Language And Gender

Question 1

Jennifer Coates

Answer 1

Women collaborate, men compete.

Men and women simply converse differently, but topics tend to be similar.

Question 2

Report talk

Answer 2

Used by men to be direct in conversation.

Question 3

Rapport talk

Answer 3

Used by women to create and sustain relationships.

Question 4

Zimmerman and West

Answer 4

1975
Studied conversations on 11 subjects (who were white, middle-class, under 35 year olds) and stated that men interrupted 96-100% more than women.

Question 5

Who can challenge Zimmerman and west?

Answer 5

Beattie

Question 6

Geoffrey Beattie

Answer 6

He discovered that there is an equal number of interruptions by men and women and is more valid than Z and W because he studied over 10 times as many people.

Question 7

Robin Lakoff deficit theory

Answer 7

1975
She made a list of features of spoken language that makes women’s language seem ‘weak’ e.g
Hyper correct grammar, less swearing , tag questions (…aren’t you?) and over-apologising.

Question 8

Drawbacks of Robin Lakoffs deficit theory

Answer 8

Lack of statistical evidence, wasn’t a long term study and subjective (doesn’t represent every woman).

Question 9

Validity of Robin Lakoffs ideas in the 21st century

Answer 9

Women feel safer to call out men on misogyny more than in the 70’s. Gender is more fluid than it has ever been. Did she ever test/examine men’s speech?

Question 10

Who can challenge Robin Lakoff?

Answer 10

O’Barr and Atkins

Question 11

O’Barr and Atkins

Answer 11

1980
They found that in a courtroom setting the lower class men used Lakoff’s language features (powerless language). This implies that it is potentially not to do with gender, but power

Question 12

Deborah Jones

Answer 12

Researched gossiping amongst women and called it ‘house talk’ which comes in 3 categories:
Scandal, Bitching and chatting.

Question 13

Difference models

Answer 13

These have the idea that men and women are simply inherently different.

Question 14

Deborah Tannen

Answer 14

Defined 6 clear continuum’s of difference between the genders

Question 15

Advice vs understanding

Answer 15

Men would rather find a solution

Question 16

Orders vs ?

Answer 16

Proposals

Question 17

Status vs support

Answer 17

Men desire to be in control

Question 18

Information vs

Answer 18

Feelings

Question 19

Independence vs ?

Answer 19

Intimacy

Question 20

Conflict vs ?

Answer 20

Compromise

Question 23

Dominance theory, dale spender

Answer 23

He believes there is a culture of ‘male as the norm’ because they’re always introduced first- ‘mr and mrs’, ‘lord and lady’ and ‘mankind’

Question 24

Otto Jesperson

Answer 24

1922

Researched that women speak without thinking and so use more non-fluency features.

Question 25

Peter Trudgill

Answer 25

1974
Regardless of social class, women are more likely to pronounce the final ‘g’ to seek acceptance through this pronunciation because they’re more status conscious. This is the opposite for men because they want to seem more down to earth.

Question 26

Limitations of Peter Trudgill’s ideas

Answer 26

It wasn’t only women who were conscious about social status, but men too. Peter Trudgill was middle class and interviewed working class people which may have influenced how the working class spoke.

Question 27

Validity of Peter Trudgill’s work

Answer 27

He acknowledges factors other than gender to be influential.

Question 30

Janet Hyde

Answer 30

2002-modern and well-researched!
Conducted a meta analysis of gender differences. She stated that genders are more similar than different. The differences she observed were nearly non-existent. She also thinks that factors beyond gender are more influential in shaping someone’s speech pattern and behaviour.

Question 31

Jenny Cheshire

Answer 31

1982
Overall boys use more non-standard forms more frequently than girls and she concluded that ‘variation is controlled by both social and linguistic factors’.

Question 32

Deborah Cameron

Answer 32

2007-the myth of Mars and Venus

She challenges John Gray’s book and believes that the differences may have biological, rather than social causes.

Question 33

What book did John Gray write?

Answer 33

‘Men are from Mars, women are from Venus’

The book states that most common relationship problems between the sexes are a result of psychological differences.

Question 34

Did John Gray have any training?

Answer 34

No, he had no evidence and no psychological knowledge or training.