Language and Gender Flashcards
What did Robin Lakoff do? 1975
Proposed “women’s language” - a register conveying powerlessness, insecurity and triviality.
What did Judith Butler propose ?
The concept of gender as a “performance” was also later developed by linguist Deborah Cameron
What does polypragmatic mean?
It means something can mean different things in different contexts.
What are some of the features of women’s language identified by Robin Lakoff?
- Question intonation
- Hyper correct grammar
- Use of tag questions indicating tentativeness
- Hedges
- Empty adjectives
What does HOMOGENOUS mean ?
The same
what is the meaning of gender ?
a set of stereotypes about how we are ‘supposed’ to or expected to behave.
What did Judith Butler state?
LANGUAGE CONSTRUCTS GENDER
- performativity -
we PERFORM gender - language. makeup. paralinguistics. clothes (as a baby specifically). subjects. vocal pitch. hair length/style. interests.
- We often reproduce ideas about gender by performing these in our own life. Often we behave according to gender expectations in society. Failure to do this can result in discrimination. BOUNDARY POLICING. Bing and Burgval had the idea that men are masculine , women are feminine , they are opposites but complementary. Men=money + women=kids,home. IDEA OF HETERONORMATIVITY.
What did Scott Kiesling suggest?
The young frat boys use their “hook-up” stories to index their masculinity. Telling stories about their sexual ‘conquests’ and referring to women as “fucking hot ass chicks” showing desire + heterosexuality.
VS
All in long term monogamous relationships SO behaviour was a performance to friends .
MEANING- theory supported is JUDITH BUTLER - PERFORMATIVITY - LANGUAGE CONSTRUCTS GENDER.
What is directive speech?
Speech that tries to get someone to do something.
Outline the O’Barr and Atkins 1980 research.
DIVERSITY MODEL
- Studied language variation in the American trial courtroom. Had a manual for how to treat women (avoid making them cry, they hate to say yes). They used this information in interviews with practice lawyers and found that women adopted some features of Lakoff’s women’s language. Professionals who were familiar with the context of the courtroom showed little hesitancy. Use of women’s language is representative of a lower position in society.
EXAMPLES:
“I felt that she had, uh, might have had a sort of heart attack”
Fillers - Hesitation and hedging - modal auxiliary verb - epistemic modality.
Women interrupted whilst men were hesitant. Subverts gender norms within a patriarchal society.
EVALUATION:
The use of features of women’s language appears to be more closely related to social position or specific context of the courtroom. O’Barr and Atkins suggested renaming women’s language to powerless language because most cases are subjective and individual. Powerful women didn’t use women’s language but powerless men did. - Context and social impact on language use.
Outline what Lakoff did in 1975
DEFICIT MODEL (Deficient/lesser than the male norm)
idea that women’s language reinforces their subordinate position in a patriarchal society. She suggested that women were more polite, seeking approval and confirmation, appearing less certain.
Women’s language differed from that of heterosexual males who would be perceived as “gay” if they used specific lexis eg. precise colour terms eg. periwinkle. Stereotype says girls-elegant and boys-flexible/tough.
EXAMPLES - powerless theme
Don’t understand or tell jokes. Tag questions.
Empty adjectives eg. cute
Hedging “kind of” “sort of”
Politeness strategies
Question intonation
Intensifiers “so” “really”
Uncertainty/ tentativeness
EVALUATION
There is a lack of empirical research as all theories are based on her own research
Educated, white middle class observes (user-related factors - social class / ethnicity) - DOES NOT represent a heterogeneous society.
*See O’Barr and Atkins
Outline the Zimmerman and West research in 1975
Interested in the ways in which males appear to dominate conversations by violating the rules of turn-taking. Examined overlaps and interruptions. Looked at mixed sex and same sex pairs and differences between.
31 conversations
20 same sex
11 different sex
AO1 examples -
Overlaps and interruptions
Same sex pairs - 22 overlaps . 7 interruptions
Mixed sex pairs - 9 overlaps . 48 interruptions
Evaluation -
Interruptions can be viewed as displays of dominance. Delayed minimal responses may be used to signal lack of understanding or interest. Men rarely interrupt each other, only happens when they speak to women. Suggests women are concerned not to violate the man’s turn but men do not take the same approach.
Name the difference model theorists and a brief overview of what they did
DIFFERENCE:
TANNEN - Report vs rapport - women speak to create relationships whilst men offer solutions to feel powerful
GOODWIN - Boys used aggravated directives, women used mitigated directives - sense of inclusivity
ENGLE - Fathers tend to give directions whilst mothers are more polite and endearing.
WEST - Medical settings where males tended to use aggravated directives whilst women used mitigated directives. Females patients were higher in compliance and therefore result.
COATES - Topic development, minimal responses, simultaneous speech, epistemic modality.
PILKINGTON - Gossip
Who refuted Lakoff’s deficit model ‘women’s language’?
O’Barr and Atkins - wanted “women’s language” to be renamed “powerless language”
+
Holmes - Extent to which tag questions link to uncertainty.
What did Fishman say that women had to do ?
The “interactional shit work”
Women had to perform the continuous small talk, keep the men interested despite their attempts to topic shift
