Theorists for Language and Gender - Hedging + Tag Questions Flashcards
Who did a study in 1975?
Lakoff
What did Lakoff’s study look at?
Mainly looking at the features of women’s language
What was a flaw in Lakoff’s study?
She had no imperial research
What did Lakoff believe about women’s language?
They are unassertive and therefore powerless. This is because they are not taught to use language in this way
In Lakoff’s study how did women use hedges and tag questions?
They used more than the men did
Who did a study in 1989?
Coates
What did Coates’ study look at?
How people use speech to be less face threatening through the use of hedging
What did Coates’ study find?
Women are more sensitive and polite in their language use and use hedging differently to men as they don’t want to upset others.
How do men and women use hedging according to Coates’ study?
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
Who did two studies in 1987?
Holmes
What did Holmes’ first study look at?
Particularly looking at hedging and how there are two different ways in which to use the hedge “you know”
What were the two different ways to use the hedge “you know” that Holmes looked at?
Confident “you know”
Uncertain “you know”
How did men and women use these two different types of hedges?
Women used more of the confident “you know” than men
How does this way of women using hedges challenge Lakoff’s ideas about women’s language?
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.
What did Holmes’ second study look at?
Particularly looking at tag questions and the different types that exist such as modal and affective.
What are the two type of tag questions which Holmes devised?
Modal
Affective
What does a modal tag question do?
Expresses a degree of certainty
What are the two different type of affective tag questions?
Facilitative
Softening
What does the Facilitative Affective tag question do?
Helps and reassures the other person
What does the Softening Affective tag question do?
Is less face threatening to the other person
What were the results of the different tag questions? (Which genders used the most of the different types)
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)
What did Holmes’ different types of tag questions conclude?
Men and women use them DIFFERENTLY
Men use them to “check things out”
Women use them to build and maintain relationships
Who did a study in 2002?
Irwin
What did Irwin’s study look at?
Looking at how “like” is used as a hedge
Looking more at younger people
What did Irwin’s study find?
That girls used the hedge "like" more than boys People from a middle class used it more than people from a working class
