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Unit 1: Language: Context and Identity: Gender
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These are simplified notes covering Unit 1: Context and Identity: Gender for the specification of International A Level English Language 2016 for revision.
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International A Level English Language: Unit 1: Context: Language and IdentityGender
What is Gender?
Gender is a term used to highlight the difference between men and women in a social
context - ‘gender difference’
N.B: - Not to be confused with ‘sex difference’ - physical differences between men and women.
Sexist Language
Criticism against the English Language claims that it is a sexist language – there is linguistic
bias. It gives a male oriented view of the world which results in sexual discrimination.
Words carry messages about what men and women do E.g., for a woman we use the word
mistress, while for a man we use the word master.
Men generally have more power than women in society and the language reflects this,
however, as women gain more power this will change in the future.
There is an opinion that women do not have their own names as they carry their father’s or
husband’s name. Today, many keep their own surnames after marriage or take their
mother’s maiden name.
The term ‘Ms’ can give off negative connotations such as feminism, divorce, lesbianism or as
having something to hide.
Semantic Derogation
This is the process of downgrading a word. E.g. When a woman is added to a gender-neutral
word, such as ‘lady bus driver’, there are negative connotations, as some might consider it
inappropriate for a woman to do this job.
Insults and Obscenities
Offensive and insulting words are often associated with body parts.
There are more offensive words associated with women’s body parts than men’s because
women are sexualised in a patriarchal society, therefore their worth is lowered.
Linguistic Differences Between Men and Women
There are many differences between men’s speech and women’s speech at each level of
linguistic analysis.
Phonetics and Phonology
Women have a desire for ‘correctness’ in their speech which can lead to hypercorrection.
E.g., ‘h’ is seen as a prestige form but does not appear in the pronunciation of words such as
‘honour’, but some women tend to include it. - Woman are also more aware of social
significance and status.
Men are less conscious about status than women and less aware of social significance,
therefore they have a subconscious attempt to pull away from the standard. For example,
working class men’s speech is associated with roughness which is a desirable attribute in
men but not women.
Peter Trudgill
, Studies of Norwich English examined the final consonant in words ending in ‘ing’, revealing
that it was frequently heard as if there was only an ‘n’ at the end. This was more likely to
happen within the male social group along with a subconscious attempt to pull away from
the standard form, but there was a conscious attempt to speak standard form by women.
Syntax
Men are more likely to use dialect forms rather than standard English, such as the use of
multiple negation – E.g. “I didn’t have no money”
Men are also more likely to use non-standard regularisation of the present tense with the
addition if ‘s’ inflection. E.g. “I likes it”.
Men also use the past participle where standard English would use the past tense. E.g. “I
seen it last night.”
Men also use the singular noun in expressions of measurement with plural number. E.g. “It
cost five pound.”
Women use more empty adjectives such as ‘sweet’, ‘lovely’ and ‘gorgeous.
Women also use more intensifiers in speech such as ‘really’, ‘very’ and ‘absolutely’.
Women have specialised vocabulary in some areas such as colours. E.g., “mauve”.
Discourse
Men and women’s language behaviours in conversations are quite distinctive.
Dale Spender
Dale Spender found in her studies:
Language embodies structures that sustain male power.
Zimmerman and West found that male orientation is the norm.
There is a patriarchal order in society.
In a classroom, boys are more dominant while girls are more intellectual.
Men think women talk too much because they would rather have them be silent.
By being more active in public life than women, men have been able to get their opinions
heard.
Common words are more likely to express male experiences than women.
Men traditionally have more power, and those who have more power have more control
over language.
Deborah Tannen
Deborah Tannen found in her studies:
Women face each other when they speak while men catch each other with side glances from
angles.
Women bond through gossip while men bond through sharing activities like sports.
Men talk to assert independence and status.
Conversational habits activate at an early age, for example, young girls share secrets.
In relationships girls expect men to listen to their problems and they use talking to connect
with them. Men use talking for recreation, to negotiate, to solve problems or to raise their
status.
Men switch topics more frequently.
“women’s language” denies access to power and reinforces social inequality.
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