This study examines how gendered power dynamics are constructed through language in early twentieth-century English-language cinema. Focusing on films produced between 1920 and 1949—a period defined by entrenched patriarchal ideals—the research analyzes the representation of male and female characters in cinematic dialogue. Utilizing a corpus of 10 to 15 culturally significant film scripts (approximately 200,000 words), the analysis employs AntConc 4.2.0 for frequency counts, keyword extractions, collocation analyses, and concordance examinations to systematically identify gendered linguistic patterns. The findings indicate that both male and female characters are frequently described with positive evaluative adjectives such as “good,” “great,” and “nice.” However, their negative portrayals diverge markedly. Female characters are disproportionately targeted with sexually explicit or objectifying slurs (e.g., “fat slut,” “bitch”), whereas criticism of male characters typically emphasizes behavior, status, or competence using terms such as “killer,” “genius,” and “trucker.” Additionally, occupational nouns associated with men (e.g., “businessman,” “doctor”) highlight agency and professional identity, while comparable terms for female characters are often gender-marked or diminutive (e.g., “PR girl,” “lady”). These recurring lexical and grammatical features serve to reinforce and perpetuate contemporary gender ideologies, casting men as active, dominant agents and women as subjects of evaluative judgment rooted in appearance or emotion. The study’s corpus-driven approach reveals how cinematic language functioned not only as a reflection but also as a mechanism for the normalization and transmission of prevailing gender hierarchies. In offering empirical evidence of linguistic gender bias in early film dialogue, this research advances understanding in media discourse analysis, feminist linguistics, and historical corpus studies. It underscores the crucial role of language in the (re)production of social norms and power structures in popular media. /Keywords: gendered power dynamics, early twentieth-century cinema, film dialogue, corpus linguistics, patriarchal ideology, linguistic representation, evaluative adjectives, media discourse analysis, feminist linguistics
Cruz et al. (Sat,) studied this question.