GENDERLECT

A Section A question on genderlect will typically contain a transcript of a conversation inc males and females for Text A and some data in Text B – read through the transcript & make sure you take into account the information given with it as this may supply the other features that may influence the conversation. E.g. age; purpose; occupation; etc.

STRUCTURING YOUR ANSWER

Brief GMAPP Analyse list of specific features linking to

theorists & their research Discuss the general timeline of genderlect &

the strengths and weaknesses of the different models referring to whatever data has been supplied in Text B.

SPECIFIC FEATURES 1 Non-fluency features Analyse the use of hedges; fillers; false starts & self-

repair Is it the males or females using them or both? Theorists who have mentioned these: Lakoff – feature of women’s language showing lack

of confidence. Tannen – women use hedges to avoid confrontation

and show more solidarity. Keith & Shuttleworth – Living Language – women

are more indecisive/hesitant O’Barr & Atkins – these are examples of powerless

language shown by those in positions lacking power regardless of gender.

SPECIFIC FEATURES 2

Interruptions & Overlaps Z & W stated that en interrupt more than

women and therefore this shows them to dominate conversation and women as weak.

Beattie argued that Z & W did not discriminate between interruptions and overlaps which may have been collaborative.

Tannen – women overlap to create rapport & solidarity.

SPECIFIC FEATURES 3

Tag questions Lakoff: used by women and show a lack of

confidence. Holmes: Tag Qs can be A) modal – signalling the speaker’s degree of

uncertainty B) affective - expressing the speaker’s attitude

to the addressee. C)facilitative - tags which support the

addressee. In Holmes’ research: 59% of tags used by women were facilitative whilst 61% of tags used by men were modal – against 35% for women.

SPECIFIC FEATURES 4

Hard-working & supportive conversationalists

Fishman – women do all the work in conversations; they ask more questions & give minimal responses to keep the conversation going.

Tannen – women are supportive and build rapport in conversations.