The treatment of words with potential gender stereotypes and implications in US and UK dictionaries

Identifier:  TFG:6195

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TFG6195

Authors:  Mestres Garcia, Laia

Abstract:
This project is about a topic that has been the focus of a good deal of attention recently in society: gender-neutral language. Different societies are following different paths to gender neutral language. Dictionaries can be regarded as reflecting the societies in which they were made. The study compares the treatment of 15 words with potential gender stereotypes in dictionaries from the United States and the United Kingdom. It demonstrates that two dictionaries, one from each country, treat words with potential gender stereotypes differently. It is argued that that this difference may be a result of the differencing paths towards gender neutral language both countries have followed.