Language Policies and In-group Favoritism

The Malleability of the Interpretation of Generically Intended Masculine Forms

Bibliographic Data

ID5338507
AuthorsUte Gabriel (0000-0001-6360-4969, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, corresponding author)
Year2008
Volume39
Issue2
Pages103-107
Publication date2008-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1864-9335 • E-ISSN: 2151-2590
PublisherHogrefe Publishing Group (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1027/1864-9335.39.2.103
OpenAlexW1894453335
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited7

This study investigates the influence of sex of respondent, context valence, and type of generic on the naming of female personalities in Norway where the feminine suffixing has dropped away in reaction to the problem of linguistic sexism. A total of 162 participants were asked to name either their most- or least-liked personalities. The survey employed either the generic form only or the generic form together with the obsolete feminine forms. Adding the feminine forms led to a significant increase in the number of female personalities named, suggesting that the Norwegian policy of gender neutralization has not (yet) been successful. Furthermore, the sex of respondent was positively related to the naming of same-sex personalities in the positive but not in the negative valence condition, thus documenting malleability in the interpretation of generics

Linguistics · Malleability · Norwegian · Personality · Personality psychology · Political science · Respondent · Gender Studies in Language · Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities · Linguistics, Language Diversity, and Identity · Psychology · Social Psychology

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