LANGUAGE AS A TOOL OF DISCRIMINATION: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF SEXISM IN DAGBANLI

Abstract

The unequal representation of males and females in the use of language has been extensively studied in languages such as English. These studies show that in many ways languages discriminate against women, create negative stereotypes oj women, reiriforce negative attitudes against women and deprecate womanhood whilst valoW'- ising manhood This paper makes an exploratory survey of the linguistic representa- tion of males and females in Dagbanli by examining ordinary everyday discourse. The study shows that statements that speakers of the language make in everyday speech about men and women reveal a tendency to represent men and everything as- sociated with maleness as superior, and women and everything associated with fe- maleness as iriferior. This unequal representation in language does not only depict male-female stereotypes but does so in a negative even as it serves to re-qffirm male dominance in the Dagbon society.