Language and gender
Introduction to sociolinguistics
Why can’t a woman be
more like a man?
- My Fair Lady
Reality check (1)
• women - talk more
• men - swear more, don't
than men, talk too
talk about emotions, talk
much, are more polite,
about sport more, talk
are indecisive/hesitant,
about women and
complain and nag, ask
machines in the same way,
more questions,
insult each other frequently,
support each other,
are competitive in
are more co-operative
conversation, dominate
conversation, speak with
more authority, give more
commands, interrupt more.
Living Language (2000) by
George Keith and John
Shuttleworth
Women’s language
(Lakoff, 1975)
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Hedge: using phrases like “sort of”, “kind of”, “it seems like”,and so on.
Use (super)polite forms: “Would you mind...”,“I'd appreciate it if...”, “...if you don't mind”.
Use tag questions: “You're going to dinner, aren't you?”
Speak in italics: intonational emphasis equal to underlining words - so, very, quite.
Use empty adjectives: divine, lovely, adorable, and so on
Use hypercorrect grammar and pronunciation: English prestige grammar and clear
enunciation.
Use direct quotation: men paraphrase more often.
Have a special lexicon: women use more words for things like colours, men for sports.
Use question intonation in declarative statements: women make declarative statements into
questions by raising the pitch of their voice at the end of a statement, expressing uncertainty.
For example, “What school do you attend? Eton College?”
Use “wh-” imperatives: (such as, “Why don't you open the door?”)
Speak less frequently
Overuse qualifiers: (for example, “I Think that...”)
Apologise more: (for instance, “I'm sorry, but I think that...”)
Use modal constructions: (such as can, would, should, ought - “Should we turn up the
heat?”)
Avoid coarse language or expletives
Use indirect commands and requests: (for example, “My, isn't it cold in here?” - really a
request to turn the heat on or close a window)
Use more intensifiers: especially so and very (for instance, “I am so glad you came!”)
Lack a sense of humour: women do not tell jokes well and often don't understand the punch
line of jokes.
Reality check
Fact:
Women use more standard
speech forms than men.
Why?
A1: The social status
• Women are status-conscious
– The way they speak shows their social
class or social status.
A2: Women’s role
• The society expects ‘better’ behavior
from women than from women.
A3: Subordinate groups must be
polite
• Women as a subordinate group
– Avoid offending men.
– Use polite speech
– Protect women’s ‘face’.
A4: machismo
• Vernacular forms express machismo.
A5: Contextual factor
• A reflection of women’s sensibility to
contextual factors.
– Standard speech in formal contexts.
MEN-WOMEN
INTERACTIONS
General Styles
• Men tend to be more competitive and
less supportive of others
• Women are more cooperative.
Interruptions
• In cross-gender interactions, almost all
the interruptions were from men.
– In meetings
– In doctor-patient interactions
– Parents and children
• Pre-school boys interrupt too.
– Women are socialized from early childhood
to expect to be interrupted.
Feedback
• Women provide more encouraging
feedback.
Women’s gossip
• Description
– Easy and idle in-group talk in informal
contexts
• Function
– To affirm solidarity
– To maintain the social relstionships
Linguistic features of the gossip
• Propositions which express feelings are
often intensified.
• Complete each other’s utterances,
agree frequently, and provide
supportive feedback.
“Gossip is good for women's health.”
• “The research reveals a woman is happier
and healthier if she enjoys a regular chat with
her female friend because it boosts levels of
progesterone, a hormone shown to reduces
levels of anxiety and stress.” (The Telegraph,
June 10, 2009)
– http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/women_shealth/
5496680/Gossip-is-good-for-womens-healthscientists-claim.html
The construction of gender
• Gender identity
– Women adapt to masculine contexts
– Men adapt to feminine contexts.
Sexism in language
We hold these truths to be
self-evident: That all men are
created equal
- Declaration of Independence, 1776.
Sexism in language
• Generic ‘he’ and ‘man’
– Man has been civilized for centuries. He no longer
needs to hunt for food for his women and children.
• The male form is unmarked; the female form
is marked.
– Prince; princess.
• Animal/food imagery
– Bitch, chick,
– Sugar, honey, sweetie