Gender and Language
- Language influences the attitudes we hold regarding gender. It shapes the way we perceive each other in the world as male or female.
Sexism in Language:
- Words make up what we see as a male and female. Words such as waiter or waitress are sexist the word server is more appropriate. These types of words shape our environment and tell people that certain things are limited to genders. The word housewife is gender bias because there are also men whom stay at home, and we call them stay at home dads. The word housewife suggests so much more then stay at home dad. Many words are male oriented such as chairman or man kind. Male and female dominated words limit. For example, a little girl wants to be a fireman... well can only a man be a fireman... no but the word depicts it as so.
- Words such as honey, sweetie, or cutie can also be sexist. When used in the wrong context they are words that put down strong independent people and can put down and individuals way of seeing ones self. Any words that are directed towards ones sex that put down or make one feel uncomfortable are sexist.
Gender and Speech Style
- Depending on a communicators sex, words can be used differently, and mean different things. Women tend to use words or phrases known as qualifiers, or tentative phrases. For example, phrases like I think, I guess or I wonder if, are qualifiers.
- Men and Women use different types of strategies in their way of communicating. Women tend to turn statements into questions more then men do. Woman also use more tag questions, questions that are midway between outright statements and yes-no questions. Lastly women tend to also use disclaimers, remarks that diminish a statements' importance, such as "This probably isn't correct but...". Men tend to want to be to the point and distinct.
Gender-Lects
- Gender-Lects is a term created by Deborah Tannen that dipicts language differnces between genders
- Woman tend to use gender-lects more according to emotion
- Men tend to use gender-lects pertaining to fact
