Hello. This is 6 Minute English, I’m Sam. |
And I’m Georgina. |
Georgina, what languages do you speak? |
Well, my mother tongue is English and I also speak Spanish and French badly! |
OK. It’s interesting that we say ‘mother tongue’, isn’t it? |
Like many languages, English has a number of gender-specific terms that don’t refer to gender-specific ideas and concepts. |
And this complicated relationship between language and gender is what we will be talking about today. |
But first, this week’s quiz question, which is also on the topic of languages. |
Which of these languages is the newest? |
Is it: A: Esperanto, B: Afrikaans, or C: Light Warlpiri? |
What do you think, Georgina? |
Well, I’ve only heard of two of these - Esperanto and Afrikaans |
– so I think I’m going to choose the other one, Light Warlpiri, |
purely as I’ve never heard of it, so I think that must be the one. |
OK, well we’ll find out if your intuition is correct later in the programme. |
Professor Lera Boroditsky is a cognitive scientist who was a guest on the BBC World Service programme, The Conversation. |
She was asked about why we use the term ‘mother tongue’ in English. |
Different languages actually do it differently, |
but definitely there’s a strong association between mothers as primary caregivers and people who teach us things, |
and so there’s that point of origin metaphor that applies in a lot of languages. |
So, how does she explain the use of mother tongue, Georgina? |
Well, she says it’s a form of metaphor. |
A metaphor is a way of describing something by comparing it to something else. |
In a metaphor, though, you don’t say that something is like something else, you say that it ‘is’ something else. |
For example, having good friends is the key to a happy life. |
It is indeed. |
In this metaphor, language is seen as coming from your primary caregiver, the person who looked after you most when you were young, |
and traditionally this was mothers. |
So, this is perhaps the point of origin, the starting place, of the metaphorical phrase, mother tongue. |
Let’s listen again. |
Different languages actually do it differently, |
but definitely there’s a strong association between mothers as primary caregivers and people who teach us things, |
and so there’s that point of origin metaphor that applies in a lot of languages. |
Language is very powerful in society and culture, and when it comes to gendered language, it can cause some issues. |
Here’s Lera Boroditsky again. |
… in English of course we have some words that are gendered, like ‘actor’ and ‘actress’ or ‘waiter’ and ‘waitress’, |
and very commonly when there are those two gender forms people perceive the masculine form as being a more prestigious job or the more skilled job than the feminine form, |
so an actor is a fancier job than an actress and a waiter is a fancier job than a waitress, and so they could then come with pay disparities and so on. |
So, what’s the subconscious difference in attitude towards, for example, an actor and actress? |
Well, she says that people perceive those roles differently. |
This means that we are aware of, or believe there is a difference in the jobs because of the vocabulary. |
The male form is perceived to be more prestigious – more important, more respected, even though it’s exactly the same job. |
And this attitude can lead to problems such as disparities in pay. |
A disparity is a difference, an inequality, and in the world of work it can mean men getting paid more than women for the same job. |
Here’s Professor Boroditsky again. |
… in English of course we have some words that are gendered, like ‘actor’ and ‘actress’ or ‘waiter’ and ‘waitress’, |
and very commonly when there are those two gender forms people perceive the masculine form as being a more prestigious job or the more skilled job than the feminine form, |
so an actor is a fancier job than an actress and a waiter is a fancier job than a waitress, and so they could then come with pay disparities and so on. |
OK, before we take another look at today’s vocabulary, let’s reveal the answer to this week’s quiz. |
Which of these languages is the newest, is it: A: Esperanto, B: Afrikaans, or C: Light Warlpiri? |
Georgina, what did you say? |
I thought it had to be Light Walpiri, but just because I had never heard of it before. |
Well, congratulations. Your instincts were good, that is correct. |
Let’s move on to vocabulary and look at today’s words and phrase again. |
A primary caregiver is a person who has most responsibility for looking after someone. |
A point of origin is the place or time when something begins. |
A metaphor is a way of describing something. |
We can say that something is something else that has similar qualities. |
You’re a star! |
Aw, thank you. |
No, I meant, you’re a star, is an example of a metaphor. |
Oh, OK. Of course, I knew that. |
Mmmm, if you say so. |
To perceive is to think of something in a particular way. |
We might perceive the value of different jobs based on the vocabulary used to describe them. |
Something prestigious is important and respected. |
And finally, a disparity is a difference, an inequality and is often used when talking about how men and women aren’t always paid the same for the same job. |
And that is all from us. |
We look forward to your company again soon. |
Bye for now. |
Bye! |