Gender Representation in Contemporary English
Тип публікації :
Магістерська робота
Дата випуску :
2026
Автор(и) :
Mokhnieva, Sofiia
Науковий(і) керівник(и)/редактор(и) :
Мова основного тексту :
Англійська
eKNUTSHIR URL :
Цитування :
[APA 7] Mokhnieva, S. (2026). Gender Representation in Contemporary English [Master's thesis, Київський національний університет імені Тараса Шевченка]. eKNUTSHIR. https://ir.library.knu.ua/handle/15071834/34483
[ДСТУ] Mokhnieva S. Gender Representation in Contemporary English : master's thesis : 035 Philology / supervisor O. Borysovych. Kyiv, 2026. 83 p. URL: https://ir.library.knu.ua/handle/15071834/34483 (date of access: 12.09.2026).
This master’s thesis examines current developments in gender linguistics, focusing on the evolution of gender-inclusive language as a developing norm in contemporary English. The relevance of this research is conditioned by the need to understand how language adapts to shifting norms of gender representation and to provide empirical evidence of these changes. Using corpus-based methods, the study traces how new forms become normalized and identifies patterns of both change and resistance in contemporary usage.
The aim of the thesis is to investigate key changes in the use of gender-inclusive language at the lexical, grammatical and pragmatic levels. The research methodology combines quantitative diachronic analysis of large text corpora (NOW and COCA) with qualitative analysis of concordance lines (KWIC) and focused comparative studies.
The scientific novelty of the work lies in its multi-level approach and in the identification of mechanisms of language change that extend beyond simple lexical substitution.
The main results show that the integration of inclusive language is a steady yet complex process. At the lexical level, the rapid replacement of many gender-marked job titles was traced, alongside the lexical persistence of terms embedded within institutional contexts. At the grammatical level, the analysis revealed the replacement of masculine pronouns and the phenomenon of “idiom obsolescence”. Additionally, the study identifies distinct social and cognitive barriers associated with neopronouns compared to the widely accepted singular they. Finally, in the field of pragmatics, the study provides a quantitative measure of “pronoun avoidance” that demonstrates cognitive and social hesitation in adopting new communicative norms.
The structure of the thesis comprises an introduction, three main chapters, general conclusions, a list of references and appendices.
The aim of the thesis is to investigate key changes in the use of gender-inclusive language at the lexical, grammatical and pragmatic levels. The research methodology combines quantitative diachronic analysis of large text corpora (NOW and COCA) with qualitative analysis of concordance lines (KWIC) and focused comparative studies.
The scientific novelty of the work lies in its multi-level approach and in the identification of mechanisms of language change that extend beyond simple lexical substitution.
The main results show that the integration of inclusive language is a steady yet complex process. At the lexical level, the rapid replacement of many gender-marked job titles was traced, alongside the lexical persistence of terms embedded within institutional contexts. At the grammatical level, the analysis revealed the replacement of masculine pronouns and the phenomenon of “idiom obsolescence”. Additionally, the study identifies distinct social and cognitive barriers associated with neopronouns compared to the widely accepted singular they. Finally, in the field of pragmatics, the study provides a quantitative measure of “pronoun avoidance” that demonstrates cognitive and social hesitation in adopting new communicative norms.
The structure of the thesis comprises an introduction, three main chapters, general conclusions, a list of references and appendices.
Галузі знань та спеціальності :
03 Гуманітарні науки
Галузі науки і техніки (FOS) :
Гуманітарні науки
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