Gender matters: From L1 grammar to L2 semantics

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
SVETLANA V. COOK
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Gender Bias ◽  
Grammatical Gender ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Gender Assignment ◽  
Gendered Language ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Bilingual Processing ◽  
And Gender

The study investigates the effects of grammatical gender on bilingual processing. Native speakers of Russian (a gendered language) learning English and monolingual English controls performed a self-paced reading task in English (a non-gendered language). As predicted, bilingual speakers showed delayed latencies to gendered pronouns (he or she) that were incongruent with the noun's grammatical gender in Russian, indicating that first language (L1) grammatical gender assignment can be interpreted as biological gender in nonnative (L2) processing. The L1 gender bias was only found in sentences containing animate, but not inanimate, nouns. These results speak against the syntactic mechanism being solely responsible for gender biases, but rather support a semantic transfer account due to coactivation of linguistic and conceptual features as proposed in the sex and gender hypothesis (SAGH, Vigliocco, Vinson, Paganelli & Dworzynski, 2005). Overall, the study provides clear evidence for the L1 grammatical gender bias in bilingual processing, albeit constrained by animacy.

Roman Scholars on Grammatical Gender and Biological Sex

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Corbeill
Keyword(s):  
Grammatical Gender ◽  
Scholarly Activity ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Gender Assignment ◽  
Biological Sex ◽  
The World ◽  
Roman Culture ◽  
Greek Tradition ◽  
And Gender

This chapter considers how the Romans imagined that the earliest Latin speakers employed grammatical gender. From as early as Varro, scholars and grammarians occupied themselves with cataloguing the peculiarities of grammatical gender—instances, for example, when gender assignment seems counterintuitive, or where one noun can vary between masculine, feminine, and neuter. This scholarly activity, with little extant precedent in Greek tradition, finds Latin grammarians consistently placing great importance upon the identification of grammatical gender with biological sex. The chapter explains this fascination with “sex and gender” by analyzing the reasons posited for the fluid gender of nouns as well as the commonest practitioners of grammatical gender bending (in particular Vergil). It shows that by dividing the world into discrete sexual categories, Latin vocabulary works to encourage the pervasive heterosexualization of Roman culture.

Individual differences predict ERP signatures of second language learning of novel grammatical rules

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily S Nichols ◽  
Marc F Joanisse
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Grammatical Gender ◽  
Grammatical Rule ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Anterior Negativity

We investigated the extent to which second-language (L2) learning is influenced by the similarity of grammatical features in one’s first language (L1). We used event-related potentials to identify neural signatures of a novel grammatical rule - grammatical gender - in L1 English speakers. Of interest was whether individual differences in L2 proficiency and age of acquisition (AoA) influenced these effects. L2 and native speakers of French read French sentences that were grammatically correct, or contained either a grammatical gender or word order violation. Proficiency and AoA predicted Left Anterior Negativity amplitude, with structure violations driving the proficiency effect and gender violations driving the AoA effect. Proficiency, group, and AoA predicted P600 amplitude for gender violations but not structure violations. Different effects of grammatical gender and structure violations indicate that L2 speakers engage novel grammatical processes differently from L1 speakers and that this varies appreciably based on both AoA and proficiency.

scholarly journals Questioning Racial and Gender Bias in AI-based Recommendations: Do Espoused National Cultural Values Matter?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manjul Gupta ◽  
Carlos M. Parra ◽  
Denis Dennehy
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Gender Bias ◽  
The United States ◽  
Compelling Evidence ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Significant Research ◽  
And Gender

AbstractOne realm of AI, recommender systems have attracted significant research attention due to concerns about its devastating effects to society’s most vulnerable and marginalised communities. Both media press and academic literature provide compelling evidence that AI-based recommendations help to perpetuate and exacerbate racial and gender biases. Yet, there is limited knowledge about the extent to which individuals might question AI-based recommendations when perceived as biased. To address this gap in knowledge, we investigate the effects of espoused national cultural values on AI questionability, by examining how individuals might question AI-based recommendations due to perceived racial or gender bias. Data collected from 387 survey respondents in the United States indicate that individuals with espoused national cultural values associated to collectivism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance are more likely to question biased AI-based recommendations. This study advances understanding of how cultural values affect AI questionability due to perceived bias and it contributes to current academic discourse about the need to hold AI accountable.

Ethnic and Gender Biases in Clinical Performance Assessment (CPA) in Healthcare Education: A Systematic Review

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris C.I. Chao ◽  
Efrem Violato ◽  
Brendan Concannon ◽  
Charlotte McCartan ◽  
Katarzyna Nicpon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Gender Bias ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Frame Of Reference Training ◽  
And Gender

Abstract Background: Several forms of bias, including ethnic and gender bias, are thought to impact evaluations on Clinical Performance Assessments (CPAs). Unfairness may influence student learning attitudes if a loss of trust causes a lack of engagement in learning. Understanding the biases occurring in CPAs can lead to well-designed examiner training to ensure equality and fairness. The purpose of this systematic review is to determine the current evidence in the literature for ethnic and/or gender bias by examiners evaluating pre-licensure healthcare students in CPAs using standardized patients (SPs). Methods: Literature was systematically searched in CINAHL, PubMed and Medline from inception to February 2019, and no date range was set. Studies related to the investigation of ethnic and/or gender biases occurring in CPAs using SPs for examining health professions students were selected. A systematic review was conducted to assess the methodological quality and strength of evidence of relevant research and to identify if any potential ethnic and/or gender bias occurred in CPAs. The Guidelines for Critical Review were used to appraise the selected studies. Results: Nine studies published from 2003 to 2017 were retrieved for review. Three studies met all the Guidelines for Critical Review quality criteria, indicating stronger evidence of their outcomes, two of the studies reported ethnic and/or gender bias existing in the CPAs. Overall, four studies found ethnic and/or gender bias in CPAs, but all study results had small effect sizes. Conclusions: No systematic and consistent bias was found across the studies; nonetheless, the possibility of ethnic or gender bias by some examiners cannot be ignored. To minimize potential examiner bias, the investigation of Frame of Reference training, multiple examiners per station, and combination assessments in CPAs is recommended.

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