ERIC Number: EJ1401206
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0163-853X
EISSN: EISSN-1532-6950
Available Date: N/A
Non-Gendered Pronoun Processing: An Investigation of the Gender Non-Specific Third Person Singular Pronoun 'TA' in Chinese
Discourse Processes: A Multidisciplinary Journal, v60 n8 p535-555 2023
This study investigated the processing of the Chinese nongendered third-person singular pronoun, "TA," in a series of self-paced reading experiments. We begin by investigating the perceived appropriateness of TA using a novel implementation of the modified maze task. We then contrasted reading latencies for TA and male- and female-gender pronouns in reference to antecedents with varying stereotypical gender (e.g., occupation terms) and definitional gender (e.g., kinship terms). In our analysis, we assessed several means of operationalizing stereotypical gender information. Optimal model performance was achieved with a continuous measure that accounted for individual differences in gender perception, suggesting the involvement of a probabilistic component. Results for reading latencies and perceived appropriateness of TA support previous findings from discourse analysis that TA is not entirely gender-neutral but rather has nuanced contexts of use in modern Chinese written discourse.
Descriptors: Form Classes (Languages), Grammar, Sex Stereotypes, Gender Issues, Mandarin Chinese, Language Usage, College Students, College Graduates
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A