Language & Gender

[language-and-gender]

[allthingslinguistic]

Day 1 at Linguistics Nerd Camp, aka the LSA: no one has asked me to say “five fluffy phonemes” so I guess mastery of labiodentals was not a prerequisite. 

[allthingslinguistic]

I…don’t even know how a person would speak in IPA. However, I would like to have a code language that only linguists could understand. 

[language-and-gender]

Dirty Hoe’s Draws (feat. Butch, Pamela Hale & DJ EZ Dick)

[Daryl] Kevin, this is Daryl from Long Beach man uh, I was wondering if you could uh, play a song for me me and my lady goin through a few thangs, see and I’m not feelin very well right now [Kevin] Yeah, I hear ya, I know how you feel I’ve been there, hell we’ve all been there For you and all you playaz who got bumped off the playin field This is the song for you 187.4 on your FM dizzal, WBALLZ

[Chorus x4] A dirty ho’s drawls That was the cause of it all

Pimpin hustlin playin hoes is all I know With my homeys on the mash and a pocket full of cash what more can a nigga ask for with my strap in my lap and my niggaz back to back a muthafucka didn’t wanna see me then along came his girl, finest woman in the world that broad been to my knees

[Chorus x4] A dirty ho’s drawls That was the cause of it all

(Now I, dont trust no hoe And do you, know thats how it goes) I never thought you were the one that would try to get a nigga like Ms Spunk

[Chorus x4] A dirty ho’s drawls That was the cause of it all

I know you’re all in big ones from the start I really didn’t need to, play your heart But you still have the good looks, DPG blood you’re the only one that, I love [x3] Make me wanna climb up DPG make me wanna moan make me wanna scream

[Big Pimpin Delemond] See as I say it, something about the power of the pussy It even breaks gangstaz down Bitch tricked me out of my playaz license

[Chorus x4] A dirty hoe’s drawls That was the cause of it all

[Bridge plays to fade] I’ll get over you I gotta get over you Before I’ve been a fool I gotta get over you (Dirty ho’s drawls)

[language-and-gender]

American linguist George Lakoff describes ten features common to female language use: § Lexical hedges or fillers, e.g. you know, sort of, well, you see. Reflects the stereotypical gentle nature of women May attract the opinion that women are weak However, it’s more due to the fact that women are more aware of the social context than men are and are careful to not offend. § Tag questions, e.g. she’s very nice, isn’t she? The addition of interrogative tags to such statement makes the statement sound less assertive. In this case, although the statement is a complement, without the presence of an interrogative tag it may sound as if the speaker is judging the appearance of someone while thinking that her opinion is important and final. § Rising intonation on declaratives, e.g. it’s really good? Thought to be more common amongst youth “teenage girl speak” This is often seen as annoying and is frequently mocked (chick flicks) However, males are frequently mocked as well for their attempt to sound older and more masculine by exaggerating the deepness of their voice. § ‘Empty’ adjectives, e.g. divine, charming, cute. § Precise color terms, e.g. magenta, aquamarine. Lakoff suggests that this is because women spend more time on colour-related activities such as shopping, house keeping/room decor. This explanation reflects the stereotypical role of women. - Also suggested that this is a reflection of women not performing/not being allowed to perform tasks or have a career that is important- “let them do the silly things they think are important since they can’t do anything that’s actually important”. Although our society has improved on its treatment of women compared to previous years, through factors such as women being given the right to vote and work (“male” jobs), this attitude is still commonly held. - Pedantic, paying unnecessary attention to details - Often used in humour when mocking women and portrayed in movies

[language-and-gender]

[language-and-gender]

From an early age both males and females are gendered, we are shown through the colour palate of our bedrooms to the signs on restrooms what differentiates us. A study was conducted in 1922 that essentially explains the language of ‘women’ Otto Jesperson (1922) claims in his research “The Woman” that:

Women talk more than men: “The volubility of women has been the subject of innumerable jests”

Women make excessive use of descriptive forms: “the fondness of women for hyperbole will very often lead the fashion with regard to adverbs of intensity”  

Women are conservative speakers: “as a rule women are more conservative than men … while innovations are due to the initiative of men”

These points are quoted from linguist Jesperson’s research Although this study may appear outdated it still holds an extent of truth in signifying how women communicate in comparison to men.

Jesperson, Otto (1922) “The woman”. In: Language: Its Nature, Development and Origin. London: Allen & Unwin. [Reprinted in: Cameron, Deborah (ed.) (1990) The Feminist Critique of Language: A Reader, 201-220. London: Routledge.]

Early studies have concluded that women are more likely to use standard variants compared to men. This trait not only is it still a common conception in Australian society but has been universally evident in all cultures and societies.  The Sex/Prestige Pattern

“In any society where males and females have equal access to the standard form, females use standard variants of any stable variable which is socially stratified for both sexes more often than males do.” (Hudson 1996) When explaining the sex/prestige pattern linguist William Labov (1972) states that women are more sensitive to “overt” sociolinguistic values compared to men. He further explains that is this difference linguistically and general sex differences that stem from gender norms instilled into the majority of society from childhood. Language imposes varying pressures on women and men. Men are said to be influenced by the ‘covert prestige of vernacular variants’ and tend to exude a non-standard variety as it appeals to them as having more masculine associations. Contrastingly women are affected by the ‘overt prestige of standard variants’and choose to be affected by these as they are assumed by women as having stronger ties with social status and power.  “The social position of women in our society is less secure than that of men … It is therefore necessary for women to secure and signal their social status linguistically and in other ways, and they are more aware of the importance of this type of signal … Since [women] cannot be rated socially by their occupation, by what other people know about what they do in life, other signals of status, including speech, are correspondingly more important.” (Trudgill 1974)

Various studies conducted over a number years have all suggested that different pressures are inflicted on men and women and ultimately affect their language. These pressures include status, prestige, opportunities available and social contexts.

 Sourced from humbox.ac.uk/id/document/2733 [PowerPoint: Gender] 

[language-and-gender]

[language-and-gender]

The vocabulary of women and men

A survey has shown that a sexist discrepancy exists between English lexical items understood by different genders, indicating that women and men's vocabulary is quite stereotypical. Researchers from the Center for Reading Research at the University of Ghent analysed the results of half a million vocabulary surveys, and found that "some words are better known to men than to women and the other way round." 

Here are a number of gender-specific lexemes, with the numbers in brackets being the percentage of men who knew the word, followed by women. These are the 12 words with the largest difference in favour of men: codec n. (88, 48) solenoid n. (87, 54) golem n. (89, 56) mach n. (93, 63) humvee n. (88, 58) claymore n. (87, 58) scimitar n. (86, 58) kevlar n. (93, 65) paladin n. (93, 66) bolshevism n. (85, 60) biped n., adj. (86, 61) dreadnought n. (90, 66)

These are the 12 words with the largest difference in favour of women: taffeta n., adj. (48, 87) tresses n. (61, 93) bottlebrush n. (58, 89) flouncy adj. (55, 86) mascarpone n. (60, 90) decoupage n. (56, 86) progesterone n. (63, 92) wisteria n. (61, 89) taupe n., adj. (66, 93) flouncing n. (67, 94) peony n. (70, 96) bodice n. (71, 96)

These 24 words, write the researchers, "should suffice to find out whether a person you are interacting with in digital space is male or female". Hence, a quick vocabulary test allows you to scope out whether the person you are talking to is who they say they are (or at least their gender).

It should not be surprising that our vocabularies are gendered, as gender can act as an in-group identity marker. With in-group identity markers, comes slang, jargon and other lexical items known and used within that group, in this case female or male. These gender-specific lexemes allow women to build rapport and solidarity with one another, as with the same for men. 

[language-and-gender]

Fun Fact: Studies have noted that language used by women mirrors 'weakness and 'lack of assertion'

Women use more expressive lexis e.g. -W:  The wall is mauve -M:  The wall is pink

Women use tag questions -W:  The weather’s awful, isn’t it?

Women are indirect -A:  Can you meet me at 6? -B:  Well, I have a doctor’s appointment at   5.45

Sourced from humbox.ac.uk/id/document/2733 [PowerPoint: Gender]

[language-and-gender]

Language used to describe activity depends on the gender of the performer.

[language-and-gender]

"Men’s language is increasingly being used by women, but women’s language is not being adopted by men, apart from those who reject the American masculine image [for example, homosexuals]. This is analogous to the fact that men’s jobs are being sought by women, but few men are rushing to become housewives or secretaries. The language of the favored group that holds the power, along with its non-linguistic behavior, is generally adopted by other group, not vice versa."

Lakoff, R. (1975). Language and a Woman’s Place from Language and Society, p. 8-19.

[language-and-gender]

Gender-linked Derogatory Terms and Their Use by Women and Men (1998)

During her study, Deborah James concluded that some lexemes that were once gender-specific are being used as gender-neutral.

Women play a dominant role in this phenomenon

The lexeme ‘douche-bag’ has undergone a semantic shift from carrying connotations associated with females to those associated with males.

It was found that out of the 15 studied lexemes the three vocatives rated to be most offensive- bitch, hag and slut- are aimed at women.

The three least offensive- loser, geek, pip-squeak- are mainly used to address males. 

Females are just as likely to use three of the most offensive lexemes as males are.

It was concluded that women do not oppose the use of female-linked derogatory language indicating that they accept the female identity constructed by males in a male-dominant society

[language-and-gender]

Gender neutrality

-          Political correctness is encouraging the use of gender neutral language, particularly in the context of employment e.g. bartender over barman/barmaid, and many encourage this, but not always. On an online forum ‘Dark Avenue- Gender specific derogatory terms’ a user commented that if a derogatory lexeme is used as a vocative towards her, she prefers the lexeme to be gender-specific to make evident that she’s female.

[language-and-gender]

[emberlinsmiscellany]

Marriage can be a good thing, a source of joy, love, and mutual support. But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage, but we don’t teach boys to do the same?

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “We Should All Be Feminists”

[language-and-gender]

Male ✔️ Female ✔️ Other ❓

The English language has been rather slow in finding a pronoun for transgender people. Standard Australian English (SAE) does not have a singular third-person pronoun for 'non-specific sex' with only 'he/she' or 'it' currently in use. The pronoun 'shim' is another alternative, however this has not caught on in the English Language. Australian-Aboriginal Kriol which has borrowed patterns from Indigenous dialects, uses 'im' as a sex-non-specific pronoun for 'he/she/it' as well as 'him' and 'her'. While this would be a suitable language choice, the pronoun may prove difficult to be adopted into everyday Australian-English vernacular as well as globally, due to many Australians viewing Aboriginal English as a sub-standard variety. The transgender community and those who support them are also trying to achieve the acceptance for new sex-non-specific pronouns such as 'ze' to complement 'he' and 'she'; and 'hir' pronounced as 'here', to go with 'his' and 'her'. However, these proposals have been ignored by the general world of English, owing to the negative attitudes towards transgender people and the fact that they are a minority group.