Theorists for Language and Gender - Hedging + Tag Questions

Question 1

Who did a study in 1975?

Answer 1

Lakoff

Question 2

What did Lakoff’s study look at?

Answer 2

Mainly looking at the features of women’s language

Question 3

What was a flaw in Lakoff’s study?

Answer 3

She had no imperial research

Question 4

What did Lakoff believe about women’s language?

Answer 4

They are unassertive and therefore powerless. This is because they are not taught to use language in this way

Question 5

In Lakoff’s study how did women use hedges and tag questions?

Answer 5

They used more than the men did

Question 6

Who did a study in 1989?

Answer 6

Coates

Question 7

What did Coates’ study look at?

Answer 7

How people use speech to be less face threatening through the use of hedging

Question 8

What did Coates’ study find?

Answer 8

Women are more sensitive and polite in their language use and use hedging differently to men as they don’t want to upset others.

Question 9

How do men and women use hedging according to Coates’ study?

Answer 9

They use hedging DIFFERENTLY.
Women use it to be less face threatening to others
Men use it so as not to lose their own face

Question 10

Who did two studies in 1987?

Answer 10

Holmes

Question 11

What did Holmes’ first study look at?

Answer 11

Particularly looking at hedging and how there are two different ways in which to use the hedge “you know”

Question 12

What were the two different ways to use the hedge “you know” that Holmes looked at?

Answer 12

Confident “you know”

Uncertain “you know”

Question 13

How did men and women use these two different types of hedges?

Answer 13

Women used more of the confident “you know” than men

Question 14

How does this way of women using hedges challenge Lakoff’s ideas about women’s language?

Answer 14

Lakoff believes that women’s language in unassertive and powerless. However Holmes found that out of the two different types of hedges, women used the more confident of the two more and also used it more than men did. This contradicts Lakoff’s ideas.

Question 15

What did Holmes’ second study look at?

Answer 15

Particularly looking at tag questions and the different types that exist such as modal and affective.

Question 16

What are the two type of tag questions which Holmes devised?

Answer 16

Modal

Affective

Question 17

What does a modal tag question do?

Answer 17

Expresses a degree of certainty

Question 18

What are the two different type of affective tag questions?

Answer 18

Facilitative

Softening

Question 19

What does the Facilitative Affective tag question do?

Answer 19

Helps and reassures the other person

Question 20

What does the Softening Affective tag question do?

Answer 20

Is less face threatening to the other person

Question 21

What were the results of the different tag questions? (Which genders used the most of the different types)

Answer 21

Modal - men used twice as many (this was their most used)
Facilitative affective - women used twice as many (this was their most used)
Softening affective - very little difference (was least used overall)

Question 22

What did Holmes’ different types of tag questions conclude?

Answer 22

Men and women use them DIFFERENTLY
Men use them to “check things out”
Women use them to build and maintain relationships

Question 23

Who did a study in 2002?

Answer 23

Irwin

Question 24

What did Irwin’s study look at?

Answer 24

Looking at how “like” is used as a hedge

Looking more at younger people

Question 25

What did Irwin’s study find?

Answer 25

That girls used the hedge "like" more than boys
People from a middle class used it more than people from a working class