Gender and Formal Language

Gender and Formal Language Language is a multifaceted topic. It seems that language cannot be discussed without also discussing the differences that occur within speech. One of the most obvious differences exists between the speech of men and women. This paper describes the existence of “women’s language” and “men’s language.”(O’Barr and Atkins 1980) More specifically, this paper will discuss how these so-called languages differ in the way they address power in a formal situation. These gendered differences in speech occur in the way topics are brought up, what words are chosen, how hedges are used, and how intonation is utilized. (Holmes 1986;O’Barr and Atkins 1980) I will address how male language tends to be more assertive and confident in situations that affect power, while female language tends to be more apologetic and tentative when asserting information. (Kiesling 1997;O’Barr and Atkins 1980) I hypothesize that these differences do not reflect natural inclination or ability of the two genders. These differences in male and female language occur because they have been socialized in America by the construct of gender roles and respective expectations of genders. (O’Barr and Atkins 1980) I will analyze this hypothesis with sources of third parties and with my research. Literature Review: What is “Women’s Language”? There have been several discussions that address the differences between male and female language use. These discussions all began with Lakoff’s controversial essays from 1975 that first introduced the concept of “women’s language.” (O’Barr et al 1980) Since Lakoff’s essays, other linguists have sought to address the issue of how gender affects language. O’Barr and Atkins use Lakoff’s information ab...

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Holmes, Janet. "Functions of You Know in Women's and Men's Speech." Language in Society 15.01 (1986): n. pag. JSTOR. 10 Oct. 2013. .

Kiesling, Scott Fabius. "Power and the Language of Men." Making Sense of Language: Readings in Culture and Communication. Comp. Susan D. Blum. New York, NY [etc.: Oxford UP, 2013. 408-17.

Mill, John Stuart. Philosophy of Woman: An Anthology of Classic to Current Concepts. Ed. Mary Briody Mahowald. Indianapolis [etc.: Hackett, 1994. 151-70.

O'Barr, William M., and Bowman K. Atkins. ""Women's Language" or "Powerless Language"?" Making Sense of Language: Readings in Culture and Communication. Comp. Susan D. Blum. New York, NY [etc.: Oxford UP, 2013. 401-06.