Gender Neutrality as a Subject of Linguodidactic Research of English-Language Textbooks

Abstract

The article provides a study of the components of gender neutrality, which are reflected in textbooks on the English language. As an aspect of political correctness, the concept of gender neutrality in English began to develop in the second half of the last century, and, as a result, various national and international organisations began to issue guidelines on the use of gender-neutral language. The focus of these guidelines is mainly on the use of gender-neutral grammatical and lexical strategies, as well as avoiding the use of gender stereotypes. Foreign researchers in the field of TESOL consider that teachers of English should not only use these strategies in the classroom, but also analyse the materials used in the classroom according to the aforementioned criteria, as well as pay attention to the equal representation of male and female characters, personalities and case names. The article analyses 10 text-books on the English language compiled by Russian and foreign authors for their compliance with the criteria of gender neutrality. In conclusion, the article presents the results of the content analysis and concludes that it is possible to make special recommendations for authors-compilers of English-language educational literature, which would take into account some aspects of gender neutrality.

References

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