinspirepeople.Theyalsobecomegoodteachersandhelpfulfriendsofpeople,andmanypeopletakethemastheirguidetoaction.Englishproverbsnotonlycontainabundantcontents,butalsohavetheirprofoundconnotationsandphilosophicmeanings.Peoplewhoreadthemwillgettheupperbruntofsoul,andreceiveendlessexperiencesandedification.(3)Conciselanguage,vividimage,easytoread.LanguageofEnglishproverbsishighlycondensedandconcise.Onlyafewwordscancontainmuchplentifulcontent,explainingadeepprinciple,whichmakepeoplethinkdeeply,providefoodfortheirthoughts,andrealizemanyprofoundideas.Duetotheiroriginationfromlaboringpeople,thelanguageofEnglishproverbswhichhasfewuncommonwordsisveryeasytounderstandandeasytograsp.Becausetheproverbsareimpartedbytheoralwords,theyareeasiertospreadandremember.(4)Harmoniousmetre,easytospeak.ThereasonswhytheEnglishproverbscanspreadsowidely,acceptingtheirabundantcontent,withconciselanguageandrichphilosophy,etc,hasaveryimportantelement—harmoniousmetre.Englishusuallyusealliteration,rhyme,oralliterationplusrhymetoincreasebeautifulphoneticrhyme.中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com 2.2Definitionofsexism2.2.1MeaningofsexismAccordingtoWebsterNinthNewCollegiateDictionary,sexismis“prejudiceordiscriminationbasedonsex;esp.discriminationagainstwomen”.WhileinOxfordAdvancedLearner’sDictionaryofCurrentEnglish,sexismisdefinedas“unfairorunreasonablediscriminationbetweenthesexes;unreasonablemaintainingoftraditionalsexualrules(e.g.thatmenarestrongandwomenareweak)”.Therefore,sexismisasystemofbeliefsandpracticesthataffirmthedominanceofmenoverwomen.Apprehendedbymostpeopleas“onlynatural”sexismpervadessocialrelationsandinstitutions,affectingeverythingfrompeople’sdomesticarrangementtotheircareerchoices.WiththearrivalofthefeministmovementwithinEnglishspeakingcountries,attentionhasbeengiventochangingthestructureswhichsupportandpromotesexismwithinthesociety.Oneofthesestructuresislanguage.Sexisminlanguageisthephenomenonthatwhenyouusethelanguage,itshowsdiscriminationagainstwomen.Sexistlanguagehasbeendefinedas“words,phrases,andexpressionsthatunnecessarilydifferentiatebetweenfemalesandmalesorexclude,trivialize,ordiminisheithergender”.[14]2.2.2FeaturesofsexismSexismisakindofdiscrimination,especially,againstwomen.Thuslinguisticsexismreferstothelanguagethatfavorsonesex,especially,themale,anddiminishestheothersex,particularlythefemale.SexismregistersassexistlanguageinEnglish.Sexistlanguageasmanypeoplepointedoutnotonlyencodesstereotypedattitudestowomenandmen,butalsoisanexampleofthewaythatacultureorsocietyconveysitsvaluefromonegrouptoanotherandfromonegenerationtothenext.SomelinguistsintheiressayofferexamplesofsexisminlanguageandthewaysinwhichtheEnglishlanguagereflectsasexistculture.Accordingtothem,sexistlanguageisanylanguagethatexpresses“stereotypedattitudesandexpectationsorthatassumestheinherentsuperiorityofonesexovertheother.Sexistlanguageincludeswords,phrases,andexpressionsthatunnecessarilydifferentiatebetweenwomenandmenorexclude,trivialize,ordiminisheithergender.”[14]中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com 3.ManifestationsofsexisminEnglishproverbs3.1Manifestationsofsexismintheproverbsaboutcharacter(1)WeaknessWomanismadetoweep.(女子生性好哭。)Frailty,thynameiswoman.(弱者，你的名字是女人。)Itisnomorepitytoseeawomanweepthantoseeagoosegobarefoot.(女人哭如鹅光脚走路，根本不值得可怜。)Theupperproverbsalwaysusetearsandfragileglasstorepresentwomen’sweakness.Wecanexplainthisphenomenonfromphysiologyandsociology.Physiologically,thenervoussystemofthefemaleisnotasstableasmale’s,andthefemale’smoodislikelytogetinfluencefromthespecialphysiologicalstate.Sociallyspeaking,women’sweaknessseemsrightandproper,becausewomenareendowedwithweaknessinthepublic’seyes.Andinsuchacase,womenarealsowillingtodependonprotectionfrommen,butmenarealwaysadisappointmenttothem.Therefore,womenalwaysfeelalossofidentity,becausemenarenotasstrongastheirwords,whichmakesthosewomenwhoemphasizeemotiveexperiencesweepalone.(2)VanityEverywomanwouldratherbebeautifulthangood.(女人爱美不重德。)Themorewomenlookintheirglass,thelesstheylooktotheirhouse.(女人成天照镜子，无心照管家务事。)Tellawomansheisfairandshewillsoonturnfool.(跟女人讲她长得漂亮，很快她就会晕头转向。)Theseproverbsemphasizevirtueandatthesametimeplaydowngoodlook.Actually,menarethesameaswomenplacinggreatemphasisonappearance.Whentheytrytoselectmate,theydemandtheoppositehavingbothgoodlookandgreatcapability.Inmen’seyes,“thesmellofanonionfromthemouthofthelovelyissweeterthanthatofaroseinthehandoftheugly.”(美女口中葱蒜臭，胜过丑女手中玫瑰香。).Male’smeasureofselectingmateisgentlenessandprettiness,andthefemalealwaysstayatapassiveposition.Therefore,menhavetouseeveryconceivablemeanstopursuebeautytocaterforthem.Sopursuitofvanityisthechoicethatwomenhavetochoose,andthearch-criminalstillisweakness.中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com (3)MalignityWomenarethedevil’snets.(女人是万恶之源。)Nothingagreesworsethanalady’sheartandbeggar’spurse.(女人的心和乞丐的钱包一样，糟糕透顶。)WomenarethesnaresofStan.(女人是撒旦设下的陷阱。)Theseproverbscontainobvioussexism.Godfeltthatmakingwomanwasabigmistake.Hethoughtshewastheoriginofevil,becauseEveviolatedGod’sprohibitionandtemptedAdamtoeatapples.AndthenGoddrovethemoutofGardenofEdenandinflictedseverechastisementonhumanbeings.InordertopunishEve,Godmadeherobeyherhusbandandstayedinasubordinatepositionforever.InancientGreekmythology,Zeuscreatedaverybeautifulgoddess——Pandoraandgaveheraboxfullofevils.Zeustoldherthatshecouldn’topenit.However,Pandorabrokethepromiseandopenedthebox.Atthesametime,allkindsofevilsspreadaroundtheworld.Insomeproverbs,theydescribewomenasobstinatecriminalsbehindthescenes.3.2ManifestationsofsexismintheproverbsaboutwordsanddeedsWordsarewomen,deedsaremen.(女子巧舌，男儿实干。)Husbandsareinheavenwhosewivesscoldnot.(老婆不唠叨，丈夫就像生活在天堂里。)Manywomen,manywords;Manygeese,manyturds.(鹅的屎多，女人的话多。)Theaboveproverbscommentonwomenbeingtalktive,andwecanfindthatwomenareusuallycomparedwithanimals.Gooseisakindofbirdspecieswhichisalwaysconnectedwithwomen’sworld.Generallyspeaking,“speechful”goosewalksandclucksalongthepathofasmallvillage,whichlookslikethegroupofpeoplewhoarefondoftalkingendlesslyandmaligning.Accordingtoaphysiologicalresearch,thecapacityoflanguagecenteringinwomen’sbrainismorethanmen’s.Thefemaleliketocommunicatewithothers,whichisnotashortcoming.Asforprate,thisisawayforwomentoreleasetheirpent-upemotions.Mendon’tunderstandtheneedsofwomenandareunwillingtocommunicatewiththem.3.3ManifestationsofsexismintheproverbsaboutabilityandwisdomAwoman’sadviceisnevertoseek.(女人的建议一文不值。)Womenhavenosoul.(女人没有灵魂。)中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com Whenanassclimbsaladder,wemayfindwisdominwomen.(毛驴登梯时，女人有才智。)Longhair,shortwit.(女人头发长，见识短。)InBritishhistory,thechancesthatwomenreceivednormaleducationwerelessthanmen,andthehighereducationwasmerelyformen.UptotheperiodofVictorian(1837-1901),somecollegeswerewillingtoacceptafewwomen.Buttheexpectationforwomenfrompeopleisdifferentfromtheoneformen.Atthattime,afterwomenreceivingeducation,peoplehopedtheycouldlearntomanagehouseholdaffairsandfosterthequalityoftenderness,gentlenessanddependence.Onthecontrary,menwereexpectedtobethehostofbringinghomethebacon.Ironically,societydeprivesofwomen’sequalchancestogeteducationanddoesn’tallowthemtobeasableandefficientasmen.Meanwhile,societythinksthatwomenhavenoknowledgeandlacklearningtalent.Men’sbeatingthedrumforthosewomenwithnoknowledgeisaparagonofvirtue,butwhenwomendon’tlearnanything,theyscoldwomenwithlonghairandshortwit;whenmenscoldthatwomenhaven’ttheirownideasandabilities,theyalsocriticizethatwomenalwaysdowronganddestroytheirprestige.Infact,theconflictedexpressionsofopinionsfrommenshowthatmenneedwomen’signorancetoshowofftheirtalents.3.4ManifestationsofsexismintheproverbsaboutmarriageMarryyoursonwhenyouwill,yourdaughterwhenyoucan.(娶媳不忙，嫁女宜速。)Daughtersanddeadfisharenotkeepingwares.(女大不中留，鱼死不能存。)Marryawifeofthineowndegree.(娶妻，应与己般配。)Hethatmarriesforwealthsellshisliberty.(娶得富家女，自由受限制。)Theaboveproverbsreflectthoseideasoflookinguptomenandwomen,andalsoreflecttendencyofmakingwomenasacommodity.Intheviewsofmarriagecentringonmen,women’sgoodlookistheconditionofmarryingtalentedmen,gettingrichesandhonor.Takingappearanceasastandardtomeasurewomen’svalueexplainsthatwomenfallintosadnessofbecomingadollinthesocietycentringonmen.Althoughawomanownsrichandgoodfamilybackground,shestillsuffersfrombeingquestionedanddoubted.中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com 3.5ManifestationsofsexismintheproverbsaboutsocialstatusMan,womananddevilarethreedegreesofcomparison.(男人、女人和魔鬼，三个等级分贵贱。)Ifthehusbandbenotathome,thereisnobody.(丈夫不在家，等于说没有人。)Amanofstrawisworthofawomanofgold.(稻草男儿抵得上金玉女子。)Amanisamanthoughhehave/hasbutahoseonhishead.(家贫袜当帽，仍是男子汉。)Theaboveproverbswhichexpressstrongandrocentrismreflectwomen’slowsocialposition.Wifeisjustagarmentforhusbandtothrowatanytime,andabeastforhusbandtocurseandbeatfreely.Apoormanisbetterandstrongerthanacommonwoman.BiblesaysthatthefirstcreaturemadebyGodisman.Womanismadebyaribofman.WhenGodcreateshumanbeings,heputsmanatthedominantpositionandmakeswomandependontheexistenceofman.Sowecanseethatwomen’spositionissopettyandlow.中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com 4.CausesofsexismintheEnglishproverbsTheproverbsreflectculture,lifestyleandcustoms.Andfurther,thecultureofhumancontainssexism,namelytodiscriminatewomen.Thereforetheproverbsnaturallyinvolvesexism.Theappearance,existenceandalterationofsexismintheEnglishproverbsarenotoccasional,andallofthemhavetheirdeephistoricalreasons,culturaloriginandsocialfactors.Thisthesisplanstoinvestigateandanalyzethecausesofthisphenomenonfromthefollowingaspects.4.1HistoricalreasonsAsfortheestablishmentofmatriclanintheprimitivesociety,anthropologistspointoutthatthefemalehadtheeconomicauthorityinhand.Therefore,femalestookthedominantpositionintheprimitivesociety.However,whenlotsoffortunesappearedinthelateofmatriclan,malesbecamestrongerandsnatchedthecontrolofeconomicarteries,sofemalesbecametheruledobject.Thisisthehistoricalturningpointofwomen’sposition.Fromthattime,womenalwaysstayedatthebottomofthesocietyandweretornbydiscrimination,oppressionandoutrage.Fromtheprimitivesocietytothewesterncapitalistsociety,menfirmlyholdwomenintheirhand.Duringthelonghistoricalprocesses,thediscriminationtowomenbecomesfirmerandfirmer.Withthedevelopmentofmovementforwomen’srights,women’ssocialpositiongraduallybecomeshigher,butweaknessandlowlinessaswordstodescribewomenwillnotdisappeareasily,becausesexisminpeople’smindshasbecomedeep-rooted.Althoughwomencontinuouslyfightfortheirhighersocialpositionafterbeingawaken,althoughmovementforwomen’srightsisdevelopingvigorously,althoughwomenhaveindeedplayedaveryimportantroleinsocieties,tochangetheirsocialpositioncompletelystillhasaverylongprocess.Consequently,sexismintheEnglishproverbswillstillexist.4.2CulturaloriginTheEnglishproverbsaremainlyderivedfromGreekmythandinfluentialliteraryoutputs(suchasplaysbyShakespeare).Thereismuchsexismamongtheabovewritings.中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com (1)SexismoriginatingfromGreekmythThegreymareisthebetterhorse.(妻胜其夫。)Aslongaswehaveeyes,orhands,orbreath,we’lllook,orwrite,ortalkyoualltodeath.Yieldorshe——Pegasuswillgainhercourse,andthegreymarewillprovethebetterhorse.(只要我们有眼有手，只要我们还有生命，我们就要看要写，就要讲到你们的临终。屈服吧，否则女佩枷索斯就会大显身手，从而证明女人就是比男人行。)Althoughmeaningsoftheaboveproverbscontainnosexismagainstwomen,whenwethinkofthereasonwhypeoplemakethoseproverbsgoaround,wecanseethattheyinvolvesexism.Andfurther,theword“prove”inthesecondproverbexpressesaspirationsofwomenfightingagainstsexism,whichreflectswomen’slowpositionfromthereverseside.(2)SexismoriginatingfromwritingsbyShakespeareFrailty,thynameiswoman.(脆弱啊，你的名字就是女人。)ThissentenceoriginatesfromafamousmonologueinHamlet.Wecanseethatthequeenonlyputherhappinessanddestinyonmarryingaman,whichcontainslotsofbloodandtearsofwomenintheclasssociety.4.3SocialfactorsTheEnglishproverbsappearatallaspectsofsociallife,andreflectsexismagainstwomen.Thesecontentscanbebasicallyclassifiedintoseveralaspects.Andeveryaspecthasitsownsocialorigin,ideas,emotionalfactorandwomen’sownreasons.Theideathatmanissuperiortowomanappearsamongthepublicbecausetheroleplayedbywomeninsocietyisnotasimportantasthatofmen.Sowomenareneglectedgradually,andthisneglectevenbecomesakindofcontemptandoutrage.Atlast,thisneglectbecomestheworshipofmen,whichisakindofblindadoration.Chauvinismprevailsinwesterncountries.Forexample:Abadwomanisworsethanabadman.(女人变坏比男人更糟糕。)Inthehusbandwisdom,inthewifegentleness.(夫要智，妻要柔。)Menmakehouses,womenmakehomes.(男人盖房，女人持家。)Virtueisanothershacklethatwomencannotshakeoff.Mendestroywomen’svirtue,atthesametimetheyemphasizewomen’svirtue.Womennotonlybearpressureandhurtfrommen,butalsohavetoundertakeblamesfromfarandnear.Inanalyzingtheproverbsaboutsocialstatus,wefindsexismisduetowomen’slowposition.中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com Consequently,menarepostedasmastersandpursuepleasure,andwomencannotbetraythem.Forexample:Whohasafairwifeneedsmorethantwoeyes.(老婆长得漂亮得多长一只眼睛。)Askthemotherifthechildbenotlikethefather.(孩子长得像不像爸爸，妈妈心里最清楚。)Thesocietydiscriminateswomenfromallkindsofaspects.Theythinkthatwomenareveryfoolish,weak,speechful,andevendangerous.Fromtheangleofsociety,women’sweaknessisinnate.Becauseinpeople’eyes,womenaretheweak.Forexample:Beautyandfollyareoftencompanions.(蠢与美常相随。)Trustnotawomanwhensheweeps.(不要相信女人的眼泪。)Nothingdriessofastaswomen’stears.(女人的泪水干得最快。)中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com 5.DevelopmenttrendofsexismintheEnglishproverbsDuetohistoricalreasons,culturaloriginandsocialfactors,theopinionsaboutsexismaredeep-rootedinpeople’smind,andtheseideashavebeenreflectedvividlyandincisively.Butdelightfully,withthedevelopmentofmovementforwomen’srights,westernfeministshavemadegreateffortstoeliminatesexisminEnglish,andalsohavegotamazingachievements,whicharereflectedinthefollowingaspects.(1)Graduallossofmasculinewordswidelyused,andreplacingthemwithneutralwords.Forinstance,businessperson,salesperson,chairperson,andpoliceofficerareusedtoreplacebusinessman,salesman,chairmanandpoliceman.(2)Somechangesintheformofaddress.MsisusedtoreplaceMrsandMiss;insomecountries,womenareallowedtousetheirownfamilynameinsteadofhusband’s.(3)Addingfemininewordsaftermasculinewordsorchangingthemintothepluralofsomeneutralwords.Forinstance,someonelefthisorherbagintheclassroom.(4)Theeliminationofsexisminlegislation.Britishgovernmenthaseliminatedsexisminlegislation,andmadesomelawstomaintaintheequalitybetweenmenandwomen.Althoughmovementforwomen’srightshasgotbigachievementsinchangingsexism,thiswayisveryroughandlong.Becauselanguageisamirrorofsociety,sosexismanddifferencesbetweenmenandwomenreflectedinlanguagearenotdecidedbylanguage’snaturalquality,butsocialvaluesandnationalmodeofthinking.Languageitselfisneutral,butuserscangivelanguagesomepragmaticcolouraccordingtosocialvalues.Inordertoeliminatethephenomenonofsexisminlanguage,wemusteradicateopinionsaboutsexismwhichexistinthesocietyatfirst.Thereformoflanguagemustberealizedonthebasisofsocialreform.中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com 6.ConclusionThisthesisaimsatstudyingsexismintheEnglishproverbs.Fromthisresearch,wecanunderstandsocialvaluesandphilosophyofpeoplefromEnglish-speakingcountries.PayingmoreattentiontothephenomenonofsexismintheEnglishproverbshelpsmakecommunicationsuccessfully.TomostofEnglishlearners,graspingtheEnglishproverbsequalsgraspingthesoulofEnglish.WecanalsolearnmoralcodesandgrasphistoricalpulseofthedevelopmentofEnglish.Whencommunicatingwithforeigners,weshouldtrytoavoidusingsomeproverbswithsexism.InordertoeliminatethephenomenonofsexismintheEnglishproverbs,wemustchangepeople’swrongideas,eradicateprejudicesagainstwomencompletely,reformthephenomenonofinequalityinthesocietyanddevelopwomen’ssocialposition.Throughthoseways,sexismintheEnglishproverbswilldieoutandbereplacedbysomenewwordsthatrespectandadmirewomen.Theauthorhopesthatideasoftheequalitybetweenmenandwomencansinkdeepintotheheartsofthepeople.Eventhoughpeopleuselanguageswithsomecolourofsexism,theywillnottakeprejudicialideas.中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com AcknowledgementsMyinitialthanksgotomysupervisorZhuMin,whopatientlysupervisedmydissertationandwasattimesverywillingtooffermeilluminatingadviceorsuggestions.Withoutherhelp,Icouldnothavefinishedthisdissertation.Iamalsoindebtedtootherteachersandmyclassmateswhohavenotonlyofferedmetheirwarmencouragementsbutalsosharedwithmetheirideasandbooks.TheyareShiYun,ZhuPing,YangLufei,andmanyothers.Mygreatestpersonaldebtistomygrandparentsandparents,whohavecultivatedasoulofsensitivity,hospitality,andhonestyoutofme,andofferedaharborofhappinessandsweetnessforme.Theremainingweaknessandpossibleerrorsofthedissertationareentirelymyown.中国最大的论文知识平台www.lwxiezuo.com 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