Gender and Language

1. Gender and Language • Little study of women’s speech until 1970s • Lakoff: Genderlectswomen’s speech seen as powerless • Studies of sex differences in speech

2. Studies of sex differences • At first, just added sex as variable • Inconclusive resultsnot clear-cut differences by sexif statistical difference, reason not clear • Form alone (e.g. tag question) not enough; need to consider meaning—e.g., modal and (softening or facilitative) affective tags;

3. Findings consistent with stereotypes accepted, inconsistent explained away • Not useful to treat all women as though alike • Need to consider gender in relation to setting and other social categories

4. Gender and Speech (approaches) • Gender Differences=Deficit • Gender Differences are sub-cultural • Gender Differences reflect dominance

5. Gender Bias in English • All people male until proven female. • Most occupational titles male. Female doctor, female pilot • Acting is masculine passively accepting is female

6. Semantic derogation • Patron Matron • Landlord Landlady • Sir Madam • Governor Governess • Courtier Courtesan

7. Lord Dame • Gentleman Lady • Master Mistress

8. Bias towards women • Innocent term describing women becomes negative, then abusive, then a sexual slur. • More than 500 English words for prostitute.

9. Gender and Speech • Gender is a social construct • Do gender through activity, in interaction with others • Do gender in part through speech • Gender as performed

10. Performative Postmoderns • Gal: Cultural constructions of language behavior not just ideas that differentiate genders in terms of social interaction but are themselves sources of power that are enacted and contested in talk.