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American Journal of Philological Sciences

Peer Reviewed | Open Access | E-ISSN: 2771-2273
Published Article

The Expression of Gender in Paremiological Units in English

The Expression of Gender in Paremiological Units in English

Gender gender linguistics feminist linguistics masculinity femininity

This article investigates the representation of gender in English paremiological units, with particular emphasis on how proverbs and sayings reflect both universal and national-cultural dimensions of the linguistic worldview. The study is situated within the framework of contemporary gender linguistics and adopts an anthropocentric approach, conceptualizing gender as a socially and culturally constructed phenomenon mediated through language. Special attention is paid to the concept of gender asymmetry, which reveals the predominance of androcentric perspectives in linguistic structures. The analysis demonstrates that English proverbs frequently reproduce traditional gender roles, portraying men as active and dominant, while associating women with domesticity and subordinate social positions. At the same time, paremiological units encode broader moral values and culturally shared norms that extend beyond gender distinctions. The findings suggest that proverbs constitute a significant linguistic resource for identifying gender stereotypes and provide valuable insights into the role of language in the construction and transmission of gender identities across generations.

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