Gender stereotypes in dictionaries: the challenge of reconciling usage-based lexicography with the role of dictionaries as social agents
Genderstereotipes in woordeboeke: Die uitdaging om die gebruiksgebaseerde leksikografie met die rol van woordeboeke as sosiale werktuie te versoen
- In many countries of the world, perspectives on gender equality and racism have changed in recent decades. One result has been more attention being devoted to traces of androcentric and racist language in society. This also affects dictionaries. In lexicography there are discussions about whether or to what extent social asymmetries are inscribed in dictionaries and if this is still acceptable. The issue of the nature of description plays an important role in this discussion. If sexist usages are often found in language use, i.e. in the corpus data on which the dictionary is based, does the dictionary also have to show them? How is this, in turn, compatible with the normative power of dictionaries? Do dictionaries contribute to the perpetuation of gender stereotypes by showcasing them under the banner of descriptive principles? And what roles do lexicographers play in this process? The article deals with these questions on the basis of individual lexicographical examples and current discussions in the lexicographic and public community.
- In baie lande van die wêreld het perspektiewe op gendergelykheid en rassisme in onlangse dekades verander. Een uitvloeisel hiervan is dat meer aandag geskenk word aan spore van androsentriese en rassistiese taal in die gemeenskap. Dit beïnvloed ook woordeboeke. In die leksikografie is daar besprekings oor of en tot watter mate sosiale asimmetrieë in woordeboeke beskryf word en of dit nog aanvaarbaar is. Die kwessie rondom die aard van beskrywing speel 'n belangrike rol in hierdie bespreking. Moet die woordeboek ook seksistiese gebruike opneem indien dit dikwels in taalgebruik, bv. in die korpusdata waarop die woordeboek gebaseer is, gevind word? Hoe is dit op sy beurt weer versoenbaar met die normatiewe krag van woordeboeke? Dra woordeboeke by tot die verewiging van genderstereotipes deur hulle onder die vaandel van beskrywende beginsels op te neem? En watter rolle moet leksikograwe in hierdie proses speel? In dié artikel word op grond van individuele leksikografiese voorbeelde en huidige besprekings in die leksikografiese en openbare gemeenskap aan hierdie vraagstukke aandag geskenk.
Author: | Carolin Müller-SpitzerORCiDGND |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:bsz:mh39-123963 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.5788/33-2-1843 |
ISSN: | 2224-0039 |
Parent Title (English): | Lexikos |
Document Type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Year of first Publication: | 2023 |
Date of Publication (online): | 2023/12/14 |
Publishing Institution: | Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache (IDS) |
Publicationstate: | Veröffentlichungsversion |
Reviewstate: | Peer-Review |
Tag: | gender en taal; genderstereotipes; kollokasies; korpusgebaseerde leksikografie; woordeboeke as sosiale werktuie collocations; corpus-based lexicography; dictionaries as social agents; gender and language; gender stereotypes |
GND Keyword: | Geschlechterforschung; Geschlechterstereotyp; Kollokation; Korpus <Linguistik>; Lexikografie; Wörterbuch |
Volume: | 33 |
Issue: | 2 |
First Page: | 79 |
Last Page: | 94 |
DDC classes: | 400 Sprache / 400 Sprache, Linguistik |
Open Access?: | ja |
Leibniz-Classification: | Sprache, Linguistik |
Linguistics-Classification: | Lexikografie |
Program areas: | L3: Lexik empirisch und digital |
Licence (English): | Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0 International |