chapter 7 vive la difference?. gender role stereotyping…
TRANSCRIPT
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?