Week 1 Introduction to Language and Gender

Week 1: Introduction to Language and Gender

• Instructor: Dr. Christiana Themistocleous

• Institution: University of Reading

• Department: School of Humanities, Department of English Language & Applied Linguistics

Session Aim

• Explore Key Questions:

  • What is gender?

  • Distinction between gender-exclusive and gender-preferential features.

  • Early understandings on language and gender.

Discussion Topic

• Riddle:

  • A man and his son are involved in a car accident. The man dies, and the son is taken to the hospital where the surgeon says, "I can’t operate on him, he’s my son."

  • Analysis:

    • Discusses societal gender role assumptions and stereotypes.

    • Investigates whether socio-cultural expectations around gender roles are evolving and what drives such changes.

Sex vs. Gender

• Can be seen in terms of biological and sociocultural dimensions.

Learning Gender

• Questions for Reflection:

  • How do we learn gender roles?

  • What societal aspects influence gender role development?

Problematic Areas in Gender Classification

• Viewing males and females strictly as bipolar categories may oversimplify gender complexity.

• Importance of distinguishing between gender and sex as separate categories.

Third Gender in Southern Mexico

• Example illustrating alternative gender identities beyond the binary framework.

Gender-Exclusive Features vs. Gender-Preferential Features

• Examples:

  • Gender-exclusive features can be illustrated through language variations between sexes in specific cultures.

    • Yana Language (North American Indian):

      • Women's forms: ba-na (deer), yaa-na (person), ʔau-na (fire)

      • Men's forms: ba, yaa, ʔau

    • Japanese Language:

      • otoosan (father) vs. oyaji (father)

      • onaka (stomach) vs. hara (stomach)

• Nüshu in China:

  • Unique writing system created and used solely by women, showcasing an exclusive linguistic form.

Gender-Preferential Features

• Examples from Montreal and Sydney:

  • Linguistic deletion and sound changes exhibited by both genders but with variations in frequency.

Early Understandings on Language and Gender

• Folklinguistics:

  • Often reflect prescriptive views on language usage.

• Otto Jespersen (1922):

  • Historical perspectives on language and gender roles.

Discussion on Prescriptive Views

• Reflect on examples of proverbs and cultural phrases that illustrate intended gender norms.

• Collect examples from various cultures focusing on gendered communication.

Theoretical Debates

• Different theories provide varied explanations of language differences between genders:

  • Deficit Framework:

    • Notably Robin Lakoff (1973) suggesting women face disadvantages in language use.

    • Identified characteristics:

      • Use of fewer swear words, interruptions, and greater reliance on hedges and tag questions.

  • Critique:

    • Methodological issues and the notion of deficiency in women’s speech contrasted to men’s.

    • Examples of interactions that challenge the deficit view:

      • Tag questions used by both genders.

Tag Questions Analysis

• Tag questions: signal uncertainty, check accuracy, promote closeness, soften criticisms.

• Distribution by Gender (Holmes, 1984):

  • Variances in use highlighting gender patterns in conversational context.

Impact of Lakoff's Work

• Evolved into other perspectives observing linguistic and gender dynamics.

• Difference Theory:

  • Emerged in the 1970s, positing that socialization influences language use among different genders.

New Perspectives in Gender Discussions

• Focus on gender identity within post-structuralism and practices in communities.

• Address how gender differentiation in language is a widespread phenomenon varying by local culture and speech community.

Summary

• Language and gender studies encompass a broad area of inquiry.

• Traditional views often prescriptive; evolving into more descriptive frameworks through various theories:

  • From Deficit to Difference to modern perspectives including Post-structuralism and Community of Practice.