Gender Flashcards
(14 cards)
What is the Deficit Model Theory by Robin Lakoff (1975)?
It suggests women’s language is weak or lacking compared to men’s (e.g. hedges, tag questions, politeness).
What does the Dominance Model argue?
Zimmerman & West (1975) found men interrupt more, dominating conversation in mixed-gender settings.
What is the Difference Model?
Deborah Tannen (1990) suggests men and women have different but equal conversational styles due to socialisation.
What is the Diversity Model?
Deborah Cameron (2008): Language is shaped by many factors (e.g. class, context, power), not just gender.
What does Judith Butler mean by “gender performativity”?
Gender is something people perform through language and behaviour—not a fixed identity.
Give three features of Lakoff’s “women’s language.”
Hedges (“sort of”), tag questions (“isn’t it?”), intensifiers (“really”, “so”).
What did Zimmerman & West find about interruptions?
In mixed conversations, 96% of interruptions were made by men (suggesting dominance).
How do Coates and Pilkington view female talk?
More cooperative, supportive, and collaborative than male talk.
What does Deborah Tannen mean by “status vs. support”?
Men use language to gain status; women use it to build relationships and support.
What is backchanneling?
Supportive responses like “mm-hmm”, “yeah” during conversation – more common in female talk.
What is meant by gender representation in language?
How language portrays gender roles, stereotypes, or norms (e.g. titles like “Mr” vs “Mrs”).
What are androcentric terms?
Male-centred language, e.g. “mankind”, “chairman”.
What is face theory and how does it relate to politeness?
Brown & Levinson: Speakers manage each other’s social “face” through politeness strategies.
What does Deborah Cameron argue about gender and language?
Stereotypes about gendered speech are misleading; context and identity matter more.
