The study of linguistic sexism started in Western societies in the 1970s with the women's movement, which challenged patriarchal dominance in all facets of life. One of the main concerns of early language and gender research was to expose the distorted representation of the sexes in language use and in language systems. Linguistic sexism, by definition, refers to the use of language expressions in such a way that it constitutes an unbalanced portrayal of the sexes. Traditionally, masculine 'generics' such as he and the morpheme man are used to represent both sexes when the sex is unknown or unspecified, or when the sexes of the referents are mixed. Given that students are frequently required to assimilate the materials of their textbooks in detail, they have the potential to influence the development of students' gender-based attitudes at an impressionable age. The present study examines the problem of sexism in ESL materials used in Hong Kong secondary schools in terms of both gender roles and linguistic sexism. In view of the heightened awareness of the importance of gender equity in Hong Kong in recent years, we examine linguistic sexism from both a synchronic and a diachronic perspective. We investigate whether there has been any change in gender representation in recent textbooks and those used in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Using both quantitative and qualitative analyses, we investigate whether there is any tendency to omit females in verbal and pictorial texts. Other areas such as the order of appearance of males and females, depiction of the domestic, occupational and social roles of the two sexes, use of masculine generic constructions and naming conventions are also examined.

Many ESL and EFL learners find wh-question formation difficult to master despite the fact that wh-interrogatives are a commonly used structure. Through using a Learning Study approach, this study aims to identify Hong Kong ESL learners' difficulties with wh-question formation, to explore effective strategies to enhance the instruction, and to investigate the learning outcomes as a result. Quantitative data were collected from three Hong Kong Secondary 3 classes through a written test and an oral test, and qualitative data from discussion at teachers' meetings, research lesson observation, student interviews, and post-lesson conferences. It was found that Hong Kong learners' L1 transfer problems are an important inhibiting factor in their learning of English wh-interrogatives. The most serious learning problems found include Chinese interference with word order and failure to use correct verb phrase structures. The research team, through the Learning Study research cycle, succeeded in designing appropriate contexts and using variation patterns for presenting and practicing interrogative structures. Successful outcomes were evident in the gradual improvement of the design of the three research lessons and significant progress by students in their learning of wh-interrogatives.
[Copyright © 2012 The Asian Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language.]