SEXISM IN LANGUAGE: A STUDY OF ADIMORA-EZEIGBO’S THE LAST OF THE STRONG ONES AND EMECHETA’S SECOND CLASS CITIZEN

Abstract

Language does not only serve as a means of constructing and maintaining the society; it also reflects all the sides of human society naturally. Sexism is the linguistic disparity in the language of a people based on sex. Working within the tenets of Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis, this paper investigates sexism in English language using two works of two female writers in order to analyse how English is replete with patriarchal imposed limitations. The data for analysis were obtained from Adimora-Ezigbo’s The Last of the Strong Ones and Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen. The purposes are to identify and study some sexist expressions as contained in the two books under study and how such expressions can be made gender sensitive. The study reveals that sexism in language is a reflection of cultural, social and psychological dominance of men over women; and recommends, that these cultural, social and psychological factors should be engaged and adjusted in such a way that women should be given due recognition. It is only when this is done that sexism will be eradicated.