in some cultures women are polite and delicate whereas men are blunt and straight to the point but in other places it is the complete opposite
what does Cameron say about prejudices?
what people believe about men and women’s speech usually reflects cultural prejudices and stereotypes rather than linguistic facts
what does Cameron say about differences?
they are subtle differences rather than clear cut, absolute ones and they’re not universal
differences among men and among women
Cameron argues people put lots of effort into differentiating themselves from the same sex more than opposite sex
girls take identity to extremes, tend to be more focused on how they speak, look and dress. to maximise their status they invest in those things and do whatever kind of language it is that sends a message. more extreme than boys and more different to each other
the reason you get gendered differences is due to something else linked to gender, eg how you spend your time, class, ethnicity, generation, age and nationality.
gender is only ONE part of your identity, ways of speaking capture all parts of your identity
