Gender Flashcards
What is the deficit theory?
Women’s language is inferior to men’s. Less authoritative
Who is the theorist of the deficit model?
Lakoff 1975
Why is women’s language deficient?
Socialisation
What characterises women’s language as deficient?
Hedges Tag questions Politeness Empty adjectives Apologetic Euphemisms
What is the dominance theory?
Men are more likely to interrupt than women. Therefore they are dominating
Who is the theorist of the dominance model?
Zimmerman and West 1975
Why is men’s language dominant?
Fishman built on the theory and stated that language is driven by their hierarchical position
What is the difference theory?
Men and women have separate linguistic subcultures but neither is better nor worse
Who is the theorist of the difference theory?
Tannen 1990
Why are men and women’s language different?
Result of socialisation
What are the two main differences in men and women’s language?
Women focus on relationships and feelings - ‘rapport style’
Men focus on power and competition - ‘report style’
What are the six series of contrasts in men and women’s language?
Status vs Support Advice vs Understanding Orders vs Proposals Independence vs Intimacy Information vs Feelings Conflict vs Compromise
What is the dynamic theory?
More similarities than differences between male and female language. Any differences may be due to more than just gender (age, class, ethnicity, education, occupation etc)
Who is the theorist of the dynamic theory?
Hyde 2005
