An Examination of Gender Roles in Modern Mandarin Chinese: Linguistic Manifestations and Diachronic Change
Presenter(s)
Lilianna Turner
Programs/Groups
Dietrich Honors
Abstract or Description
It is well established that a language can provide a window into the society and culture of the group of people that speak it. Throughout the course of this project, I looked through this window into Mandarin Chinese, gaining insight into the traditional gender roles and norms that are manifested in modern Mandarin. I observed natural language on the Internet, documenting gendered language and the contexts in which it appeared. Upon encountering novel terms, I defined them, provided usage conditions, and gave historical and cultural context for each term. After completing my observation, I analyzed the terms I found and drew out common threads that revealed societal attitudes towards gendered behaviors. I found that overall, in the context of dating and relationships, women are praised by men when they engage in traditionally “masculine” behaviors, and are frequently accused of manipulating and exploiting their love interests for personal gain. On the other hand, terms that refer to men can either be celebratory or critical depending on the speaker; if the speaker is male, the term praises the male referent, and if the speaker is female, the term criticizes the male referent.
Mentor
Dr. Mandy Simons