P2SB: Language and Gender

Question 1

The “Deficit” Approach / Dominance Approach (Robin Lakoff)

Answer 1

focuses on women’s relative powerlessness vis a vis men in describing and explaining women’s vs. men’s language. Men tend to assert dominance more than women through their linguistic patterns, consequently placing women in a subordinate position

Question 2

The Difference Approach (Tannen) / Social Constructionism

Answer 2

posits that women and men comprise separate subcultures and that it is early enculturation rather than inherent weakness or other essential characteristics that accounts for women’s different language usages

Question 3

The Dynamic Approach (Cameron)

Answer 3

hypothesises that ‘women’s language’ is not used only be women, but by men as well. These two genders use Lakoff’s features of ‘women’s language’ at different times, adopting both cooperative and competitive styles depending on the given context.

Question 4

Performativity (Judith Butler)

Answer 4

posits that gender and gender roles are elaborate social performances that one puts on in day-to-day life

• in order to be a man or woman, you have to repeat feminine or masculine attitudes every day, based on societal heteronormativity

Question 5

essentialism

Answer 5

the belief that people have properties that are essential to what they are

“born this way” type shi

Question 6

naturalisation

Answer 6

the performance of normative gender is naturalised

“what’s normal in your culture?”

Question 7

social constructionism

Answer 7

gender is not a universal phenomenon which is the same in all historical times and cultural spaces

(belief that ‘man’ and ‘woman’ are cultural constructs which are subject to constant changes)