35.1562, Diss: In the eye of the beholder: processing, use, and attitudes towards (non-)sexist language in a second language.

Sun May 19 17:05:12 UTC 2024

LINGUIST List: Vol-35-1562. Sun May 19 2024. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 35.1562, Diss: In the eye of the beholder: processing, use, and attitudes towards (non-)sexist language in a second language.

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Date: 10-Apr-2024
From: Monica Sanchez-Torres [monica.sancheztorres at outlook.com]
Subject: None

Institution: Texas A&M University-Commerce
Program: PhD in English
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2023

Author: Monica Sánchez Torres

Dissertation Title: In the eye of the beholder: processing, use, and
attitudes towards (non-)sexist language in a second language.

Dissertation URL: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-2806-1

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                     Cognitive Science
                     Sociolinguistics

Subject Language(s): English (eng)
                     Finnish (fin)
                     Spanish (spa)

Language Family(ies): Finno-Ugric
                      Indo-European
                      Romance

Dissertation Director(s):

Dissertation Abstract:

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate sexist and
non-sexist language in a second language (L2). More precisely, this
study seeks to examine the use, attitudes and processing of sexist and
non-sexist language of native speakers (L1) of Iberian Spanish, a
language with grammatical gender, and Finnish, a language without
grammatical gender, in English, a language with notional gender.

The methods used to analyze language processing, linguistic attitudes,
and language use were eye tracking measurements and a questionnaire.
The eye tracking study was designed to analyze the effect of an
individual’s L1 and gender on their processing of sexist and
non-sexist language, based on the ideas of linguistic relativity,
which postulates that languages influence their speakers’ worldview
and cognition, and the eye-mind hypothesis which supports the claim
that the eye movements are the direct response to the ongoing
processing needs of the reader (Henderson & Ferreira, 1990, Just &
Carpenter, 1980, Reali et al., 2014, Reichle, Pollatsek, Fisher, &
Rayner, 1998). The eye tracking measurements used to test the
hypothesis were fixations and visit counts, and the tests used were
multi-factor ANOVA. The sample consisted of 42 participants who were
studying English at university, 22 of whom (6 male, 16 female) were
native speakers of Spanish and the remaining 20 (7 males and 13
females) of whom were native speakers of Finnish.

The questionnaire was designed to address the language use and the
linguistic attitudes towards (non-)sexist language in the L2. The
quantitative data was analyzed using the χ2 test and the qualitative
data using inductive content analysis. The questionnaire sample
involved 327 participants who fulfilled the same requirement as in the
eye tracking study. In total, 195 participants spoke Spanish (154
women, 38 men, 3 people who either didn’t want to disclose their
gender or were non-binary) and 132 spoke Finnish (87 women, 35 men,
and 10 people who either did not want to disclose their gender or are
non-binary).

The results of the study yielded three major findings. First, the eye
tracking study indicates that neither the L1 nor the gender of a
person impacts the comprehension of sexist and non-sexist language in
the L2. Therefore, there is not enough empirical support for a claim
that the L1 or the gender of a person influences the way sexist and
non-sexist language is processed in an L2. Secondly, Spaniards and
Finns used linguistic gender differently. More specifically, Spaniards
used more gendered forms, some of which are perceived as sexist in
English, and more visualization strategies, while Finns avoided
expressing gender, both lexically and grammatically. The findings are
not only aligned with the grammatical features of their L1 but also
match the proposals for non-sexist language in Finnish and Spanish.
This means that these two aspects are instrumental in the use of
gender in an L2 and that they influence the speakers’ perception. On
the other hand, the similarities between men and women in the use of
lexical and grammatical gender contradict previous studies that
indicate that women are more likely to use non-sexist language than
men (Parks & Roberton, 2002, 2005, Sarrasin et al. 2012, Douglas &
Sutton 2014). The third finding was that an individual’s L1 and gender
contribute to their opinions and attitudes towards sexist and
non-sexist language, even if these opinions do not match or even
contradict their linguistic choices.

The principal theoretical implication of this study is that the
influence of language is limited: it does not affect unconscious
processes such as reading comprehension of (non-)sexist language, but
it does influence more conscious processes such as the use of and
attitudes towards sexist language. In addition, the findings suggest
the gender of a speaker does not play a significant role in the
processing and use of gender

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