Robin Lakoff - Deficit model

Question 1

Language and Woman’s place (1975)

Answer 1

her theory states that all children’s first language is ‘women’s language’ learnt from their mothers before they go to school. Boys then unlearn this language and begin speaking the language of power whilst girls continue using the weaker version.

Question 2

1. Women’s work words

Answer 2

related to a women’s specific interests i.e sewing and colour terms. (unimportant subjects)

Question 3

2. Adjectives of approval

Answer 3

women only adjectives include ‘adorable, charming, lovely’ which for a man, is damaging to his reputation.

Question 4

3. Weak expletives

Answer 4

instead of swear words, Lakoff states women are forbidden to display anger or to express opinions forcefully.

Question 5

4. Using the intensifier ‘so’ inconclusively

Answer 5

this is again supposed to be a way of avoiding strong statements or committing yourself to an opinion

Question 6

5. Extensive use of tag questions

Answer 6

to add uncertainty to a statement, so that the speaker doesn’t impose her point of view on anyone

Question 7

6. Use of hedges

Answer 7

I.e ‘sort of, kind of’ which also adds uncertainty

Question 8

7. Hypercorrect grammar

Answer 8

women are more likely to comply with grammatical rules

Question 9

8. rising intonation

Answer 9

weakness and uncertainty

Question 10

Extras

Answer 10

high level of polite forms, implication, euphemisms and they cannot tell jokes

Question 11

Lakoff explains:

Answer 11

to succeed in a male-dominated world, women must become bilingual

Question 12

Evaluation weakness:

Answer 12

for women’s work words, those with an occupation of decorating will know more terms for colours

Question 13

Evaluation weakness:

Answer 13

lacks temporal validity, old theory

Question 14

Evaluation weakness: Dubois & Crouch (1975)

Answer 14

recorded speech at an academic conference and found that the men used tag questions far more than women

Question 15

Evaluation strength: Fishman (1980)

Answer 15

recorded 52 hours of conversation between young American couples and found that the women used three times as many yes/no and tag questions as the men. BUT they were trying to keep the conversation going

Question 16

Janet Holmes (1984)

Answer 16

61% of modal tags were used by men (seeking information) and 75% of facilitative tags were used by women (softening comments and finding solidarity)

Question 17

Dale spender

Answer 17

suggests that intensifiers and qualifiers are taken as evidence as certainty and authority when men use them

Question 18

O’barr & Atkins (1980) renamed ‘powerless language’

Answer 18

analysed 150 hours of trials and found that women’s language was not used by all women, men used it and the speakers status & experience determined their language use

Question 19

Candace West

Answer 19

look at doctor-patient conversations and found that doctors interrupt their patients unless the doctor is a woman and the patient is a white man

Question 20

Nicola Woods (1989)

Answer 20

recorded conversations between colleagues and found that even when the woman in the group had the highest status, it was the man who dominated the conversation