EXPLORING THE PERCEPTIONS AND PSYCHE OF PEOPLE ABOUT WOMEN: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF PROVERBS FROM THREE DISTINCT CULTURES

Abstract

This study aims to examine the perceptions and attitudes of people regarding women as reflected in linguistic resources, such as proverbs and sayings from three different societies around the world. The focus is on the representation, rights, and status of women as expressed in proverbs collected from the United States (English proverbs), Pakistan (Urdu proverbs), and China (Chinese proverbs). The objective is to analyze these proverbs about women from these diverse cultures and assess the status of women, their rights, and how they are perceived and treated in those societies through language. Using the critical discourse analysis approach proposed by Fairclough (1995), this study finds that women are negatively perceived and represented in the proverbs of these societies, showing that they are typically expected to perform domestic duties rather than demand rights. The findings reveal a collective psyche reflected in the proverbs of three cultures that strongly values patriarchal structures and practices. The study emphasizes the need to reduce and ultimately eliminate the use of such language and proverbs, in order to change the misogynistic mindset for a positive, gender equal and healthier society.