Genderlect

• What is the aim of studying genderlect theories?

  To learn key theories of genderlect
• What societal factors contribute to differences in male and female speech?

  Society's expectations of gender behavior
• Who proposed the Deficit Model of language?

  Robin Lakoff
• What did Lakoff identify as features of women's speech?

  Features that make it weaker and less authoritative
• How does Lakoff's Deficit Model view women's speech style?

  As learned in childhood, influenced by subordination
• What are the key features of women's speech according to Lakoff?

  • Hedges (e.g., 'kind of')
  • Tag questions (e.g., 'isn't it?')
  • 'Empty' adjectives (e.g., 'lovely')
  • Weaker expletives (e.g., 'poop')
  • More politeness
  • Rising intonation for statements
  • Emphatic stress
  • More intensifiers (e.g., 'very')
  • Hypercorrect grammar
  • More qualifiers (e.g., 'I think')
• How might Lakoff's features make women's speech perceived as weaker?

  By using qualifiers and hedges frequently
• What criticism is directed at Lakoff's Deficit Approach?

  It can blame women for their lack of power
• What did O'Barr and Atkins study in 1980?

  Witnesses' speech in courtroom cases
• What did O'Barr and Atkins conclude about language differences?

  They are based on authority, not gender
• What does the Dominance Model focus on?

  • Investigating how men dominate women
  • Features of mixed-gender talk:
  • Interruptions and overlap
  • Topic control
  • Length of turns
  • Minimal responses
• Who conducted a study on interruptions in conversations?

  Deborah Tannen
• What did Pamela Fishman find in her study of mixed couples?

  Women asked more questions to engage men
• How does Fishman's concept of "conversational shitwork" relate to gender dynamics?

  It highlights women's effort in maintaining dialogue
• What did Janet Holmes study regarding tag questions?

  Different types and their usage by genders
• What did Zimmerman and West find about interruptions?

  Men interrupted more than women in conversations
• What is the Difference Model's perspective on gender communication?

  Men and women have different speech styles
• What are the key points of Deborah Tannen's Difference Approach?

  • Men use talk to establish status
  • Women use talk to create intimacy
  • Men solve problems through talk
  • Women share problems through conversation
• How do men and women differ in their conversational goals according to Tannen?

  Men seek status, women seek solidarity
• What are the six types of contact in Tannen's analysis of language use?

  • Status vs. Support
  • Independence vs. Intimacy
  • Advice vs. Understanding
  • Information vs. Feelings
  • Orders vs. Proposals
  • Conflict vs. Compromise
• What did Jennifer Coates argue about boys and girls in language development?

  Peer groups influence their speaking styles
• How do girls and boys differ in their peer group interactions?

  Girls maintain close friendships, boys assert dominance
• What are the characteristics of women's speech according to Coates?

  • Collaborative overlaps and interruptions
  • Use of hedges to soften opinions
  • Frequent minimal responses
  • Self-disclosure to build trust
• What topics do men typically discuss according to Coates?

  Impersonal and factual topics
• What did Coates find about men's speech patterns?

  Single speaker dominates with minimal responses
• How do Tannen and Coates' analyses of genderlects compare?

  • Both analyze differences in communication styles
  • Tannen focuses on status vs. intimacy
  • Coates emphasizes peer group influences
• What did the review by Deborah James and Janice Drakich find about who speaks more?

  Men talked more than women in most studies
• What did Dr. Robbie Love's study reveal about swearing trends?

  Swearing has decreased among both genders
• How has women's swearing changed since the 1990s?

  Women now swear more than men
• What does the 2017 report about interruptions by male Justices suggest?

  Male Justices interrupt female Justices more
• What does Deborah Cameron argue about gender differences in language?

  • Differences are statistically small
  • Earlier arguments are based on sexist assumptions
  • Focus on class and ethnicity over gender
• What did Janet Hyde and Jack Chambers find about speech features?

  Minimal differences in speech features by gender
• What does Alison Fragale suggest about speech styles?

  They change depending on context
• How does Judith Butler view gender?

  As a learned performance or social construction
• What is Butler's perspective on gender performance?

  • Gender is an act that is rehearsed
  • It requires individual actors to actualize
  • It is ideologically constructed, not essential