Gender And Language Studies

Question 1

What research was focused on in Milroy’s Belfast study (social networks)?

Answer 1

• Standard and non-standard forms of linguistic variables

- Use of /æ/

Question 2

What was the aim of Milroy’s Belfast study (social networks)?

Answer 2

To investigate the correlation of the integration of individuals in the community and the way they speak.

Question 3

What was the method of Milroy’s Belfast study (social networks)?

Answer 3

• Each individual studied was given a ‘network strength’ score from 1-5.
• The persons use of several linguistic variable whether they were from a closed or open social network was measured.
• The way in which people from this community were linked was also investigated.

Question 4

What were the findings of Milroy’s Belfast study (social networks)?

Answer 4

• Men whose speech revealed frequent use of non-standard forms were found to be in closed social networks.
• Women showed much less frequent use of non-standard forms as they often belong to less dense social networks.

Question 5

What conclusion can be made about Milroy’s Belfast study (social networks)?

Answer 5

The members of closed networks are more likely to be linguistically homogenous - speak similar lexis.

Question 6

What was the aim of Peter Trudgills study on social differentiation in Norwich (1974)?

Answer 6

To examine the correlations between language and social class.

Question 7

What method was used in Peter Trudgills study on social differentiation in Norwich (1974)?

Answer 7

Participants were invited to speak in different situations.
They then had to read a passage containing words where the speaker may use the prestige variant of a sound.
E.g. In words ending in “-ing”, Trudgill wanted to see if participants would drop the ‘g’ and use the alveolar consonant /n/ or not drop it and use the velar consonant /ŋ/.

Question 8

What were the key findings of Peter Trudgills study on social differentiation in Norwich (1974)?

Answer 8

Men were less likely and women more like to use the prestige pronounciate on of certain speech sounds.
Women tended toward hyper-correctness as a result.
Men used more covert prestige forms to appear tough.

Question 9

What did the follow up interview of Peter Trudgills study on social differentiation in Norwich (1974) support?

Answer 9

The view of men as more secure or less socially aspirational.
Both claimed to use more low/high prestige forms than the results showed.

Question 10

What were the 4 reasons according to Trudgill as to why women used more prestige variants?

Answer 10

• Women do child rearing so transmit the culture to their child by socialisation, so are more aware of the importance for their kids.
• Women have a less secure social position so use linguistic means to secure and signal their status.
• Unlike men, women rely on appearance, not occupation/power.
• Labov & Trudgill suggest that working class speech has associations with masculinity, which women deem undesirable.

Question 11

What was the aim of Robin Lakoff’s (1975) study on language and woman’s place?

Answer 11

To investigate whether or not men and women speak differently. To establish general features in speeches of either sex.

Question 12

What were the findings of Robin Lakoff’s (1975) study on language and woman’s place?

Answer 12

Women’s speech contains features making it appear inferior.

Males nominate topics more, interrupt more, hold the floor longer.

Question 13

What were the features of women’s speech found by Robin Lakoff’s (1975) study on language and woman’s place which makes them appear inferior?

Answer 13

• Hedge
• Use of super polite forms
• Use of tag questions
• Speak less frequently
• Overuse qualifiers
• Apologise more
• Use question intonation in declarative statements
• Use hypercorrectness
• Avoid coarse language
• Use more intensifiers
• Use indirect commands and requests
• Lack a sense of humour

Question 14

What conclusions were drawn from Robin Lakoff’s (1975) study on language and woman’s place about the features of women speech?

Answer 14

The linguistic features found, features as subordinate speech that young girls learn which will later be an excuse to keep them in a demeaning position.

Question 15

What are the criticisms of Robin Lakoff’s (1975) study on language and woman’s place?

Answer 15

• Lakoff’s work was not based on empirical research.

- The suggestion of subordinate with ‘weak’ is problematic.

Question 16

What was the aim of William O’Barr and Bowman Atkin’s (1980) study?

Answer 16

To test Lakoff’s 10 basic speech differences between men and women.

Question 17

Which 3 working class communities were conducted on in Milroy’s Belfast study (social networks)?

Answer 17

Bally Maccarrell - Protestant area/East Belfast
Hammer - Protestant area/West Belfast
Clonard - Catholic area/West Belfast

All had high unemployment rates.

Question 18

What was the method used in William O’Barr and Bowman Atkin’s (1980) study?

Answer 18

Court room cases and witnesses speech was examined.

Question 19

What were the key findings of William O’Barr and Bowman Atkin’s (1980) study?

Answer 19

Differences in speech features found by Lakoff are not due to gender but due to power.
The speech patterns found are not characteristics of all women or only women.
Women using lower frequency of women’s language traits had unusually high status.
A corresponding pattern was found amongst men with similar speech.

Question 20

What was the aim of Zimmerman and West’s (1975) study on sex roles, interruptions and silences in conversation?

Answer 20

To investigate the presence of uncooperative interactive features like interruptions in mixed-sex conversations.
To find out whether the gender of conversation participants affected the use of these features.

Question 21

What method was used in Zimmerman and West’s (1975) study on sex roles, interruptions and silences in conversation?

Answer 21

Examining mixed-sex conversations recorded at the university of California.
Participants were white, middle class and under 35.

Question 22

What idea does Zimmerman and West’s (1975) study on sex roles, interruptions and silences in conversation?

Answer 22

The gender of the participant has more important conversational consequences and that interruptions are a way in which power relations may be worked out.

Question 23

What did Pamela Fishman suggest in ‘The work women do’ (1983)?

Answer 23

• Topics have different survival rates depending upon if they are introduced by women or men, the success rate is higher for men.
• Women have to elaborate on topics initiated by men.
• Men tend to adopt non-cooperative feedback signals when being addressed to undermine the speaker and reinforce their dominance.

Question 24

What does Tannen (1992) suggest about men?

Answer 24

They are in a hierarchal social order in which they either one up or one down so conversations are negation as in which people try to achieve and maintain the upper and if they can and protect themselves from other attempts to put them down.

Question 25

What does Tannen (1994) claim is the cause of interruptions?

Answer 25

To understand the pattern that more interruptions occur in all female conversations than in all male conversations, it is necessary to know the context and reason for interruption as well as the speakers habitual and conversational styles.

Question 26

According to Strensom (1994), what are the 3 most obvious reasons for interruptions in a conversation?

Answer 26

• Speaker B is under the impression that speaker A has nothing more to say.
• Speaker B feels they are more well informed and a speaker A need not elaborate on the topic.
• Speaker B wants to speak at a particular point in the ongoing talk before it is too late.

Question 27

What were attitudes to gender and language in the Tudor period?

Answer 27

Many men had ideas on what language was suitable for women.
Grammarian Wilson ruled the male should always precede the female (man/woman, husband/wife).
Another claimed that this was more natural and proper as males are the worthier sex.

Question 28

Who coined the term ‘Received pronounciation’?

Answer 28

A.J. Ellis

Question 29

Who developed the term ‘public school pronounciation’?

Answer 29

Daniel Jones

Question 30

Who enforced the use of advanced RP at the BBC

Answer 30

Lord Reith

Question 31

Who divided RP into ‘conservative’, ‘general’ and ‘advanced’?

Answer 31

AC Gimson

Question 32

Who developed the terms ‘Uppercrust’, ‘Mainstream’ and ‘adoptive’?

Answer 32

John Wells

Question 33

What 4 accents were used in Howard Giles study?

Answer 33

RP
Somerset
South Welsh
Birmingham

Question 34

What are two phonological features of EE.

Answer 34

Glottal stop

Pronouncing /l/ as /w/

Question 35

Who developed EE?

Answer 35

David Rosewarne

Question 36

What did Labov look for in his New York study?

Answer 36

The use of the /r/ sound which indicated social prestige in words like /Ka:r/, not /ka:/.

Question 37

Which 3 stores did Labov’s study occur in?

Answer 37

Saks, fifth avenue
Macy’s
S. Klein, lower east side

Question 38

Who discussed the idea about insulting women through the large number of terms with connotations of promiscuity?

Answer 38

Shirley Russell

Question 39

How many promiscuity terms are present in the lexicon of male non-standard nouns?

Answer 39

26

Some with positive connotation

Question 40

How many promiscuity terms are present in the lexicon of female non-standard nouns?

Answer 40

220

All with disapproving connotation

Question 41

What’s an objection to Russell’s idea?

Answer 41

Usually only women who use the positive promiscuous terms when describing men, not other men, however both men and women use disapproving promiscuity terms when describing women.

Question 42

What’s an issue facing some speakers and listeners of occupational lexis?

Answer 42

Some words (doctor, nurse) have gender neutral denotation but not gender neutral connotation for all speakers and listeners.

Question 43

What are the jobs ‘actress’, ‘stewardess’ and ‘waitress’ examples of?

Answer 43

Forms that differentiate by gender in adding diminutive affixes.