Clepsydra. International Journal of Gender Studies and Feminist Theory

Introduction

2025-12-04T13:50:19+00:00

On Prosodic Values by Sex and Their Prediction in a Sociolinguistic Sample of the PRESEEA-Valencia Corpus

2025-12-02T23:58:21+00:00

This study analyzes how the sociolinguistic variable of sex influences the prosody of speakers in the PRESEEA-Valencia corpus, particularly in acoustic variables such as pitch range, intensity, and speech rate. Using a quantitative approach and general linear models, the study found that men generally exhibit lower mean pitch and a greater intensity range, while women display higher mean pitch and a wider pitch range. These findings can be explained by both anatomical differences and sociocultural factors. The automatic classification achieved positive identification, although lower effectiveness was observed in identifying female voices, suggesting the need to explore subgroups and additional factors.

Sexualidad, Body and Language: A Sociolinguistic Study of Youth Slang in Cuenca, Ecuador

2025-12-03T14:51:23+00:00

The present study aims to explore Cuenca youth slang terms and expressions related to the body and sexuality. A sociolinguistic approach with a quantitative methodology was used to collect primary data. The sample consisted of 800 participants and was selected by convenience, according to pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria. A questionnaire with ad hoc questions was used to investigate the terms, as well as their meanings and context of use. The analysis was conducted in two phases: 1) quantitative-descriptive analysis of the collected corpus using Excel; and 2) qualitative analysis of the meanings. A total of 820 terms and expressions were found: 512 corresponding to "Body" and 308 to "Sexuality." The results suggest that slang expressions in these areas reproduce power relations, objectification of the body, and gender violence in the everyday use of language.

The Function of Modal Verbs in Technical Instructive Texts Written by Women in Late Modern English

2025-12-02T23:58:22+00:00

This paper examines the interpersonal functions of modal periphrases in technical instructive texts written by women during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, drawing on data from the Corpus of Women’s Instructive Texts in English (CoWITE). Using a systemic functional linguistics approach, the study explores both modal forms and their discourse values, with a focus on the diachronic development of modalisation and modulation systems. Quantitative findings reveal stable modal usage across both centuries, but with a notable redistribution of core modal verbs. The qualitative analysis identifies a shift from prescriptive, high-deontic structures typical of the eighteenth century (must, will) to more consultative, evaluative, and negotiable strategies in the nineteenth century (should, may, can, might). This evolution points to a transformation in how authority is conveyed and how readers are constructed as active participants in the text. The study demonstrates that modality functions as a central rhetorical tool in shaping female authorial ethos and managing interpersonal relationships in instructional discourse. Future research should explore other instructive genres, comparative analysis with male-authored texts, and multimodal perspectives

Violence, Sexism and Co-construction of Feminine and Masculine Images in the Discourse of Speakers from Norheastern Mexico

2025-12-02T23:58:22+00:00

Gender stigmatization practices in everyday language are studied based on a completion questionnaire applied to 139 people. The discursive practices and impolite resources that, when constructing the social image, generate symbolic violence from the gender prejudices that permeate the verbal discourse among the inhabitants of northeastern Mexico are examined. The objective is to unveil the illocutionary force in linguistic actions, as well as to expose the socio-cultural imaginaries generated from the projection derived from verbal interaction. Methodologically, we use sociopragmatics and the cultural semantic and semiotic shifts involved to examine the acts that violate the social image of the people referred to and their social effects. The results are oriented towards pejorative intensification through figurative language and resources such as zoomorphization, degradation and slippage of meaning in the act of attack.

Asymmetric Acceptability between Gender Stereotypes and Grammatical Gender: A Study in Two Varieties of Spanish

2025-12-02T23:58:22+00:00

Psycholinguistic evidence regarding the relationship between gender, language, and cognition has been reported in two main directions: the influence of gender stereotypes on language processing, and the impact of grammatical gender marking on cognition. In this context, Spanish represents a paradigmatic language for studying this phenomenon, as it is a grammatical gender language and exhibits documented diatopic variation in both the use and conceptualization of gender. We conducted an acceptability judgment task on noun phrases containing role nouns, using a 3×2 factorial design: gender stereotype (feminine, masculine, neutral) and grammatical gender (feminine, masculine). A total of 113 speakers of Rioplatense Spanish and 154 speakers of Peninsular Spanish participated in the study. We found no marked differences between the diatopic varieties of Spanish, but observed an asymmetric incongruence effect: nouns phrases with stereotypicality male bias and feminine grammatical gender were rated as the least acceptable.

Gender Gaps in University Perceptions of Social Reality

2025-12-02T23:58:22+00:00

This paper examines gender gaps in the perception of socially sensitive topics—such as feminism, gender-based violence, immigration, religion, and pornography—among university students in Málaga. Using lexical association tasks and the calculation of the Lexical Centrality Index (LCI), we identify significant divergences in the lexical repertoires activated by male and female participants. The analysis reveals that women tend to use more introspective, emotionally charged, and socially engaged lexicon (e.g., fear, trauma, objectification), while men exhibit more distant or resistant discursive patterns, including terms such as sect, mockery, or scam. Grounded in Fuzzy Set Theory, the study is framed within critical sociolinguistics and gender studies, interpreting lexical differences as discursive traces of differentiated socialization trajectories and symbolic power structures. Furthermore, lexical centrality analysis is proposed as a diagnostic tool for designing educational interventions aimed at promoting equity, ideological literacy, and the discursive transformation of social imaginaries

The Representation of Gender in Korean and Spanish as Foreign Language Textbooks

2025-12-02T23:58:23+00:00

This study examines the portrayal of gender roles in 6 foreign language textbooks: 3 Spanish textbooks taught in Korea and 3 Korean textbooks taught in Spain. The aim of this study was to examine the vision presented in the textbooks, whether they included gender role stereotypes in their illustrations, professional occupation, adjectives, and content related to both genders. These textbooks were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively, and then compared to determine which textbooks portrayed more gender stereotypes. The results showed that all textbooks contained traditional gender stereotypes in all categories. With the exception of Yonsei 1-1, the stereotyped roles were always dominant. Gendered appearances, occupations, adjectives and content were particularly noticeable in the Spanish textbooks used in Korea. This study highlights the need to review foreign language materials from a feminist and critical perspective to improve students' understanding of gender in the context of language and culture being studied.

Differences in gender stereotypicity among role names: a comparative study with Spanish speakers from Argentina and Spain

2025-12-02T23:58:23+00:00

In the framework of psycholinguistics, it is possible to investigate the complex relationships between grammatical gender, gender stereotypes, and linguistic and sociocultural variation. Several studies analyze whether language conditions certain cognitive processes and influences the interpretation and perception of role nouns. The conducted project is aimed to identify some professions with higher masculine and feminine stereotypicity, focusing on dialectal differences between speakers from Argentina and Spain. A total of 267 people participated. Among their responses, numerous coincidences were found for masculine-biased nouns, but some divergences emerged for feminine-biased ones.

María Ángeles Calero Fernández

2025-12-03T15:54:17+00:00

The many hands that rock the cradle: contemporary imaginaries and discourses on motherhood

2025-12-02T23:58:22+00:00

Throughout history, the imaginaries and discourses surrounding motherhood have undergone constant transformations, shaped by the social context of each era. As a result, motherhood is viewed as a social construct and a concept that evolves over time. The meanings currently associated with this social practice reveal distinct characteristics of postmodernity, reflecting a shift away from its idealization toward a more realistic perspective—an experience marked by both light and shadow.

Within this framework, voices from women in academia, the arts, and maternal circles have emerged, emphasizing that multiple perceptions, emotions, and experiences coexist around motherhood. There is not one single notion of motherhood, but many. This article compiles these voices, showcasing the imaginaries, meanings, and narratives that currently shape discourses on motherhood.

Guetiérrez, José I. (Ed.). Dicotomías Culturales. Literatura y Cine. Madrid: Verbum, 2023

2025-12-02T23:58:21+00:00