The Deficit Model Flashcards
What is it?
Women’s language use contributes to women’s lower status & weaker position in society
Lakoff & Women’s Place 1975
Women fundamentally missing something from their language it is weaker.
Some of Lakoff’s features
Hedges ‘I think’ Super polite forms Tag qs Indirect commands Apologise more Aren’t funny
Limitations of Lakoff’s study- what did she say?
Based on observations, no research conducted
Outdated
‘It is my impression, though I don’t have precise statistical evidence’
Otto Jesperson date
1922
4 main points Otto Jesperson made
Indirect expressions so not as effective as men
Women’s vocab smaller & men responsible for intro of new words
Man’s language is normative
Novels written by women easier to read
Otto Jesperson limit
Conducted none of own research. All ideas based on literature & works of fiction. Quoted others who hadn’t done any work either
Ann Weatherhall
Women use more hedges like ‘I think’ or ‘perhaps’ to be co-operative in conversation because they’re uncertain.
Women speak less, interrupt less & use more tag qs
O’Barr and Atkins- date of study
1980
O’Barr & Atkins- how long was the study of courtroom footage and how many hours of trial recorded?
30 month study and 150 hours
What did O’Barr & Atkins suggest about language AGAINST DEFICIT MODEL
Powerless language was NOT a gendered concept
O’BARR & ATKINS - what did they find about women who used the lowest frequency of Lakoff’s traits?
Had an unusually high status
Traits used by powerless men & women
Limit of O’Barr & Atkins
Outdated
Who supports O’Barr & Atkins and disagrees with the Deficit Model?
Judith Baxter
What does Judith Baxter challenge?
The traditional thought that women are disempowered in mix-sex convos
