TEXT IV
Understanding stereotypes
Stanford linguists and psychologists study how language is
interpreted by people. Even the slightest differences in language
use can correspond with biased beliefs of the speakers, according
to research.
One study showed that a relatively harmless sentence, such as
“girls are as good as boys at math,” can subtly perpetuate sexist
stereotypes. Because of the statement’s grammatical structure, it
implies that being good at math is more common or natural for
boys than girls, the researchers said.
Language can play a big role in how we and others perceive the
world, and linguists work to discover what words and phrases can
influence us, unknowingly.
Source: https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2019/08/the-power-of-language-howwords-shape-people-culture