Introducing Language and
Gender
Starter: how do you respond to these claims and assertions
about language and gender? Do you agree? Disagree?
What is gender?
• Sex and gender are NOT the same in language
study.
• Sex refers to biological differences between males
and females
• Gender refers to behavioural characteristics which
are a result of social and cultural influences
• Masculine and feminine characteristics are not
necessarily the product of a person’s sex, but part
of a socialisation process which begins when we
are children.
Key term: socialisation (process) the way in which an
individual’s behaviours are conditioned and shaped.
How are behavioural
expectations and gender
norms portrayed in
magazines?
Look at the following
magazines and consider:
- Lexical features
- Grammatical features
- Graphological features
How are they used to
construct gender
• http://www.toysrus.co.uk
/toys/
• http://www.elc.co.uk/
• http://www.cosmopolitan
.co.uk/
• http://www.topshop.com
/?geoip=home
• http://www.vogue.co.uk/
• http://www.thewhitecom
pany.com/
• http://www.gqmagazine.co.uk/
• http://www.fhm.com/
• http://www.topman.com/
?geoip=home
Construction of gender in fictional
texts
• Consider the grammatical structure of the sentences in
these two fictional texts.
• These texts are from Mills and Boons novels. Look at the
website and the Wikipedia page for further details on the
nature of such books.
• Is the female or male character primarily presented as the
actor of the verb, or the affected?
• Consider the lexis/tone/register of these texts. How do
these construct gender?
Is English a sexist language?
• Marked expressions
– The words used to describe females are often marked to
distinguish them from those used to describe males. The
act of marking suggests deviation or difference from a
norm, the unmarked item.
• Covert marking
– This is most commonly seen in antonyms, for instance
young and old. We normally ask “How old are you?” rather
than “How young are you?” What does this suggest about
what is seen as ‘norm’?
• Overt marking
– This is a more obvious form of marking, such as adding the
suffix ‘-ess’. Consider the pairs of words on the next slide.
What differences are suggested between them?
Female
Master
Waiter
Instructor
Lion
Priest
Male
Mistress
Waitress
Instructress
Lioness
Priestess
• female doctor
• lady doctor
• woman writer
• career woman
• male nurse
• male prostitute
Generic terms
• Some linguists have suggested reducing the
apparent sexism of the English language by
using different pronouns from his/hers, which
are seen as exclusive.
• Shim, for instance, was suggested, but hasn’t
caught on!
• Another option is to use inclusive language
such as plural pronouns.
Can you rewrite this so that it is more
neutral?
A member of the Police Force shall at all times
abstain from any activity which is likely to interfere
with the impartial discharge of his duties of which
is likely to give rise to the impression amongst
members of the public that it may so interfere; and
in particular a member of the Police Force shall not
take any active part in politics.
• What problems did you encounter?
Police regulations 2003, Schedule 1, Regulation 6 states. www.cumbria.police.uk
Semantic derogation
This is when terms that are reserved for use when referring to women have strong
negative associations with comparison with the male term.
Sara Mills (1995); Deborah Cameron (1990); Muriel Schultz (1975)
Male
Female
Courtier
Courtesan
Master
Mistress
Host
Hostess
Governor
Governess
Adventurer
Adventuress
Sir
Madam
Bachelor
Spinster (bachelorette?)
Lord
Lady
King
Queen
God
Goddess
Poet/Author
Poetess/Authoress
Semantic derogation
• In what ways are the words on the previous
slide negative? (Think of collocations if you are
stuck.)
• In what ways do you think there is evidence of
semantic deterioration (Mills 1995) – where
words have experienced shifts in meaning.
Compare ‘cleaning lady’ with ‘cleaning lord’!
TASK: read the extract from Margaret Doyle’s
The A-Z of Non-Sexist Language.
• Read the extract and consider these questions:
– To what extent do you feel that there is value in making
some of the changes that Doyle suggests? Are some of the
problems with terminology valid ones?
– Doyle’s book was published in 1995. Are some of these
items still used? If so, what does that suggest about the
process of meaning change in a language?
– Does your work in this topic lead you to think that English
is a sexist language and therefore produces a sexist society,
or is it merely reflecting sexism in society as a whole?
Plenary
Based on our discussion today, how do
you now feel about these statements?
Homework
• You will shortly be giving some presentations about key elements of
language and gender.
• Your homework is to complete some individual research and wider
reading.
Bella
The speech styles of participants on internet chat rooms and message boards where is
not clear whether speakers are male or female. Are there signs of gendered language
in action?
Tara
The use of interruptions and overlaps related to gender
Lizzie
The representation of female speech on television, for instance in soap operas or
dramas.
Murti
The use of politeness strategies and compliments used in same-sex and mixed talk.
Hannah
How males and females represent themselves, for example in the writing of ‘lonely
hearts’ ads or Valentine’s Day declarations of love.
Pippa
Lexical items used by male and female speakers in different contexts.