English revision (Norman) - language and gender
Lexis:
Sex = biological term (male or female)
Gender = sociological differences
Sexism = prejudice because of sex
Marked term = is one that includes a diminutive suffix (-ess/-ette) - which are often used to distinguish
the female form
Variable = a contextual factor that can influence speech and writing
Deficit theory = the belief that language used by women is inferior to that used by men
Dominance theory = the belief that language differences between men and women can be explained by
the hierarchical dominance of men in society
Difference theory = the belief that men and women have innate differences in the style and function of
their speech and writing
Hypercorrection = a pronunciation, word form or grammatical construction mistakenly perceived to be
standard usage and substituted in a desire to be correct
Overt prestige = status gained by speakers from using a particular dialect
Gender paradox = the phenomenon that women use more prestigious standard forms of English than
men, but that they also lead language change by adopting new forms of everyday English
Waves of feminism:
- 1st wave feminism (19th-20th century) - the movement that focused on getting the right for
women to vote, have an education and property
- 2nd wave feminism (1960-80s) - the movement that covers different views/beliefs about
women’s rights and sees women as individuals as well as part of a group
- Postmodern or 3rd wave feminism – the movement that focused on women’s roles and rights
within the workplace and in reproductive, sexuality and family issues
Robin Lakoff
In 1975 she published “Language and Woman’s place” along with a set of basic assumptions about what
marks out the language of women, including:
- Hedging
- Using super polite forms
Lexis:
Sex = biological term (male or female)
Gender = sociological differences
Sexism = prejudice because of sex
Marked term = is one that includes a diminutive suffix (-ess/-ette) - which are often used to distinguish
the female form
Variable = a contextual factor that can influence speech and writing
Deficit theory = the belief that language used by women is inferior to that used by men
Dominance theory = the belief that language differences between men and women can be explained by
the hierarchical dominance of men in society
Difference theory = the belief that men and women have innate differences in the style and function of
their speech and writing
Hypercorrection = a pronunciation, word form or grammatical construction mistakenly perceived to be
standard usage and substituted in a desire to be correct
Overt prestige = status gained by speakers from using a particular dialect
Gender paradox = the phenomenon that women use more prestigious standard forms of English than
men, but that they also lead language change by adopting new forms of everyday English
Waves of feminism:
- 1st wave feminism (19th-20th century) - the movement that focused on getting the right for
women to vote, have an education and property
- 2nd wave feminism (1960-80s) - the movement that covers different views/beliefs about
women’s rights and sees women as individuals as well as part of a group
- Postmodern or 3rd wave feminism – the movement that focused on women’s roles and rights
within the workplace and in reproductive, sexuality and family issues
Robin Lakoff
In 1975 she published “Language and Woman’s place” along with a set of basic assumptions about what
marks out the language of women, including:
- Hedging
- Using super polite forms
