성과 관련된 영어의 성차별 표현

Some Sex-related Terms and Sexism in English

Under the assumption that the way in which we identify something reflects our conception of it, we examine in this paper some of the English slang terms that identify women and sexual intercourse, with focus on American English. Some slang terms that men use to identify women are denigrating in that by these terms women are conceived of as pets, playthings, or domesticated servants, that is, they are looked upon as mindless and dependent objects. Furthermore, women are sometimes metaphorically identified by body part terms that designate female genitals. This shows that men treats women simply as a mindless sex object productive of male pleasure. The way that men conceptualize women reveals itself also in men’s vulgar terms that describe sexual intercourse. Men do not conceive of sexual intercourse as an equal, symmetric relation but as an unequal, asymmetric relation to their advantage. This conception of sexual intercourse on the part of men is embedded in their use of the terms that depicts intercourse. These slang predicates, when they are used transitively, usually require two thematic roles, one with the agent theta-role and the other with the patient theta-role. Normally, they do not allow a construction with a female as the agentive subject. As the transitive predicate has also been used intransitively, its requirement for the male agent has somewhat loosened. As a result, the predicate can sometimes allow the female subject when the female actively participates in sexual intercourse. Usually, a vulgar slang expression carries a heavy emotional load with it and how to use it in any appropriate way is a delicate and complex matter. In order to prevent unnecessary complications from occurring between speakers, therefore, Koreans, whose native language is not English, are advised not to use those slang terms in any circumstances.