The study examines how the discursive use of language helps to construct girls self concept (image), world view and attitude towards formal education and a myriad other issues affecting them in society. A critical examination of the gendered Ekegusii discourses show how the ideological attitudes and opinions held by the Gusii men about women serve to sustain the existing patriarchal relations, where women are depicted as being docile and dependent on men for their livelihood. The findings from this study will contribute to knowledge in the area of Applied Linguistics by showing how language planners can inculcate issues of gender equality into the curriculum. Further, the study has implications for Psycholinguists, Sociolinguists, Anthropological Linguists and Corpus Linguists, whose issues are studied via linguistic methods and data, characteristic of this study.

Autorentext

Aberi George was born in 1974 in Southern Kisii, Kenya. He grew up in a middle class family and studied English language and literature from Moi University - Kenya, although he would have liked more to study law. Aberi holds a Master of Arts degree in English Language and Linguistics, from Egerton University, Kenya.