language and gender Flashcards
briefly describe the deficit model
-men’s speech is the standard that all language is measured by
- women’s speech falls short and is weak
briefly describe the dominance theory
men have traditionally more power in society and women have been used to subservient
briefly describe the difference theory
these are differences between men and women’s speech but neither are superior nor inferior
briefly describe the diversity model
- gender is one of many factors that influence language
-there may be more differences between how two women speak compared to how a man and women speak
what was Robin Lakoff’s argument regarding the deficit model
- Lakoff argued that women’s language use reflected their comparative lack of status compared to men
lakoff claimed that women…
- speak less than men
- use more polite forms
- apologise more
- hedge
- diminitives
- use tag questions
what are diminitives
words that create meaning of small/little
eg: cutie, sweetie
what are tag questions
when a statement gets turned into a question
eg: its hot today, isnt it?
describe the dominance model
- female is seen as subordinate group
- female speech is a reesult of male supremacy/patriarchy
- in mixed sex convos men are most likely to interrupt
the dominant model focuses on how men are more dominant in speech through…
- speaking more
- inyerrupting
- holidng the floor
- initiating and shifting topics
describe the study done by Zimmerman and West regarding the dominance theory
- recorded small sample of conversation
- found that in 11 conversations between men and women, men used 46 interruptions whereas women only 2
- conclude that since men interrupt more, they are dominating or attempting to do so
who came up with the difference model?
deborah tannen
describe the difference model
- acknowledges that men and women use language in specific ways, this is becaused they are socialised differently
–> men and women are socialised differently = difference model - language differences are because men are have more power, but because men and women want different things out of the conversation
who came up with the six contrasts?
deborah tannen
what are the six differences discussed by Tannen
1 independence vs intimacy
2 advice vs understanding
3 status vs support
4 orders vs proposals
5 conflict vs compromise
6 information vs feelings
describe independence vs intamacy
- women want closenes and support
- men (concerned with status) focus on independence
describe advice vs understanding
- for men, a complaint is a demand for a solution
- women see it as a request for sympathy
describe status vs support
- men grow in a world where convo is competitive –> they seek to achieve upperhand
- for women, convo is a way to gain support for ideas
describe orders vs proposals
- women phrase things as questions
eg: ‘‘why dont we…’’ - men more likely to use a direct imperative
conflict vs compromise
- women will prevent fighting by saying they agree with something even if they do not
- however, this can lead to resentment and issues further down the line
information vs feelings
- men communicate facts and information rather than ‘filler’
- women are more overt about how they feel
describe Tannen’s report vs raport
- suggested that mens talk can be categorised as report whilst women’s is raport
define sociolect
variation in language use associated with membership of a particular social group
define lavender language
the special dialect and language of the gay community
define intersectionality
all variabales are impactful
