The connotations of gender: A semantic differential study of German and Spanish

Abstract

The present study investigated whether grammatical gender carries connotative meanings of masculinity and femininity. Native German and native Spanish speakers judged nonsense words which were marked with gender specific definite articles. The study used semantic differential methodology and language specific semantic differential scales. As predicted by Ervin's (1962) study with native Italian speakers, German speakers judged nonsense words with the masculine article der significantly higher in potency than nonsense words with the feminine article die. However, Spanish speakers did not judge nonsense words with the masculine article el or the feminine article la differently. The results are discussed in relation to differences in the gender systems of the two languages. Implications for sexism in language are noted.