Genders Differ in Language Use
The purpose of the study, including the specific research question studied:
Language Learning Strategies (LLS) are the activities or actions that learners take in order to effectively receive, store, retrieve and use information that they gain. Learners take such actions in order to facilitate faster and easier learning as well as make learning more enjoyable and effective (Mahamod et al., 2009). According to Mahamod et al. (2009), gender results into differences in Language Learning Strategies with studies showing that, females are better in using Language Learning Strategies than males. There however exists differing views in which some studies indicate that there is no difference in the use of Language Learning Strategies between genders. In addition, other studies, according to Mahamod et al. (2009), indicate more use of Language Learning Strategies by males than females.
The aim of this study was to determine whether there exist differences between the genders in the use of Language Learning Strategies. This would then clarify the existing dilemma regarding use of Language Learning Strategies by males and females. The research study aimed at answering various questions in the attempt to identify the existence of difference in use of Language Learning Strategies between genders.
First, the study attempted to seek if there was any difference in the use of overall Language Learning Strategies between male and female Arabic Students. Secondly, the research study attempted to answer the question as to whether male and female Arabic students depicted any difference in use of seven categories of Language Learning Strategies. These seven categories of Language Learning Strategies include memory st...
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...t have given the genuine views. Moreover, if the students did not understand what Language Learning Strategies were, they could not have given the correct views.
Now that there are differences in the use of Language Learning Strategies between male and female students, it is important to know the causes of the differences. This is especially important so that language teachers can know how to boost use of Language Learning Strategies among their students so that they can become effective learners.
References List
Fujikoshi, Y, Ulyanov, V, & Shimizu, R, (2010). Multivariate Statistics: High-Dimensional and
Large-Sample Approximations. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Mahamod, Z, Rahimi, N, Embi, M, & Shukri, K, (2009). A Closer Look at Gender and Arabic
Language Learning Strategies Use European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 9,
Number 3.
... women speak and the type language they use would be dependent on their comfort level in a certain situation. Women and men commination and speak varies as per situation. In spite of the differences, we should not pay much attention on them. “Men and women are simply people and that what have in common is more important the la difference”. Emphasizing the gender differences only extend the gap between men and women and create more discrimination.
In Deborah Tannen's essay, "Gender in the Classroom: Teachers Classroom Strategies Should Recognize That Men and Women Use Language Differently, she talks about the ways that male and female students participate in different exercises in the classroom. She also describes the way boys tend to interact by throwing hard words and on the other hand girls talk in smaller groups. Girl shares everything with their best friend.
When reading the scenario that was asked for this assignment, I noticed that the teacher didn 't use a lot of strategies to help the ELL students develop language development. But the strategies he did use I thought were a great start. He was trying to lower the effective filter by attempting to give the students positive gestures and smiles to help
Several studies have been investigating the differences between men and women's use of the English language. The problem with studies of this kind, according to Romaine (1999), is that the differences are taken for truths and no further investigations are made as to why these differences exist. The differences could be a reflection on gender issues in society, or even the cause of them. There is seemingly little argument against the fact that English is male-biased as a construction. When investigating male bias in the English language, a few factors should be taken into consideration: words that are in themselves discriminating, that women are not as visible in the language as men, the connotations of each word that reflects on gender issues and they way language is used against women in a discriminatory fashion. One of the main issues when dealing with male-bias in English is the resistance to reform rather than acknowledging that there is a bias. In this paper I will explore how the male-bias in English is both a linguistic as well as a social issue, and that both need to be addressed in order to create a more equal language, as well as society.
In the article "How male and female students use language differently" written by Deborah Tannen, she reveals how male and female students contrast as per their language in the classroom. Throughout the story, the author utilizes her observations in her class to support her idea. She states that male students are more open than female students when talking in public. Tannen argues that male students engage more in gathering than female students. The author says that boys are more loquacious in the classroom, and are more participative. While female students are more tranquil and typically just talk inside their gathering of few students. Tannen also point out that female students has a friend with whom she sits next to and shares her secrets
Language is a key component of the expression and construction of both group and individual identity. Differences in gender identity has resulted in the parallel development of genderlects and gender roles within society. Gender stereotypes and societal pressures of conformity heavily influences linguistic behaviour of different genders; leading to the generalisation where ‘women like silent men. They think they’re listening’ (Michael Achard). The further division between language choices between genders is stylised by the variation in their perceived functions for language. However, depending on the contexts of the linguistic exchange, other sociolinguistic factors (eg. Age, occupation, ethnicity etc…) may have a more profound effect on language variation. Without a doubt, gender is a prominent influence in the variation of linguistic choice, but under certain conditions gender will not be the largest influence.
In the twentieth century, the avoidance of the using L1 in classrooms dominated teachers’ minds; as well it was implemented in many policies and guidelines of language teaching (Cook, 2001). Thornbury (2010) listed a set of arguments against using L1 in L2 classrooms mainly for that the translation of L2 into another language will play negative effects on students’ learning process. He pointed out that the use of L1 will result learners to have a cognitive dependence on their mother tongue at the expense of developing independence TL learning. Although the two language systems are not equivalent in many aspects, students may have an awareness of the notion of equivalence of the two languages if translation serves to convey meanings. Some argue that the use of translation to convey the meaning of the TL is more efficient and more memorable. However, Thornbury (2010) sees the opposite. He stated that the simple and direct way of translation will make L2 knowledge less memorable since the process lacks mental efforts in working out meanings.
Thus, the book answers numerous practical questions that teachers have often struggled with; for example, how to increase the chances of academic success for language learners, how to use technology to teach language effectively, or how to teach language and content material concurrently. From the preface, the author makes it very clear that the book is designed to support language teachers in their journey as new teachers and throughout their teaching careers. In total, the book contains eleven chapters, which have been divided into four parts. The first part, "What Do Language Teachers Think About?" includes topics of foreign/ second language acquisition theories and language teaching methodologies. This part introduces the background knowledge readers will need in their journey as language teachers. The second part, "How Do You Teach a Language?" introduces approaches to teaching and learning that improve students’ writing, listening, speaking and reading abilities. Each chapter in this part includes suggestions for how students can be motivated and describes teaching and testing approaches to assess students ' language skills and academic literacy. The third part, "How Do I Know What to Teach?" is instrumental in helping teachers adopt teaching practices to particular teaching settings. The fourth part, "Where Do I Go from Here?" helps teachers gain a clearer perspective of what language teaching is all about; this section also considers teacher 's self-assessment and personal
Teaching students a language that is foreign can really be challenging for students as well as for the teachers. The dynamic rule for implementing instructing in a diverse class to English-learners is to use resourceful life skills such as diligence, hard work and patience. There are also methods that are involved in teaching English as a second language that can be creative for the teacher, yet beneficial to the student. First building a strong foundation that is essential to English learners will promote the language acquisition process. To do this teacher’s should always start with preparation. Advance preparation is essential in order to provide necessary adaptations in content area instruction and to make content information accessible for second language lear...
In conclusion, when trying to understand the effects of language one will find that it can serve as the structure of a society as well as determine the ways in which individuals are viewed and valued within that society. In this case, the social construction of gender are responsible for the differences in women's linguistic behavior and how it relates to their secondary place in the male-dominated world. Because of such distinguished roles, different linguistic strategies are acquired by female and male subcultures in culture and social organization.
In addition, there are exceptions and nouns that end in other vowels and consonants. Stockwell et al listed grammatical gender as the fifth most difficult feature of Spanish grammar for English-speaking students to master. One could assume a similar level of difficulty posed by grammatical gender in Spanish for learners whose first language does not have grammatical gender. Even among languages with grammatical gender, the gender of nouns vary from language to language, eg, the noun “book” (Buch) is neuter in German, feminine (kita:b) in Hindi–Urdu, and masculine (kita:b) in Arabic. Bergen provided an elaborate map of gender rules of Spanish nouns and exceptions, in which rules, generalizations, and exceptions in regard to the topic were discussed and gender rules and exceptions listed in previous studies were evaluated. They also proposed the acronym “loners” as a mnemonic for masculine nouns in Spanish, derived from the fact that the majority of the Spanish nouns ending in -l, -o, -n, -e, -r, and -s are masculine. Similarly, “D-ión-z-a” is a commonly used mnemonic for feminine nouns. Of note, there are many exceptions to such generalizations. The gender of some exceptions can be sorted out by analyzing the etymology or stress/syllable pattern of the noun (eg, nouns of Greek origin ending in -ma are masculine, disyllable words in which the first syllable has a stressed “a” and the second
All methods in language teaching are a pre-designed set of description of how the teacher should teach the learner and how the learner should learn obtain from a specific theory of language and a theory of language learning. These theories are attain from the parts of linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and are the origin of theory and applying in language teaching. Language teaching methods is divided into many methodologies. For example: The Direct Method, Grammar-Translation Method, Audio-Lingual Method, Total Physical Response, Audio-Lingual Method, The structural Method etc. Each method has its own rules, history, and different from one another. For example: The direct method was the reply to the disapproving with the
Communication between the sexes is the most striking difference between women and men. Linguists have documented the way men and women’s communication styles differ over the recent years not only to determine which is best, but for the purpose of understanding and adapting. With recognizing the differences, men and women can improve with communication with the opposite sex. The general gender communications difference affects all men and women in every context.
As a society evolves and changes, its language mutates and conforms to changing needs. Words form to define new things, archaic terms drop from use, and meanings change as different usages develop. The English language is grammatically neutral in classifying objects by sex. It is unusual among Indo-European languages in that it does not impose gender on inanimate objects. One might think that freedom from arbitrarily enforced gender would provide a clear and impartial palette for blending mere words into meaningful communication, to the contentment of all. One would be wrong. Perhaps he would be mistaken. Possibly, she would be erroneous. Perchance, they would be wide of the mark. The dilemma of gender-bias appeared in the nineteenth century and is inseparable from the social activism of the period.
The book An Intorduction of Sociolinguistics is an outstanding introductary book in the field of sociolinguistics. It encompasses a wide range of language issues. In chapter 13, Wardhaugh provides a good insight to the relationship between language and gender. He explains gender differences of language-in-use with concise examples. Wardhaugh riases questions about sexist language and guides readers to look closer at how people use language differently because of their own gender in daily life. According to the Whorfian hypothesis, which indicates that the way people use language reflects their thoughts, different genders adapt different communication strategies.