Linguistic-Chauvinism.pdf

Dr.Jeyashree G.Iyer

VEDA’S

JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (JOELL)

An International Peer Reviewed Journal

http://www.joell.in

Vol.3 Issue 2

2016

RESEARCH ARTICLE

LINGUISTIC CHAUVINISM

Dr.Jeyashree G.Iyer

(Vice Principal/HOD, Dr.Ambedkar College of Commerce and Economics,Wadala, Mumbai.)

ABSTRACT

Chauvinism is the term that firmly exercises power and superiority over

others. Linguistics is study of evolution of language owing to cultural, social,

historical and political manifestations. Language is a gift of humans and no

language is static and constantly undergoes a change. Linguistic study explores

from casual communication to technical expertise. Media and literature are the

two fields that duly register the potentiality of language and communication.

The paper attempts to explore the effect of Linguistic Chauvinism deflating

women empowerment pertaining to the role of media and Literature. Selected

works from literature and media are pegged for the study.

Keywords: Chauvinism, Language, Communication, Literature.

Citation:

APA Iyer,J.G. (2016). Linguistic Chauvinism.Veda’s Journal of English Language and Literature-JOELL,

3(2), 43-47.

MLA Iyer,Jeyashree G. “Linguistic Chauvinism.”Veda’s Journal of English Language and Literature-

JOELL 3.2(2016):43-47.

LINGUISTIC CHAUVINISM

The title itself suggests exploring the

contextualization of language usage and its

subsequent impact on the society. The concept of a

language is firmly gloved with environmental factors.

Language and environment are closely associated

and reflect the culture of a society. Linguistics is the

study of usage and structures of a language. The

study of linguistics duly registers historical, cultural

and political influence on language. World is the

galaxy of multilingual set up. Every region has its own

language and the study of language and linguistics

facilitates better understanding. The study also

reveals linguistic chauvinism promoted through

Media and Literature to oppress the marginalized

section of a society.

Language is a gift of humans. Usage of a

Language is not static and constantly undergoes a

change. Linguistics is a study of evolution of language

pertaining to the context. The potentiality of a

language is more pronounced in Literature and

Media. Sapir observes,

Dr.Jeyashree G.Iyer

VEDA’S

JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (JOELL)

An International Peer Reviewed Journal

http://www.joell.in

Vol.3 Issue 2

2016

“Languages are more to us than systems

of thought-transference. They are invisible

garments that drape themselves about our spirit

and give a predetermined form to all its symbolic

expression. When the expression is of unusual

significance, we call it literature”.

Literature is the powerful tool producing an

intense impact of the culture of a society where the

culture determines value of humans. For instance,

women not only in India but around the world do not

enjoy equal rights as men. She is often discriminated

and disgraced by linguistic chauvinism. Let us

consider linguistic chauvinism from the perspective

of women. The quality of language always reflects

cultural matrix. Hence Sapir asserts that the

literature fashioned out of the form and substance of

a language has the color and the texture of its matrix.

The situation and environment in which a book or a

work in media is produced records the milieu of a

society.

LINGUISTIC CHAUVINISM IN LITERATURE

“The critique of language is an essential tool

for managing experience……….linguistic skepticism,

linguistic relativism, and the analysis of ordinary

language are so many ways of dealing with the power

of words over the thoughts and behavior of people”

Literary works are embellished with words

to create a greater impact. Often power politics is

exercised through apt vocabulary propelling to

weaken the confronting party. The confronting party

many a time is formed from the oppressed group of a

society. Linguistic chauvinism is one of the

manipulating techniques to quell the resurgence of

activists who fight for justice. Poems, novels, short

stories are the major genres of literature. The literary

works have a major impact on the society. The paper

analyzes the chauvinistic language exercised towards

women firmly placing them in inferior status.

Literary works duly registers the power of

words subjugating women in the past. Poems and

other literary works project women as just objects

produced to please their male counterparts. The

poem given below illuminates how men exercise

linguistic chauvinism to place women in inferior

status.

………………….

Tell it to women

That we are who we are; men,

And the substance of who we are cannot be

overshadowed whether young or old, we are

men!

Don't treat us like a stranger in the land we own,

You must go when we ask you to go,

That is the authority endowed us by nature in

Adam.

Tell it to women

That men owns the jungle of life and its domain.

We have sucked the milk of the earth before they

Came from our ribs as a misleading companion,

A trait from their mother Eve made the world

sinful.

I am not sexist but I speak from the truth of my

pen.

Tell it to women

That we are the shadow that bakes purity and

love;

Created as their shield of living abundant life.

When we roar in the jungle, the forest is calm,

Nature made us who we are, men of courage,

Because we stand as god and can never be

shaken!

Tell it to women

That the birth of our water from within are their

Beauty, show me a successful woman and I will

Gladly point out a man behind her success story

which may lack behind her teeth after men are

gone.

Their weakness has become our strongest stand!

Tell it to women

That their future lies in the house of a man,

Some may hop here and there glowing amicably

But their tomorrow still remains in men hand fix

Because men the world and we are the gods here.

-John Chizoba Vincent

Every line in this poem emanates

chauvinism and argues that women cannot be equal

to men. To some extent Culture and Religion is

responsible for this mentality. Texts of varied religion

propagate men as supreme human on the earth. The

lines, “You must go when we ask you to go that is the

Dr.Jeyashree G.Iyer

VEDA’S

JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (JOELL)

An International Peer Reviewed Journal

http://www.joell.in

Vol.3 Issue 2

2016

authority endowed us by nature in Adam”, Men

consider that they are the descendents of Adam, the

first Man on the earth. It was believed that Eve is the

misleading companion of Adam as it was believed

that she came from his ribs and hence the purity of

earth is tarnished by Eve. Women are equated to

sins. She has not been perceived as another human

being but only an object meant for the convenience

of men.

The irony of the poem is, when the poet

defends himself by claiming that he is not a sexist

and speaks only the truth,

Nature made us who we are, men of

courage,Because we stand as god and can never be

shaken.Idolizing men is a traditional practice adopted

in several parts of the world. In India, husbands are

worshipped as God. Religious texts accentuate that

an ideal women worship men. Thus literature

propagates supremacy of men implanting firmly the

grain of subordination in the mind of women making

them feel guilty when they set out freely pursuing

their interest. Women are considered as mere

shadows to men. The scriptures both in Indian

literature and English literature preach that an ideal

woman is none but a mute subordinate to her

husband accepting everything her husband

endeavors to accomplish. The following lines

illumines this fact,

That their future lies in the house of a man,

Some may hop here and there glowing amicably

But their tomorrow still remains in men hand fix

Because men the world and we are the gods here.

Language itself exudes chauvinistic

attitude of men. The Pronoun ‘He’ and the common

noun ‘Man’ are always used to refer to humans.

There is no place for women in language usage. Let

us see the following proverbs,

1. Practice makes Man Perfect.

2. Early to bed, early to rise, makes a Man

healthy, wealthy and wise.

Thus women have no voice, status or any

position in the society and the language lucidly

reveals the truth. Ramayan, one of the well read

mythologies in India, proclaims that ‘Where Ram

is, that is Ayodhi for Sita’, accentuating that

women are just a shadow of men. Language and

literature certainly assert the power of men over

women.

LINGUISTIC CHAUVINISM SUBJUGATING

WOMEN IN MEDIA

“There is no chance of the welfare of the world

unless the condition of women is improved. It is

not possible for a bird to fly on one wing.” -

Swami Vivekananda

Women welfare does reflect a healthy and

harmonious society. But media many a time

promotes sexism using linguistic chauvinism to

subjugate women. Advertisements are one of the

significant channels available to media displaying

sexist attitude and it is quite shocking to note the

projection of women stating inferior status in the

society through advertisements. The below given

illustrations of advertisements exudes sexism.

Dr.Jeyashree G.Iyer

VEDA’S

JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (JOELL)

An International Peer Reviewed Journal

http://www.joell.in

Vol.3 Issue 2

2016

The above stated advertisements lucidly

portray linguistic behavior which is an insidious

vehicle in creating and maintaining hierarchies of

power perpetuating the devaluation and control of

others. The ‘others’ mentioned here indicates

women. Over the period of years literature and

media have promoted sexism imbibing inferior status

of women in the mind the people. Sexist messages

are repeatedly contested in literature and media

undermining the status of women. Though there are

women activists who fight for equality, media is still

the realm of men. There were feminist writers in

English like Barbara Johnson, Mary Woolstonecraft

promoting women equality, yet Literature and Media

are dominated by men. Language plays a vital role in

exercising power over others.

Sociolinguistics is the study of impact of

language use on society and Sociology of language

studies the effect of language on the society.

Literature and media weave the motif anchored on

sociolinguistics and sociology of language. The effect

of language both in literature and media reflect the

linguistic behavior of people. Sociolinguistics focuses

on the society's effect on language. Advertisements

certainly portray patriarchal society.

CONCLUSION

The United Nations Fourth World

Conference on Women, held on Beijing, China on

Sept. 1995, focused on issues of women pertaining to

gender equality in media. The objective of the

conference is to provide a platform for women to

voice suitable suggestions to elevate the dignity and

rights of women in media.

Under the title of Women and the Media Diagnosis

the following strategies were laid down for

discussion.

1. Media should encourage the participation

women and provide access to women in

decision making production.

2. Stereotyped portrayal of women should be

discouraged and a balanced non-

stereotyped portrayal of women should be

encouraged.

Literature and Media are the most powerful

tools reflecting the culture of a society. To elevate

the status of women, more women should actively

participate in literary programs and in media firmly

discouraging linguistic chauvinism and sexism to

encourage and disseminate courage among women

to face challenges both at personal and professional

lives. For centuries the supremacy of male is

advocated through literature and media duly

conditioning the psychology of women that they are

inferior and thus obey to the orders of men. But over

the past few decades women have proved their skill

and knowledge in various fields despite social and

cultural barriers. Media and literature being the most

powerful vehicles should shoulder the responsibility

of promoting women empowerment as the

development of a society mainly depends on the

contribution of women.

REFERENCES

[1]. Edward Sapir. Language: An Introduction to the Study of

Speech. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1921; Bartleby.com,

2000. www.bartleby.com/186/. 04/23/2016

[2]. John Chizoba Vincent. “Tell it to a woman”,

http://poemhunter.com/poem/tell-it-to-women/

04/20/2016.

[3]. Mary Kahn. “The Passive Voice of Science: Language

Abuse in the Wildlife Profession”, The Trumpeter

Journal of Ecosophy, Vo.9 No.4, 1992.

[4]. LiaFormigari. “A History of Language Philosophies”,

(translated by Gabriel Poole, JohnBenjamins Publishing

Co., USA: 1998.

[5]. “The Hand Book of Language and Gender” (Ed.,) Janet

Holmes and Mirian Meyerhoff, Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

USA: 2003.

[6]. “Sexism in Advertisements”,

https://in.images.search.yahoo.com/ 04/23/2016