Linguistic stereotyping in natural language: How and when we generalize in communication about people.

Abstract

Language plays a key role in shaping and maintaining social-category stereotypes. While past research often examined isolated linguistic features in experimenter-generated sentences, in largely independent fields, this article takes an integrative approach by focusing on how stereotypes are communicated in natural, freely generated language. As social-category stereotypes are generalized impressions, a central mechanism in linguistic stereotyping is generalization, expressed in language that generalizes across individuals, situations, and time. I first examine how generalization takes shape in communication about others, and how this results in stereotype formation in recipients. Next, I explore when people generalize in their communication, rather than specify and use more nuanced descriptions about individual, situated behavior. Together, this reveals how everyday language perpetuates stereotypes in society. In conclusion, I discuss potential future research directions.