Gender-neutrality in Written Discourse : A newspaper-based diachronic comparisonstudy of gender-neutral vocabulary

Abstract: This paper investigated the use of sexist language in English vocabulary by examininggender asymmetry and sexism in contemporary written discourse. The traditional sexistlanguage often reinforces gender stereotypes and inequalities. In English, the masculineterms are considered the unmarked form (the norm) while the feminine terms are marked.This paper discussed different types of gender asymmetry in languages in relation to themarkedness theory, and introduced the gender-inclusive alternatives to traditional sexistlanguage, such as using gender-neutral pronoun, using gender-neutral title Ms., usinggender-neutral working titles such as Police officer, Firefighter and Spokesman. In orderto evaluate how gender-inclusive language is actually used in the US, this paperconducted a diachronic research of sexist and gender-neutral terms in news articles fromthe New York Times (NYT) from 1965 to 2015, uncovering a gradual increase in the useof gender-inclusive language over time. The findings are compared with two prior studiesof sexist language in British written discourse. The results indicated that masculinepronouns and social titles continue to be prevalent in the NYT, along with the UK.However, the feminine title Ms. is more commonly used in the US as opposed to the UK.Additionally, certain gender-neutral working titles such as police officer and firefighterhave become the most frequently used terms. In contrast, terms such as spokesman arestill very unpopular in the UK and the US. This paper concluded with a future vision ofthe application of gender-neutral vocabulary in written discourse.