GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE LINGUISTIC SELF-PRESENTATION OF INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS: A CASE STUDY OF MOTIVATION LETTERS AT THE NATIONAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY “MPEI”

Plotnikov Maxim A.

The study aims to analyze gender-related differences in the linguistic representation of educational and career intentions of international applicants. Based on motivation letters submitted to MPEI (National Research University) in 2025, the research identifies lexico-semantic, grammatic and pragmatic features of self-presentation. It was found that male applicants tend to employ rational and goal-oriented strategies, whereas female applicants more frequently rely on value-driven, emotionally expressive and dialog-oriented forms of communication. The study demonstrates that gender representation is not constructed in a strictly binary way but rather manifests as a variable spectrum shaped by cultural and academic contexts. The findings contribute to a broader understanding of linguistic personalization mechanisms and gender pragmatics in academic communication.

Keywords:gender, self-presentation, motivation letter, pragmalinguistics, lexico-semantic analysis, academic discourse