Gender-Related Terms in English Depositions,
Examinations & Journals, 1670-1720
Studia Anglistica Upsaliensia, No. 132
By Sara Lilja
May 2007
Uppsala University Press
Distributed By Coronet Books
ISBN: 9789155468019
245 pages, Illustrated, 6 1/2 x 9 1/2"
$59.50 Paper Original
This is a Ph.D. dissertation.
This study focuses on the use and distribution of terms which described and addressed men and women ("gender-related terms") in texts from England and New England from the period 1670-1720. The material comprises three text categories: depositions, examinations and journals. Several linguistic and extra-linguistic factors are taken into account in the study, including the semantic domain to which the individual gender-related term belongs, region of origin and referent gender.
The study also investigates adjectives and demonstratives collocating with gender-related terms. The study shows that region of origin and referent gender influence how gender-related terms are distributed, reflecting a difference in social structure between England and New England, and also a difference in the qualities that were perceived as important to mention when describing men and women respectively. Referent gender was also shown to influence the connotative values of adjectives used in that positive adjectives occur more often with male referents, while negative adjectives occur more often in descriptions of women.
Linguistics
Return to Coronet Books main page