language and gender

Question 1

What is the difference between sex and gender?

Answer 1

sex - the biological differences between males and females
gender - the behavioural differences as a result of societal expectations

Question 2

What is gender as essence?

Answer 2

gender is:
- a fixed biological factor that is predetermined and pre-social
- essential, universal, stable and reflected in personality

Question 3

What is gender as construct?

Answer 3

gender is:
- constructed through language and culture by society
- a social phenomena

Question 4

What is gender as performance?

Answer 4

gender is:
- fluid, not what we inherently have but the effects that we perform by our activities
- under constant change
- not an identity

Question 5

What is the deficit model?

Answer 5

• Women’s language is assumed to be weak in relation to a male norrm
• Male speech is the standard
  Lakoff 1970

Question 6

What is the dominance model?

Answer 6

• Men have traditionally had more power in society and women have been used to being subservient = this causes the language differences
• Spender 1980

Question 7

What is the difference model?

Answer 7

• Men’s speech is like cross-cultural communication, it isn’t different or inferior/superior
• ‘the effect of dominance isn’t always the result of an intention to dominate’
• Tannen 1990