Gender, Sexuality and Variation

Question 1

Language and a woman’s place - Lakoff 2004

Answer 1

• assumes 1:1 relationship between linguistic form and function (for example suggesting tag questions show hesitancy)
• argues people are socialised into using language
• argues women’s language submerges a woman’s personal identity - sees language as an oppressive force
• deficit approach, treats male language as default/norm
• explores hedges, empty adjective, super polite forms, tag questions

Question 2

Language and a woman’s place - Lakoff 2004 - Criticisms

Answer 2

• rooted in feminism for middle class white women
• explores power but ignores intersectionality
  _ cameron opposingly argues that tag questions have strength to facilitate conversation - Lakoff doesn’t consider multifunctional use of language
• just because some women use these features doesn’t mean it encapsulates all of women’s language

Question 3

Cameron 4 stages of homosexual research

Answer 3

Phase 1 : Essentialist phase
- Legman’s list - 1920-40s - homosexuality seen as pathology - focused on vocabulary
Phase 2: Social Constructionist phase
- gay liberation movement - shift away from pathology to identity - scholars have political stake
Phase 3: Identity politics phase
- conflict between ‘old style and new style homosexuals’ - influenced by women’s language and Black Vernacular
Phase 4: Post Identity politics phase
- move to idea of ‘queer’ - move away from identity politics - how queer identity reflected through language - identity seen as effect of language rather than source - identity created through language use

Question 4

Labov 1990 - Intersection between sex and social class in the course of linguistic change

Answer 4

• argues stable linguistic variation show

Question 5

Labov 1990 - Intersection between sex and social class in the course of linguistic change

Answer 5

• argues stable linguistic variation show