Motivated by the gender inequalities observed in relation both to dementia and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), this article takes a critical discourse analysis approach to explore how gender and dementia intersect in 52 AI-generated character descriptions of men and women with dementia. Using “woman/man” as entry points through which to explore discursive constructions masculinities and femininities in the data, we find gendered distinctions in how characters’ bodies are evaluated, social roles attributed, and violence presented. We also find that a deficit approach to dementia dominates, emphasizing suffering, loss, and hopelessness. Characters with dementia are stereotyped as older and frail, either near death or already dead in body and/or mind. Overall, the AI-generated texts recycle (and potentially amplify) pervasive discourses regarding both dementia and gender. Our findings therefore reinforce the need for further critical engagement with GenAI, from design to use, to interrogate and challenge its capacity to perpetuate inequalities.

The under-use of early detection strategies for breast cancer among South Asian women is becoming a major concern for health professionals. According to published reports, Black and Asian women diagnosed with breast cancer in the United Kingdom have poorer relative survival rates than white women ( Gathani et al., 2014 ). The purpose of this qualitative study, informed by Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis, is to examine breast health practices from the perspective of South Asian women living in North West England. Focus group discussions were conducted with a sample of South Asian women who met regularly at a Lancashire school to improve their English. The analysis of the data generated by the focus group discussions focused on the language used to talk about breast cancer and identified discourses relating to taking care of one's health, accessing services, opinions about a woman's calling, and beliefs about cancer. It is hoped that these findings may provide a foundation for the development of culturally suitable breast health services for this group.

Infant feeding advice typically focuses on mothers, reflecting societal expectations of women as primary caregivers responsible for most aspects of childrearing, and the message that ‘breast is best’ when it comes to infant nutrition. The representation of partners in infant feeding materials is currently an under-represented area of critical discourse studies. However, neglecting partners’ involvement in infant feeding only hinders the efforts of feminist movements to improve women's rights, change cultures of toxic masculinity, and increase men's engagement in fatherhood, thereby promoting ‘caring masculinities’ as a mechanism of gender equality Using a 300,000-word corpus of web-based infant feeding materials, we first examine the (lack of) space dedicated to, and (limited) discursive construction of, fathers and other non-birthing parents. This then leads us to a more nuanced, qualitative feminist multimodal critical discourse analysis of two pamphlets targeting non-birthing partners, and particularly fathers: ‘Championing breast milk’ ( Philips Avent, 2019 ) and ‘Off to the Best Start’ (NHS/Start4Life, 2015). Our analysis identifies dominant gendered discourses of men as ‘protectors’ of women and of breast/chest-feeding, and providers of ‘technical support’ for breast/chest-milk feeding. We highlight feminist goals of encouraging the involvement of all parents in infant feeding, while respecting women's control of their own breasts/bodies, as we develop recommendations for more inclusive and independent (non-commercial) infant feeding communications.

Understanding public discourses of dementia, particularly those normalised on large social media websites, is an important step towards tackling stigma and stereotypes. Although previous work has explored how dementia is spoken about, this is often in a very general sense, lacking exploration into how gender might influence these discussions. To address this, a corpus of Tweets containing the word dementia (c. 711,000 words) was collected. We identified gendered social actors who were statistically key in our data. We found inequalities in how gendered social actors are represented. Female relational social actors (i.e., moms and grandmas) were more likely to be referenced than male relational social actors (i.e., dads and grandpas). Female relational social actors were more likely to be discussed as being ill and/or vulnerable, while male relational social actors were more likely to be discussed in terms of being dead or compared to celebrities in ways that sustained stigma around dementia. We argue that these different representations of gendered relational social actors who are living/lived with dementia are typically stigmatising.

Previous research documents diachronic variation in preferred terms used for and by Black Americans. The current study builds upon this body of research by gathering contemporary data on racial identity terms. Unlike previous studies, however, we asked respondents to indicate how they identified well-known individuals from both the present and past, to uncover the extent to which they applied different labels to similar people or similar labels to people with different racial identities. Results from 142 participants residing in the northeast region of the United States indicated preference for African American over Black, but both terms dominated over People of Color, Non-White, and BIPOC (Black, Indigeneous, and People of Color). We offer potential explanations for our findings and conclude with recommendations to avoid creating or prescribing terms from outside the Black community, a practice that can result in the creation of confusing or irrelevant terms and further marginalization of the people such terms claim to center.

The Ebola outbreak in 2014, COVID-19 in 2020, and Monkeypox in 2022 triggered a surge in hate speech against West Africans, the Chinese, and the LGBTQ+ communities globally. However, Arabs exhibited distinct responses, particularly toward West Africans. Our thematic and critical stylistic analysis of Arabic X posts referencing these groups amid their respective pandemics revealed a significantly lower level of hate directed at West Africans compared to the Chinese and the LGBTQ+ communities. This divergence in reactions can be attributed to the perceived self–other similarity, where religious and sociohistorical parallels highlighted by Arabs in their posts with West Africans contributed to mitigating hatred. This study presents a linguistic analysis of Arabic hate and support X posts and establishes a connection between perceived self–other similarity and hate speech moderation.

Urban mobility choices and policies are not a common object of study for linguistics. These policies and choices actually generate forms of discrimination by creating reified identities of ‘drivers’ against ‘cyclists’ against ‘pedestrians’. Through the prism of ‘mobility justice’ this paper shows how detrimental discursive choices contribute to the normalisation of a mobility system which is highly discriminatory and a source of toxicity and danger to humanity. The discriminations imposed by the hegemonic system of automobility reinforce other forms of intersectional discrimination. By looking at journalistic texts that employ road-user identities to fuel narratives of conflict, this study highlights the need for linguists to contribute to language-focused investigations already being carried out from the perspectives of other disciplines such as Geography, Sociology or Transport Studies. It also shows how these investigations can provide answers to broader questions concerning climate inaction.

This study investigates how ageism is displayed among Japanese women in their mid-twenties when they talk about their experiences with COVID-19. Ageism, which is discrimination, stereotypes and prejudice based on people’s age, was reinforced by the outbreak of the disease. This study gathered data through virtual conversations recorded during the second wave of COVID-19 cases that hit Japan in August 2020. The conversation is examined using discourse analysis, focusing on how the participants position themselves and others through the narration of their personal experience. The analysis shows how participants co-construct the image of elderly people as others who are vulnerable to the virus but ignorant of their own risks. This image is created as the participants establish rapport-oriented interactions with friends that they align with as young and healthy citizens who are responsible for preventing the spread of the virus.

The terms ‘mistress’ or ‘second wife’, translated as qingfu, ernai, xiaosan, have become widely used in Chinese media in recent years. This study employs critical discourse analysis to examine how the mistress/second wife is represented in Chinese corruption news coverage. In particular, this paper analyses thirty seven articles focusing on cadre-mistress relationships that were published on mainstream commercial websites (Ifeng, NetEase, Sina, and Sohu) between 2013 and 2017. The findings of this analysis show that the framing of the mistresses/second wives in these articles follows media censorship and selectively appeals to the public’s negative perception of them. Specifically, the findings reveal that mistresses of corrupt male cadres are afforded no respect in corruption news coverage, and are instead portrayed as ‘toys’ of the cadres who are ‘partners’ in their corruption. Furthermore, this paper’s analysis of the sociocultural context that gives rise to such discourses demonstrates the key role played by social inequalities and gender inequalities in the post-reform era. This study contributes to the literature by illustrating how mistress–cadre relationships are governed by gender inequalities in job opportunities, career development, and income levels, social inequalities in the distribution of wealth and resources, and cultural norms relating to discrimination against concubines. Thus, such relationships cannot be eliminated via public censure.

The Power of Language: How Discourse Influences Society (Second Edition) By L. Young, M. Fitzgerald and S. Fitzgerald (2018) Sheffield: Equinox Publishing, 381pp.