gender theories

Question 1

Trudgill (1992)- difference theory

Answer 1

-social values rather than biology
-women value overt prestige
-men value covert prestige

Question 2

Zimmerman and West 1975- dominance model

Answer 2

-11 samples: under 35s, middle class, white
-men interrupt women (46:2)
-men use language to dominate

Question 3

jeffery baety 1982

Answer 3

counter argument to Zimmerman and west
-557 conversations
-men and women interrupt equal amount of times

Question 4

Deficit model, Robin Lakoff, 1975

Answer 4

-women are weaker than men due to social conditioning
-women use different language conventions: hedging, tag questions, intensifiers, politeness, euphemistic terms

Question 5

Difference model, Deborah Tannen 1990

Answer 5

-when a man and women interplay the same interchange in conflicting ways
-men: monitor interactions for signals of power and status
-women:monitor interactions for alignment and solidarity
-challenges the idea that men and women speak differently, due to expectations placed on us by society

Question 6

Dominance model- Dale Spender

Answer 6

-women trapped in a language dominated by men
-taboo words about women
-Sapir Whorf hypothesis (male norm)

Question 7

Julia Stanley 1973

Answer 7

male norm: neutral words involve men and women need new terms eg: actor and actress, businessman (male norm)

Question 8

Dominance model, Pamela Fishman 1983

Answer 8

studied 52 hours of mixed gender interactions
found that women do “shit work” which are chores in conversation. This replicates the domestic chores they are expected to do
-women create an inclusive conventional atmosphere
-men tend to be involved in a conversation when it interests them

Question 9

O’Barr and Atkins

Answer 9

Studied a courtroom and found that “women communication” (Lakoff) was found in both men and women of lower class. This suggests that the language isn’t used by just women but people who feel powerless.