Gender Glossary Flashcards
Covert prestige
Status and prestige gained from using a non-standard variety of English
Gender
Behavioural characteristics brought about by a socialisation process and cultural influences
Gender exclusive language
When the male pronoun is applied to an unspecified individual (e.g “If anyone would like to apply, he may do so inside”)
Gender inclusive language
When both male and female pronouns are used to refer to an unspecified individual (e.g. “If anyone would like to apply, he or she may do so inside”)
Genderlect
The particular language used by men and women according to their gender
Gender neutral terms
Words or phrases that avoid bias towards a particular gender (e.g. one, they and them, xer)
Gender paradox
The phenomenon that women use more prestigious standard forms of English than men but that they also lead language change by adopting new forms of everyday English
Hegemonic masculinity
Behaviours and language associated with the idealised male group that is seen as having the most power and status in society
To hold the conversational floor
To speak until the speaker is either finished with what they have to say or are interrupted
Hypercorrection
The use of higher status variants in formal styles by lower status groups in a linguistic community, more frequently than the higher status groups
Lexical asymmetry
A power imbalance between two apparently matched terms e.g. bachelor vs spinster
Linguistic determinism
Representations of gender create stereotypes
Linguistic reflectionism
Representations of gender reflect stereotypes
Marked term
The non-standard form of a term, often shown by an additional suffix (e.g. priest > priestess)
Material verb process
Verbs associated with actions and doing
Mental verb process
Verbs associated with thinking and feeling or perception
Overt marking
Marking a word through a modifier or affix (e.g. Lady doctor, male nurse)
Overt prestige
Status and prestige gained by speakers using the “standard” or “correct” way of speaking
Performativity
The ability to use speech and other methods of communication to construct or perform an identity
Reclamation
The cultural process of removing negative associations with a particular term that has been used by a dominant group against a specific, less powerful group
Sex
The biological difference between men and women
Social constructivism
When importance is placed on social interaction as constructing identity and people coming together to form a shared construction of the world
Unmarked term
The regular or usual form of the term
Uptalk
Where declarative statements end in a raising intonation
Vocalfry
A vocal effect produced by slow vibration of the vocal chords: characterised by a creaking sound and low pitch
Valley girl
The colloquial dialect associated with Californian English, specifically the stereotype of adolescent or younger women who use this
