Sexism in Language

Sexism in Language

'Because we know that BITCH means: Being In Total Control, Honey'

Introduction

Sexism in language used these days is amongst the most powerful expressions that people could use in order to capture the minds of the viewers and listeners. As the saying 'Sex Sells' goes, words and expressions are amongst the most powerful, the most frequently talked about and the most relative topic of discussion to talk about.

For this paper, we shall be discussing the influence and power of sexism that has been used in the context of language and expressions that come in front of us today. With the study undertaken in this paper, we shall be able to decipher the weightage of sexism in language and that how could it reap benefits for companies in the world today.

Sexism: Friend or Foe?

Language has been the most primitive and the oldest form of communication to have existed on the earth. Since pre-historic times, it has been highlighted and identified that people in today's modern world of rapid development, growth and expansion only come together for one epitome of life: communication.

Whether done on paper and scrolls (like the petitions signed for laws in different areas of Rome and Greece followed till date) to aged paintings and drawings being chalked and instilled into walls and ceilings (reminiscent to those of the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt or event the primitive drawings and crooked paintings being made on walls, excerpting from the Stone Age), communication has been one of the most profound influences throughout all times.

One derivative of this sociological phenomenon implies semantic derogation, which embodies and signifies words or expressions have a routine, general connotation associated with them, but gradually tend to adopt a more negative instance of instruction, which ultimately ends up becoming a rather offensive, insulting expression to word someone (Adams & Fuller, 2006).

'Bitch' would a classic example of the phenomenon in this case. While a bitch initially was associated with the female partner of the dog, this otherwise soon grew to become a rather offensive statement to be mentioned to another person. While it did spur like a viral plague, causing several losses and problems for students in educational institutions, it also created a more ruthless outcome in the form of societal dissonance and distress, creating quarrels and endless casualties.

A derivative of communication patterns we have is sex, one of the most basic needs that triggers all brain activities and targets all individuals, regardless of what gender they may belong to. On a lot of occasions, whenever sex and expressions have been discussed, a certain sense of satisfaction, pleasure, amusement or even distress (associated towards a lot of occasions) has been witnessed associated with sexism.

Alongside this, men and women have their own connotations associated with this area. The debate regarding who has a better hold in this area has always been there and that many a times clashes and differences do prevail as to which gender is more prone to display 'satisfaction' ...