Soci 301-Lecture 6 Flashcards
Is language the preferred method of communication in our culture?
yes, it is the fuel we use to empower interactions
Is there power in the word “I”?
yes, supercharged word
Can people use language as a tool of manipulation and coercion?
yes, effects what we expect in return
Do people use vagueness and ambivalence in their utterances to help them achieve their goals?
yes, subtle ways of sending messages
Do some people simply talk too much?
yes, those who ramble, like to hear themselves speak, or get boring.
According to experts is a substantial portion of our communication nonverbal?
yes, respond to thousands of nonverbal cues
gestures
deliberate movements used to communicate
paralinguistics
extralinguistic content like voice, like loudness, like infection, like pitch.
proxemics
study spatial distances between individuals
eye gaze
important nonverbal behaviours
haptics
relating to the sense of touch
Are men and women are socialized to present themselves differently?
yes, gender is a social construct
sociolinguistic perspective
superficial differences
ethnolinguistic perspective
more profound differences
Do many languages force men and women to very their usage of particular sounds, grammatical features, or words?
yes, prescription not absolute
Within a speech community do all members make use of the same inventory of sounds?
yes, children exposed to all the sounds
Can pronunciation act as a sociolinguistic marker of gender?
yes, women more sensitive
“female” speech
specific constellation of speech made by women
What does standard pronunciation symbolize?
“formal” rather than “informal”
overt prestige
prestige from using correct speech
covert prestige
prestige comes from using incorrect speech referenced by a specific reference group
intonation
complex combination of rhythm overlaying utterances
range (pick either narrow or dynamic)
narrow: range control and restraint
dynamic: indicating emotionality
“female” intonation
rising inflexion at end of declarative statement
a social function of “female” intonation
gain and hold listener attention
are grammatical differences in gender well document
no, pronunciation differences
Reading, England data
boys use nonstandard speech
tag questions
speaker makes a declarative statement and adds a “tag” in the form of a question
use of modal tags
request information
use of affective tags
soften command
use of facilitative tags
turn-taking
Do both men and women sometimes employ linguistic devices that show the speaker to be indecisive, imprecise, or to soften their speech?
yes, indicates dominant/submissive relationships
Are there domain variations?
yes, each side has more lexicons in some areas
Do the use of modifiers (adjectives and adverbs) vary?
yes, women
Are there gendered differences in the use of directives?
yes, men
hedge words
words that covertly comment on statements
Are there are gender-related differences in turn-taking, topic introduction and control, and mechanisms of signaling active listening?
yes, either talkativeness or emotional expression
talkativeness
women are more talkative
emotion
emotions quiet men down
Is there a clear inequality in rights of men and women engaged in conversation?
yes, men use mechanisms of power
What is the most significant factor in maintaining a conversation?
response to co-participants
Why is gender in language an important issue?
vehicle for expressing cultural models
semantic derogation
words gaining negative meaning
Are the terms “he” and “man” seen as gender neutral?
no, not gender-neutral
Are swear words all the same type of words?
no, either profanities or obscenities
Are there approximately equal number of swear words that are girl and boy based?
no, probably twice as many words that reference females
How much does the average person swear?
about 0.7% of the words a day
When do children learn to swear?
three or four
Where did the “f-bomb” come from?
Romans
How does Japanese society stratify itself? (pick 2 of 3)
- class
- gender
- age
How does the Japanese system show behaviorally?
-bowing
How does the Japanese system show linguistically?
through all levels
