Gender and Language Flashcards
Stereotypes?
A widely held but fitted and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.
Gendered adjectives?
Male- Courageous, Daring, Rational, Dominant.
Female- Fussy, Sentimental, Flirtatious.
A theory for gendered adjectives?
Julia Stanley- Compared lists- more positive words fot men.
220 for a a sexual promiscuous female- sexual undertones compared 20.
Grammar- he refer to all up till 20th.
Language embodies sexual inequality
Muriel Shultz
Gendered terms of address?
Lord, Lady
Bachelor, Spinster
Master, Mistress
Marked and unmarked terms?
Police Officer, Police man
Male nurse, Nurse.
Hero, Heroine
A theory for umarked and marked terms?
Anne Bodine - ANDROCENTRIC LANGAUGE- ‘MAN’ is the generic term. ‘Guys’. Patriarchal order. Masculine terms and the norm.
sets a different standard for how men and women are described and defined.
Deficit Theory
Robin Lakoff 1975 (she) in an article called 'Woman's Language'. Women: Hedges (Super) polite forms Tag questions- confirmation- status vs support Speaking in italics Empty adjectives Hypercorrect grammar and spelling Direct quotations Special lexicons- colour Less frequently Overuse qualifiers Apologies Less expletives Lack a sense of humor Indirect requests Modal Constructions Intensifiers More 'w' imperatives- 'why don't we go out?'
Dominance Theory
Dale Spender, Pamela Fishman, Don Zimmerman and Candace West. 1975.
Men are more dominant and likely to interrupt than woman when engaged in a mixed-sex conversation (small limited sample- under 35, white, middle class- criticized) (Uni of Cali). 11 conversations.
Men-46
Women-2
Difference Theory
Deborah Tannen- You Just Don’t Understand Women 1990.- Book
Series of contrasts between how men and woman communicate.
Status vs support
Men grow up in a world where conversation is competitive and therefore strive to ensure others don’t dominate them.
Women use language to gain support and confirmation rather than status.
Independence vs intimacy
Men- concentrated with status so focus more on independence. A single person in a relationship, not dependant on partner.
Women- think in terms of intimacy, seeking support and closeness from their partner. Lean into partner and rely on them. The concept of women being dependant on men.
Advice vs understanding
Men- like to find solutions.
Women- seek sympathy and understanding.
Information vs feelings
Men- exchange info briefly e.g. meeting time.
Women- spend an hour on the phone talking about feelings and emotions.
Orders vs proposals
Men- make orders by using more direct imperatives.
Women- suggest things in more indirect ways.
Conflict vs compromise
Men- more likely to voice their opposition to a suggestion in the workplace.
Women- less likely to object and assert themselves. They might delay their opposition to the suggestions and complain later.
Peter Trudgill
1970s. Subjects grouped social class and sex- see different in pronunciation while reading a passage.
Women- hypercorrectness and prestige pronunciation.
Men- low prestige pronunciation- seeking covert (hidden) prestige by appearing tough and down to Earth.
Could depend on region and elision links/slang.
Deborah Jones
1990 study of women’s oral structure. Split women’s communication into 4.
It is outdated and sexist and a traditional view.
House Talk
Exchange of info and resources with female role as occupation
Scandal
Considered judging of the behavior of others (esp. women)- terms of domestic morality of which women have been appointed guardians.
Bitching
Result of this is as someone doesn’t have social standing to be heard (private)- overt expression of woman’s anger and restricted role. Aim not to change but be understood by others and it is expected.
Chatting
Most intimate form- a mutual self-disclosure, a transaction where women use language to own advantage of their role as nurturing.
Gender and parent and child relationships
Fathers- do most of the interrupting.
Daughters- interrupted more than sons by both parents.
Age- might change it.
GRIEF
Women in business organizations
Interrupted less when they are managers than when subordinates (power).
Overall- still interrupted more than men.
Environments and social factors- could change this.
Where do stereotypes come from?
Media Parents/family/friends and comments made, values, opinions What morals they are taught Advertising Childhood activities and toys.
