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Linguistic Sexism in Introduction to History and Philosophy of Science, University of Port Harcourt General Studies Course Manual
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Gender Studies
Abstract
Linguistic sexism is language asymmetry or discrimination on the basis of gender. It is a form of language inequality which reveals an aspect of our social structure—a system which has always relegated the image of women to the background of societal affairs. Most often, linguistic sexism manifests in the choice of words of our everyday language. And most often, second language (L2) speakers of English unconsciously acquire sexist language from sources such as textbooks written in the English language. This study, therefore, investigated linguistic sexism in Introduction to History and Philosophy of Science, a course manual of University of Port Harcourt General Studies (GES) unit, and how sexist language influences the life of students who use such textbooks. Benjamin Lee Whorf’s Linguistic Relativism provided a theoretical framework upon which this study was carried out. The study adopted qualitative design which utilized scientific inquiry that underscored linguistic sexism in the available data. The population of this study consists of forty-three (43) excerpts from the textbook. The findings revealed that the textbook demonstrates some degree of gender inclusivity with sporadic use of the phrases like “he/she,” “his or her,” and references to both men and women. However, these instances are inconsistent and insufficient when weighed against the dominant use of gender-biased terms. We recommend that authors and editors should review all instances of man, mankind, and similar male-default terms with inclusive alternatives such as human, person, individual, or humanity in order to help establish gender inclusivity in our education texts.
Keywords
Linguistic Sexism, Asymmetry, General Study Course, Linguistic Relativism, and Gender Bias
References
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How to cite this paper
@article{1714768,
author = {Ikwor Ibe Afiauwa, Ifeanyichukwu Ameme},
title = {Linguistic Sexism in Introduction to History and Philosophy of Science, University of Port Harcourt General Studies Course Manual},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {9},
number = {9},
pages = {98-108},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1714768.pdf},
abstract = {Linguistic sexism is language asymmetry or discrimination on the basis of gender. It is a form of language inequality which reveals an aspect of our social structure—a system which has always relegated the image of women to the background of societal affairs. Most often, linguistic sexism manifests in the choice of words of our everyday language. And most often, second language (L2) speakers of English unconsciously acquire sexist language from sources such as textbooks written in the English language. This study, therefore, investigated linguistic sexism in Introduction to History and Philosophy of Science, a course manual of University of Port Harcourt General Studies (GES) unit, and how sexist language influences the life of students who use such textbooks. Benjamin Lee Whorf’s Linguistic Relativism provided a theoretical framework upon which this study was carried out. The study adopted qualitative design which utilized scientific inquiry that underscored linguistic sexism in the available data. The population of this study consists of forty-three (43) excerpts from the textbook. The findings revealed that the textbook demonstrates some degree of gender inclusivity with sporadic use of the phrases like “he/she,” “his or her,” and references to both men and women. However, these instances are inconsistent and insufficient when weighed against the dominant use of gender-biased terms. We recommend that authors and editors should review all instances of man, mankind, and similar male-default terms with inclusive alternatives such as human, person, individual, or humanity in order to help establish gender inclusivity in our education texts.},
keywords = {Linguistic Sexism, Asymmetry, General Study Course, Linguistic Relativism, and Gender Bias},
month = {March},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I9-1714768}
}