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”MenWomen Super Formalwatakushi Formalwatashiwatakushi Normalbokuwatashi To subordinateorexxx

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 Class B. Masculinity C. Local Community Identity D. Social Network E. 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-upof 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 Oppressiveness Model 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 qualities B. Code words C. 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-upof 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?