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An Example Of Sexual Difference in the Using of Chinese
The more and more fixed is the difference of social status between the man and the woman, the more is the sexual difference in language. In modern society, as the women’s social status has become much higher than the past, discriminations against women have turned into some very delicate forms and even can’t be recognized easily in the language.
In China, with the end of the 2000 years’ feudalism, women enjoy more and more liberty and share equal rights with men in politics and economy, and the traditional idea of “big man, little woman(男尊女卑)” is going away day by day. But the power of tradition nowadays does have many sorts of invisible restrictions to women’s behaviors. Even the women themselves have not set themselves free from the binding of an outdated idea “the woman will make up her face only for the man who appreciates and loves her(女为悦己者容)”---All those will probably have some influence on the views on women of the society and women themselves,and will result in some difference in the use of language between the woman and the man.
For example, we will choose different titles to call strangers of different occupations and identities. If one seems like an official or an intellectual, we will call him (her) “comrade(同志)”in most occasions. If one looks like a worker, we will call him(her) “master(师傅)” most probably. If one is a peasant, we will have to consider his(her) age firstly. If he(she) is under middle-age, we will also call him(her) “comrade” generally. If the peasant is old, we must give different address to man and woman. To a old man peasant, “old grandpa(老大爷)”or “old comrade(老同志)”and even “comrade”; To an old woman peasant, no one will call her “comrade” and “old comrade” but “old grandma(老大娘)” or “grandma(大妈)”.On the other side ,if the old woman looks like an intellectual ,there will never be one who calls her “old grandma”. Everyone will only call her “old comrade”, “comrade” or “master”.
This kind of disparity in address shows that people have different views on the old man and woman that have the same identity as a peasant. That is to say, people think that the man peasant has his own independent social status, thus he can be called “comrade” or “old comrade”. But the old woman peasant is thought that she is subordinate to the man and has not her own independent social status, so she can only be called “old grandma”. For the same reason, those independent old intellectual women can never be called “old grandma”. If you want to use relative title to call them, only “aunt(阿姨)” is propre and acceptable.
In recent years, to call the strangers “master” is very popular among the young people. However, some young people say that it is very natural to call the young man “master”, but they feel unnatural and are reluctant to call those young women “master” who are at the same age with them. There are two reasons for that. First, to call “master” shows much respect. Second, to call “master” is more affectionate and intimate than to call “comrade”. They are not willing to show their respect or affection to the strange young women, so they call them “comrade” instead of “master”.
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发表于 2006-8-6 16:51:18
