Chapter 7

Vive La Difference?

Gender Role Stereotyping….

More Gender Stereotyping….

Homework

Watch for examples of gender variation

Bring some stories to class ‘tomorrow’

Women gossip more than men

Whaddya Think? Gender is not a pool of attributes

possessed by a person, but something a person does ~paraphrased from

Wardhaugh 1990

What does this mean? How does it relate to what our text says?

Whaddya Think?

Women are more status-conscious than men

Gender in Early Studies Arawak Tribe

1665 – Reported M&W: distinct language Refuted in 1922 by Jesperson

Trudgil’s conclusions (status-consciousness) Section 7.3

Moral – Beware bias in research

Sex Exclusive Forms

Mandatory Grammatical Distinction Vocabulary (Arawak: West Indies) Verb forms (Koasati: Native

American) Phonology (Xhosa: South

African) Pronouns (Japanese: …….. Japan )

Also verb forms & some vocabulary

In Other Languages

Relationships indicated in word choice Japanese, for example:

“I” Men Women

Super Formal watakushi

watakushi

Formal watashi watakushi

Normal boku watashi

To subordinate ore xxx

Which of the following is false?

A. Gender most often affects language choice indirectly

B. Gendered language often both reflects & reinforces distinctions

C. Gender defines how we can expect an individual to respond in any given situation

D. Much attention in gendered language study is paid to who tends to dominate conversation

E. None of the above (they are all true)

Whaddya Think?

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis is relevant to language & gender studies

Which of the following affects how likely one is to use a vernacular?

A. Working ClassB. MasculinityC. Local Community Identity D. Social NetworkE. All of the above

Female // Male Differences Amount of Talk Interruptions Hypercorrection Conversational Support Tentativeness Compliments

How do these features relate to “Power”?

Language & gender differences are the result of:

Bio-genetic A mix Culture

make-up of both

Hierarchical Relations

What should // can be done about inequity?

(gender, race, socio-economic, etc)

Inherent

Cultural

Same Coin?

Cultural Differences

Deficit Model

Relative Power

OppressivenessModel

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis applicable here…?

- cf. Coates…

¢¢

Whaddya Think?

Women are more status-conscious than men

Tag questions Uncertainty (M>F)

I told you read the chapter, didn’t I? Challenging

I’m not happy, got it?!?

Facilitative (F>M) You’ve been to Spain, haven’t you?

Softening That wasn’t too bright, was it?

Negotiating Meaning

“… the functions or meanings of any utterance (are) highly fluid and context dependant.”

“Meanings are not simply ‘in the language’ but are negotiated between speakers.”

Gender By Choice

School kids Girls: “We’re boys!”

Bid for selection Could boys do the same?

Teacher’s response…p. 239

Moral(s) of the story?

Which of the following is not indicative of ‘gay language’ ?

A. Prosodic qualitiesB. Code wordsC. Double meanings D. Structural features E. All of the above are

indicative of ‘gay language’

Doing Gender Varying meanings Meanings shift on retroflection ‘Boy’ & ‘Girl’ may not be parallel

terms Gender borders are blurred

are not secure… Gender is experienced:

by different people in different ways

Hierarchical Masculinities

“… are those forms of masculinity able to marginalize and dominate not only women but also other men, on the grounds of, say, class, race and/or sexuality.”

Whaddya think of the definition? Value of this definition? Implications of overt bias?

Research Indications

Limited value in Social Category study Class, Race, Sex

Explore relations instead Between men & women ‘Types’ of men & women Situationally based

Whaddya think? Difficulty, Value, & Danger…

Any Thoughts/Questions…

…before we move on?

IText (Information Technology Text)

Electronic Communication Everyday types…?

Versus F2F (face to face) Similarities Differences Gender relevant issues

IText: Your Experience

Level of expertise with electronic talk? Types of electronic talk they use? Norms of Interaction & Interpretation?

Identity Online (self &/or others) Identity switching? Gender manipulation?

IText: Homework

Ask a friend (or 5 friends…) Level of expertise with electronic talk? Types of electronic talk they use? Norms of Interaction & Interpretation?

Identity Online (self &/or others) Identity switching? Gender manipulation?

Whaddya Think…

“More often than not… women’s ideas (online) are simply met by silence from men and women alike…”

Whaddya Think…

“More often than not… women’s ideas (F2F) are simply met by silence from men and women alike…”

Research Says…

Cyber-masculinity Men ‘talk’ more Take authoritative stance Ignore or demean women’s thoughts Harass or intimidate women

For Women-Only

Listservs & bulletin boards Construct oppositional gender Supportive Collaborative Politeness & respect

“…explicitly reinforced by participants”

Whaddya Think…

Women-Only listservs and discussion groups exhibit more politeness and respect because of:

Bio-genetic A mix Culture

make-up of both

Value, Difficulty, Danger?

Variationist vs. Interactional

Impartiality vs. Declared Interests

Ponderable

If women’s speech is supportive, collaborative, polite & respectful, why is male speech dominant in today’s ‘kinder, gentler’ society…?

Coming Soon (in this order…)

Chapter 5: Codeswitching Chapter 9: Pidgins & Creoles Chapter 11: Language &

Education

If time permits further study, we will come back to Chapter 10…

IText: Homework

Ask a friend (or 5 friends…) Level of expertise with electronic

talk? Types of electronic talk they use? Multiple identities?

Simultaneous identity switching? Gender manipulation? Norms of Interaction & Interpretation?