Actual and Potential Gender-Fair Language Use: The Role of Language Competence and the Motivation to Use Accurate Language
Abstract
In two paper-and-pencil studies on university students and trainees, we studied how general language competence and the motivation to use accurate language are linked to people’s actual and potential gender-fair language use. Overall, participants’ actual gender-fair language use was lower than their potential. The higher the participants’ language competence, the higher their potential. Trainees’ actual gender-fair language use was predicted by the interaction of language competence and motivation to use accurate language, those with relatively high language competence used less gender-fair language the higher their motivation to use accurate language was.
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Kuhn and Gabriel (2014) observed differences in the frequency of gender-inclusive language use between apprentices and university students.
“Differences in the frequency of gender-inclusive language use between apprentices and university students have been observed in a German speaking study by Kuhn and Gabriel (2014).”
From What affects people’s use of and attitudes toward gender-inclusive language? A literature review (2025) · cites this paper as Kuhn and Gabriel (2014)
When both groups were explicitly asked to avoid generic wording, they increased their use of gender-inclusive language, and the differences between groups disappeared.
“However, when both groups were explicitly asked to avoid generic wording, they increased their use of gender-inclusive language, and the differences between groups disappeared.”
From What affects people’s use of and attitudes toward gender-inclusive language? A literature review (2025) · cites this paper as Kuhn and Gabriel (2014)
Despite apprentices scoring significantly lower in language proficiency, they used more gender-inclusive forms than university students.
“Despite apprentices scoring significantly lower in language proficiency, they used more gender-inclusive forms than university students.”
From What affects people’s use of and attitudes toward gender-inclusive language? A literature review (2025) · cites this paper as Kuhn and Gabriel (2014)
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What affects people’s use of and attitudes toward gender-inclusive language? A literature review
Lange, E., & von Stockhausen, L. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1657753 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
- Authors
- Kuhn, E. A., & Gabriel, U.
- Affiliations
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO)
- ORCID
- Gabriel, Ute
- Venue
- Journal of Language and Social Psychology
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2013-09-23
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 214-225
- ISSN
- 0261-927X (ISSN-L)
- 1552-6526
- OpenAlex
- W2112351911
- Cited by
- 19
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 4.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Language and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Studies in Language
- Social Sciences › Linguistics and Language › Linguistic Variation and Morphology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Keywords
- gender-inclusive language, language competence, trainees, university students, language attitudes
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