Language Androcentrism in British Textbooks in the 80s of the XXth century

Abstract

The problem of gender and gender studies permeate all areas of human life, becoming more and more relevant every day. Gender correctness is becoming an integral part of the narrative, making new demands on communication. Language is a tool for constructing, reproduction and recreation of a gender worldview. At the moment, the gender picture of the world is undergoing drastic changes, revision and reflection. In this regard, it is important to look at the history of language androcentrism in order to avoid it in modern communication. In this article, based on the material of British educational texts of the early 80s of the XX century, the linguistic methods of constructing gender are analyzed. Based on the A. Pauwel’s methodology the signs of androcentrism are revealed. The signs of anrocentrism include the following: derivatives of women's status from the male, the women’s invisibility in language, and stereotypical image of both sexes. The study found that all the above-mentioned signs of gender asymmetry are fully reflected in authentic British educational texts. The patriarchal picture of the world is formed by means of the English language.

Keywords

• androcentrism
• educational texts
• gender
• pedagogi