Jerel Serrano
Professor McCormack
English 201-01
10 January 2015
Writing Assignment #6: Language Theory Annotated Bibliography
Dolly, M.R., Galvin, S.M., and Pula, J.J. (2013). Delta kappa gamma bulletin on genderlect
styles theory (communication). Genderlect and Participation in the English Classroom,
2, 22-30.
The authors of this scholarly journal discuss the concept of genderlect, “a term popularized
by linguist Deborah Tannen to represent dialects specific to gender and demystify traditional
communication struggles between the sexes…” (2013). An experiment was conducted to
investigate the habits in communication between males and females based on student
participation rather solely on gender differences. Tannen’s goal was to help bridge the gap
between men and women and analyze the distinction in the ways men and women communicate
with each other. Since student participation was the focused aspect of genderlect, the experiment
included college students who had English majors to test Tannen’s hypothesis that men
communicated more than women in a class discussion. Based on calculated data from surveys,
the hypothesis was approved for one English class (English 1) but rejected for the second
(English 2).
The definition of the word genderlect states that it is a term or style of speech used by a
particular gender. In many societies, distinctions in communication between men and women are
very clear. Regarding student participation in a class setting, the conclusion of the experiment
discussed in this article still applies to today’s classroom settings. It is a fact that men have the
tendency to communicate more than women, even if the population of females outnumbers that
of men. Similar to the experiment, common factors that contribute to this notion can be fear of
public judgment and reluctance towards dominating the discussion.
Parkhurst, H.B. (2012). American secondary education. The Case of the Missing Male Reader:
Implications of Genderlect and the Reality Principle, 41(1), 14-30.
Howard B. Parkhurst describes a different aspect of genderlect that portrays how language is
acquired by men and women through literature. The author targets how adolescent men appeal to
reading material based on their interests, which are completely different from women. Where it
is assumed women favor in subjects like romance, intimacy, and fashion, men are more
interested in action/adventure plots, novels that feature male main characters, and feelings of
competence and accomplishment. In addition to more masculine topics, Parkhurst argues that
adolescent males have a quality called “the reality principle”. According to other scholars, the
reality principle is “the ability for male readers to see themselves and their concerns in a text”
(Smith & Wilhelm, 2002). In other words, males tend to read texts they can relate to their
personal experiences rather than other genres.
Wexler, J. (1996). The uncommon language of modernist women writers. Women’s Studies,
25(6), 571.
Wexler develops the theory of genderlect from a woman’s perspective based on the personal
voice in modern feminist literature. From the article, “the differences between the writing of
male and female modernists can be analyzed without resorting to the pervasive dichotomy
between the personal writing of women and impersonal writing of men” (Wexler, 1996).
According to some linguists, women use their own language that often comes from personal
experience but men prefer to write confidently and avoid sensitivity. In other words, women
speak from a more “personal voice” where men approach with egotism and impersonality.
While the modern language of men and women is different in various ways, it may not be the
case today that all men are impersonal and all women are personal. From my perspective, the
personality and impersonality of one’s rhetoric depends on the subject and attitude behind the
argument at hand. According to Jennifer Coates, “learning to be male or female in our society
means among other things learning to use sex-appropriate language.” Every writer speaks from
their own form of language in a particular style that suits them. How personal or impersonal a
language is conveyed depends on the males and females that utilize that type of language.