Meanings of Gendered Lexical Contrasts in Kenyan English Usage

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the extent of use of the nuances of eight gendered lexical contrast pairs in English usage in Kenya. The pairs in question are: aunt vs. aunt, lady vs. gentleman, bachelor vs. spinster, boy vs. girl, father vs. mother, brother vs. sister, son vs. daughter and mister (Mr) vs. missus (Mrs). Using the mixed method, the study addressed the twin questions of whether age and gender were a factor in the choice of meanings of the gendered lexical pairs under study. Answers to these questions came from 80 respondents’ views on questionnaire items that asked them to indicate a yes, no or not sure against every proposed meaning of each pair; they also came from an analysis of authentic uses of the different pairs in newspapers, magazines, radio, television and face-to-face conversations between people. The results were presented on tables and analysed through percentages. The study did indeed find the gendered contrast pairs in question have been given, in English usage in Kenya, meaning that vary with age and gender. For example, in the pair gentleman -lady, while people across all age brackets used gentleman and lady for ‘a well-dressed male or female’ respectively, its use as ‘a wealthy male or female’ respectively, varied in people of various age groups. These meanings also varied with regards to whether the user was male or female. These results call for further research on this topic introducing other social variables like religion, level of education, and social