LANGUAGE AND GENDER (BTAN4007MA)
2013/2014 Fall semester
SEMINAR, 2 HRS, GRADED
Time: Monday, 10.00-11.40
Place: Room 111, Main Building
Instructor: Bársony Olga
Contact: barsonyo4@yahoo.com
Office hours: TUE.10-11.50
Office: Room 103, Main Building
Course description:
This course aims at providing a comprehensive introduction to the study of language and gender.
Building upon the knowledge of basic terminology and concepts in sociolinguistics as well as an
understanding of how situational factors affect language use, the course will provide cross-cultural
insights into how language use varies according to gender. The goals of this course are to introduce
students to a wide range of linguistic analyses of language used by and used about women and men and
to examine models of explanation for gender differences. The course invites a critical approach to the
readings on language and gender (especially with regard to the possibility of author's bias).
Within a research-based framework, the course will investigate the effect of gender on language
use: it will look at features of language applied by the two sexes in mixed-sex and same-sex
interactions in various settings; the differences between the communicative competence of women and
men; the likely social consequences deriving from these; the interplay of gender and im/politeness; the
ways identity can be constructed in discourse; sexism in language; the strongly related question of
politically correct language use.
Grading will be based on:
 an individual article presentation
 participation in class discussions
 a mid-term test
 a group presentation on group project
 a take-home essay (write-up of group project)
10%
5%
30%
10%
45%
Group project:
Students will form pairs or small groups and choose a certain topic to investigate. This project will
require the group to frame a research question, develop a hypothesis, collect data, make an analysis,
and present the results to the class. You will need to form your groups and meet the instructor to have
the project approved by March 1; your group will present its findings in class on May 3.
Essay submission:
Your take-home essay must be received by the instructor on or before the due date, by the beginning of
the class period, as indicated on the schedule below. Late work will result in grade reduction. The essay
must be typed (in 12-point Times New Roman font), double-spaced, and stapled when submitted;
essays will not be accepted via email. Further specifications to be announced in class.
Make-up tests/Late work:
All assignment deadlines and scheduled test paper dates are provided at the beginning of the semester;
therefore, no make-up tests will be offered and late papers are highly discouraged. Assignments
submitted later than the assigned due date will be automatically reduced 5% per day. Excuses such as
“crashed computers,” “lost flash drives,” or “empty printer ink cartridges” will not be accepted. It is
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suggested that all computer work be saved both on your computer’s hard drive and again on removable
storage device.
Plagiarism and Cheating:
Plagiarism includes copying or paraphrasing another’s words, ideas, or facts without crediting the
source; submitting a paper written by someone else, either in whole or in part, as one’s own work; or
submitting work previously submitted for another course or instructor. Plagiarism, cheating, or other
forms of academic dishonesty on any assignment will automatically result in failure for the course.
Attendance:
Students are not allowed to miss more than three classes during the semester. Attendance at the midterm test is mandatory.
Weekly Syllabus:
WEEK
Week 1
DATE
Sep16.
Week 2
Sep 23.
Week 3
Sep 30.
Week 4
Oct 071.
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Oct 14.
Oct 21.
Oct 28.
Nov 4 .
Nov 11.
Nov 18.
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Nov 25.
Dec 02.
Dec 09.
DEc 16.
TOPIC
Introduction, orientation, sex vs. gender, folklinguistic
beliefs
Fact checking: verbosity, verbal superiority, gossiping
Sociolinguistic Universals
Gender differences in pronunciation, grammar, lexicon,
syntax
Explanations: dominance, difference
Gender Differences in Conversational Style: turn-taking,
interruptions, feedback, tag questions
Gender and Politeness I: Hedges, boosters
Gender and Politeness. Compliments, apologies
CONSULTATION WEEK, NO CLASS
Gender and politics
Gender and Impoliteness: Swearing, Conflict talk
The Importance of Context: Academic discourse
Community of Practice
Gender and Power: Workplace and Medical Interaction
Group presentations
Sexism, Political Correctness + essay deadline
Conclusion, evaluation, grading
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*Reading assignments (RAs):
Holmes, J. 1998. Women’s Talk: The Question of Sociolinguistic Universals in Language and
Gender: A Reader pp. 461-483.
(2) Pilkington, J. 1998. ’Don’t try and make out that I’m nice!’ The Different Strategies Women and
Men Use when Gossiping in Language and Gender: A Reader pp. 254-269.
(3) Eckert, P. and McConnell-Ginet, S. 2003. Language and Gender pp. 60-75.
(4) Nordenstam, K. 1992. Male and female conversational style. International Journal of the
Sociology of Language, 94 (1): 75-98.
(5) Coates, J. 1996. ’You know so I mean I probably…’: Hedges and hedging in Women Talk pp.
152-173.
(6) Holmes, J. 1998. Complimenting – A Positive Politeness Strategy in Language and Gender: A
Reader pp. 100-120.
(7) Mills, S. 2005. Gender and Impoliteness. Journal of Politeness Research 1, 263-280.
(8) Gunnarsson, B.-L. 1997. Women and men in the academic discourse community. In:
Communicating Gender in Context, pp. 219-247.
(9) Mullany, L. 2008. “Stop hassling me!” Impoliteness, power and gender identity in the
professional workplace. In Impoliteness in Language Studies on its Interplay with Power in
Theory and Practice, pp. 231-251.
(10) Lei, X. 2006. Sexism in Language. Journal of Language and Linguistics, 5 (1): 87-94.
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**Presentation topics (PTs):
a) James, D. and Drakich, J. 1993. Understanding Gender Differences in Amount of Talk: A Critical
Review of Research in Gender and Conversational Interaction pp. 281-306
b) Maltz, D. N. and Borker, R. A. 1982.A Cultural Approach to Male-Female Miscommunication in
Language and Gender: A Reader pp. 417-434
c) Fishman, P. M. 1997. Interaction: the work women do in Sociolinguistics. A Reader and
Coursebook pp. 397-405
d)
Koczogh, H. and Furkó, P. 2011. “It's just like, dude, seriously, it's been a bad
week, I mean, kind of thing.“ Gender differences in the use of the discourse markers you know
and I mean. Argumentum 7, 1-18.
e) Holmes, J. 1995. ‘Sorry! Apologies and negative politeness strategies’ in Women, Men and
Politeness pp. 154-187.
f) Brown, P. 1990. Gender, Politeness, and Confrontation in Tenejapa in Discourse Processes 13(1):
123-41.
g) Eckert, P. and McConnell-Ginet, S. 1998. Communities of Practice: Where Language, Gender,
and Power All Live in Language and Gender: A Reader pp. 484-494.
h) West, C. 1998. When the Doctor is a ‘Lady’: Power, Status and Gender in Physician-Patient
Encounters in Language and Gender: A Reader pp. 396-412.
i) Cameron, Deborah. 1990. "Making Changes: Can We Decontaminate Sexist Language?" in
Feminism and Linguistic Theory, pp. 72-90.
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