Language And Gender Flashcards
What book did Jespersen publish in 1922?
Language: Its Nature, Development and Origins
What was Jespersen’s argument regarding male language forms?
Male language forms were the norm and the language of others (including women) is deficient
Whose theory is based on Jespersen’s argument?
Robin Lakoff’s theory
Define ‘deficit’ in the context of language.
The amount by which something is less than required or expected
What book did Robin Lakoff publish in 1975?
Language and Women’s Place
What criticism did Lakoff’s work receive?
It lacked statistical evidence and was based on subjective impressions
List three features of female speech according to Lakoff.
- Hedges
- Empty-adjectives
- Super polite forms
What is the focus of Fishman’s dominance model published in 1983?
Tag questions in conversations between young American couples
How much more frequently did women use tag questions according to Fishman?
Four times more
What term did Fishman use to describe the conversational work women do?
Conversational ‘shitwork’
What book did Tannen publish in 1990?
You Just Don’t Understand
According to Tannen, how is male language characterized?
Status and dominance, independence, advice, information, orders, conflict
According to Tannen, how is female language characterized?
Support and agreement, intimacy, understanding, feelings, proposals, compromise
What hypothesis did Hyde propose in 2005?
Gender Similarities hypothesis
What did Hyde argue regarding male and female language?
There are more similarities than differences
What did Cheshire conclude about boys’ use of language in 1982?
Boys use non-standard forms more frequently than girls
What did Cheshire find about girls’ language use?
Girls’ language is a personal process
What notion did Cameron criticize in 2008?
Innate differences in male and female speech
What did Zimmerman & West establish in 1975?
Men interrupt more than women
What conclusion did O’Barr and Atkins reach in 1980 regarding language differences?
Language differences are situation specific
What mistake did Butler argue against in 1990?
Reinforcing a binary view on gender
Define ‘binary’ as used in the context of gender.
Related to, composed of, or involving two things
What did Talbot state about gender in 2010?
Gender is socially constructed
What is a social construct?
Something that exists as a result of human interaction and agreement
