Alice F. Freed, associate professor of linguistics, examines the effect of sexist language on language skills. Freed recognizes that there are great problems in teaching language. One of the difficulties is making students aware of the world of words around them.
The primary purpose is to show the problems with teaching language and give some solutions to overcoming such problems. Freed points out the fact that before language is taught, sexist language should be defined. In order to create awareness, Freed says students should be able to identify what they read or hear and become sensitized to the lack of fairness in the language they read and hear around them. According to Freed, when students become aware of inequity in language, you have successful teaching of composition.
Freed claims that teachers do not know how to direct students to see and hear what actually takes place in language. " Linguistic injustice goes unnoticed, unchallenged, and sexist language used by teachers has also been largely neglected." Writing instructors should monitor their own speech, sensitize their students to the linguistic issues at hand, and get students to incorporate observations into their own written work.
Freed concludes that " bias in language is precisely the sort of thing that can contribute to and teach sexist thinking." Freed beliefs that the gender-related language we are exposed to at a young age contributes to our expectations and views of men and women. Language helps us label the universe, and we have a responsibility to teach and aid our students in eliminating unconscious bias from their own language.
This was a terrific piece of writing on gender. Freed gave the solutions for teachers to teach writing to students, and she did not have an anti-female bias. Freed gave the facts and problems straight forward. I think this was very helpful because it included all teachers. In fact this article even included future teachers like me.
When I thought about becoming a teacher, I wanted to do it so that I could change or have an effect on my students in a positive way. This article lets me know that teachers have an effect on their students automatically. Students are watching and listening to students most of the time for eight hour a day, and if information does not enter into their minds consciously it will enter unconsciously.
Freed also talks about how students need to be sensitized to
the lack of fairness that is in the language that we use. This
is interesting because at this point I realize how effect sexist
language is. Anything that I am sensitive to I see it as being
very important, and the sensitivity that I have developed for
the issue at hand will cause me to pay special attention to the
issue. What Freed really wants to get across to anyone who is
teaching language or using it, is that our language is not perfect
and it is about time we changed it.
© Ophelia King, Winona (MN) State University, 30 January 1997. This document may be freely distributed for educational use as long as this notice of its authorship accompanies its distribution.
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