Ziglôbitha (Sep 2024)

Treatment of Personal Gender-indexing Nouns in the Ninth Edition of Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English

  • Francis Ngoyi Créqui TSHIMANGA

DOI
https://doi.org/10.60632/ziglobitha.n011.18.vol.02.2024
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 02, no. 011
pp. 263 – 278

Abstract

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Abstract: The need to promote and use gender-inclusive language has been on an increase quite recently and has led to the coinage of epicenes throughout the English speech community, particularly in the [+ personal} nominal subclass. This paper attempts to address the treatment of gender-indexing personal nouns with a view to pointing out their form, meaning, distribution as well as ideological overload. The findings have identified different subcategories of the gender-indexing personal nouns, ranging from the generic masculine to the epicene. Finally, the study recommends a critical approach to dictionary consultation. Keywords: Gender, gender-indexing language, dictionary treatment, personal nouns, gender ideology