Listening through gender: Perceptions of dialects in Sunni-majority areas in Lebanon

This study investigates the relationship between speaker and listener gender and attitudes toward Lebanese Arabic dialects spoken in Beirut, Tripoli, and Saida. Using a matched guise technique, participants listened to recordings of speakers using these dialects and rated them on a series of traits. The analysis revealed that while the gender of the listener did not significantly affect dialect identifiability, the gender of the speaker played a notable role, particularly for the Beirut and Tripoli varieties. Male speakers were more easily identified in these dialects, likely due to greater representation in media and public spaces. Additionally, female speakers were rated more positively overall, reflecting societal biases associating women's speech with refinement and professionalism. The findings highlight the relationship between gender, societal norms, and linguistic attitudes. This research highlights the need for greater representation of diverse linguistic identities in media and emphasizes the importance of sociolinguistic education to address gendered language biases.