To use en (one) as a generic pronoun in subject position, instead of the more traditional man, became more widespread in Swedish language during the beginning of the 21st century. The predominant motif of the substitution is to influence the language in a trajectory of gender equality by replacing the pronoun man, which can be considered androcentric due to its resemblance with the noun man (man). According to linguistic authorities the use of en is grammatically correct, but man is more generally accepted. This study uses discourse theory to research attitudes among teachers at high school and professors at college/university level towards en as a generic pronoun. The 89 participants have answered a web-based survey covering their attitudes and their actions when (and if) their students use en in written assignments. The results show that the attitudes and actions differ, more between individuals than between groups. Most participants do accept the usage among students, even if they do not use it themselves nor consider it a positive or necessary language reform. Further, the result of the discourse analysis shows somewhat contesting discourses of gender equality, dialect, and proficiency, within a discourse order of linguistic correctness.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:lnu-121859 |
| Date | January 2023 |
| Creators | Nordin, Amanda |
| Publisher | Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för svenska språket (SV) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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