Show simple item record

dc.contributor.authorWango, Geoffrey Mbugua
dc.date.accessioned2012-04-11T12:47:51Z
dc.date.available2012-04-11T12:47:51Z
dc.date.issued2012-04-11
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/3812
dc.descriptionThe PL 8379.W3en_US
dc.description.abstractThis study examines the place and role of language in gender in a social semiotic framework. It studies the extent to which the lexicon in Gikuyu language is sexist. The study achieves this through a computer-based corpus of spontaneous conversational data between Gikuyu speakers. The basic argument is that Gikuyu relegates females to a subordinate position in which their roles and functions are suppressed in favour of the males. The thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter one is a general introduction in which the study problem is stated and the procedure used in the study is given. Chapter two contains the literature review. Chapter three describes the Gikuyu social and cultural background that helps to uncover the subtle aspects of the society as an important component to help explain the place of women in the society. The findings of the research are presented and discussed in chapter four; the lexis is described and interpreted in relation to gender and what has been outlined in earlier chapters. The possible causes of such a bias in word use is investigated, various connotations observed and statistical analysis and interpretation attempted. The last chapter evaluates the whole study including its relevance, application, implications, and suggestions for further study. We conclude that Gikuyu language needs to redefine and exclude certain terms that hamper women’s development and that have created negative perceptions of the female and her image especially while promoting the male at the expense of the female.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipKenyatta Universityen_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subjectKikuyu language--Sex differences//Women--Language//Language and languages--Sex differencesen_US
dc.titleLanguage and gender: a case study in social semiotics of the lexicon of the Gikuyu languageen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US


Files in this item

Thumbnail

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record