San José State UniversityLinguistics and Language Development

Spring 2013

Linguistics 122:English as a Global Language

Language and Gender

Readings:Bucholtz, Language, gender, and sexualityHolmes, Women Talk Too Much

The Power of Talk: Who gets heard and why?

In the film ‘He Said, She Said,’ Deborah Tannen shows gender differences in the ways we are socialized as children affects our conversational styles as adults.

What is ‘conversational ritual’ and what rituals are discussed?

What are some conversational differences between men & women mentioned in the film.

Does your behavior correspond to Tannen’s observations? How about your significant other’s?

Language, Gender, Sexuality

In her article, Bucholtz outlines the development of the field(s) of research on language, gender, and sexuality

In the process, she criticizes Tannen’s work as exemplified in the film ‘He Said, She Said.’

Language, Gender, Sexuality – The early years

Outgrowth of the Women’s Movement (1970s)

(English) language seen as sexist sexist vocabulary (e.g., ‘mailman,’ etc.) He as an epicene pronoun Debate between prescriptivists & descriptivists

‘Women’s Language seen as manifestation of suppression

Difference vs. Dominance – The late 1970s-1980s

Celebration of ‘Women’s Language’ as women’s own separate, cultural practice

Limitations: Assumed that All women adhered to the same practicesSocial behaviors of men and women are entirely

different

Discounted the role of male dominance in interaction

Multicultural Feminism –The late ’80s, 1990s

Recognized that women of color didn’t adhere to ‘Women’s Language’Black women’s signifying as private practice, as

opposed to men’s signifying as public ritualMexican American women follow men in code-

switchingPuerto Rican women’s linguistic repertoire

different from men’s Interactional styles not specific to a particular

gender, but to activities of speakers

Language and Sexuality – The late ’90s, 21st C.

Do lesbians and gay men each have a recognizably distinctive speech style? ‘Just as the threat of danger led to the development of a

counterlanguage among African American, a similar indirect speech style has developed in which lesbians and gay men can identify themselves to one another without making themselves vulnerable.’

‘Gay implicature’ – ‘traditional theories of gender-based dominance must be revised to account for men whose identities place them outside the dominant group.

Language and identity – A product of ‘speaker agency ‘

The ability to use language strategically to achieve goals despite constraints of cultural ideologies.

Agency as practice – use of language (and other social practices) to index oneself as belonging to a social category As preppy, burnout, jock, etc.

Agency as performance – deliberate enactment of an identity that may not conform to the identity assigned to the performer by others Black drag queens’ use of white women’s language

Women Talk Too Much

Proverbs and Sayings

“Nothing is unnatural as a talkative man or a quiet woman” -Scottish

“Where there are women and geese there’s noise” -Japanese

“The Tongue is the sword of a woman and she never lets it become rusty”

The Question Presented

Do Women talk too much?

The Evidence

Deborah James and Janice Drakich reviewed 63 studies and found that when men and women are together, it is the men that talk the most.

Research in New Zealand also found that men tend to speak more than women.

The Evidence

Another study explored women and men in power and found that the men often patronized the women and tended to dominate meetings

“What Anne is trying to say is…”

The Evidence

Research shows that the patterns begin early and are seen in the classroom setting.

Concludes that the stereotype of a woman reflects sexist prejudice rather than objective reality

Looking Closer at the Purpose of Talk

Talk serves different functions in different contexts

Formal Public Talk

Aimed at informing people or persuading them to agree to a particular point of view

Often spoken by people who wish to confirm or claim some degree of public status

Examples: politicians, public performers

Behavior in Formal Meetings

Research shows men dominate talking time in committee meetings, staff meetings, seminars, and task oriented decision making groups

Men perceive participating in such contexts as an activity that enhances their status, and men seem more concerned with asserting status and power.

Behavior in Private Contexts

Fewer differences between men and women in talk time

Women are more willing to talk in a relaxed social setting and tend to be more agreeing and supportive and encourages others to speak

Men contribute more information and opinions

Social Confidence

If you know more about a particular topic, you are generally more likely to contribute more to the discussion then someone who is not as familiar

Social Confidence

A study compared the relative talk time between spouses

Men dominated in couples with traditional gender roles

Women tended to speak more if they were associated with a feminist organization because they were more likely to challenge traditional gender roles

Social Confidence

Concludes that expert status and feminist philosophy play a role in social confidence and talk time.

Perceptions and Implications

Why do boys contribute more than girls in classroom discussions?

Talking in class is perceived as “showing off” and girls prefer to keep a low profile

Perceptions and Implications

If women talk at all, this may be perceived as “too much” by men who prefer them to be silent

Do women talk more than men?

Depends on the social context in which the talk is taking place, the kind of talk involved, the relative social confidence of the speakers, social and gender roles, and their familiarity of the topic.

Conclusions

Generally men talk more than women in formal ad public contexts where informative and persuasive talk is highly valued

Generally women are more likely to contribute in private, informal interactions

Question 1: True of False

Q: women generally talk more in formal, public context where informative and persuasive talk is highly valued?

A: False: women are more likely to contribute in private, informal interactions, where talk more often functions to maintain relationships.

Q: Women tend to talk more with close friends and family, when women are in the majority, and also when they are explicitly invited to talk

Question 2: True of False

A: True

Question 3: True of False

Q: women are more likely to ask questions and make comments when the topic was one they find challenging and are uncertain of?

A: False: they are most willing when they can claim expert knowledge about the subject.

Question 4: chose the correct answer

Q: Why do girls in school tend to contribute less than boys?

A) Talking in class is perceived as “showing off”

B) They are uninterested in the material

C) Girls think that speaking up in class attracts negative attention

Answer:

A and C