Premium Essay

Women’s Language

In: Social Issues

Submitted By ach123456
Words 1912
Pages 8
“The North Sea will sooner be found wanting in water than a woman be at a loss for a word”. It is commonly believed that women talk more than men. Moreover, some researchers argue that there is a significant difference in a way how men and women communicate. One group of scientists insists that differences in men’s and women’s speech prove a controversial idea that “Women's American English” exists. On the contrary, others assert that the reason why males and females tend to use certain words and phrases is caused by social factors. They believe that society has different expectations from men and women relating to their social statuses, family roles and job preferences which may influence women's linguistic behaviour. The difference in communication styles of males and females doesn't prove the existence of women's language; on the opposite, it shows that women have found the most convenient way to express themselves in the mainly male-dominant society. The entire literature review will investigate how social norms and expectations have influenced women's speech and whether there is discrimination on the basis of gender in speech. It will be organized using a thematic style of presentation. First of all, it will be shown whether there are differences in usage of linguistic forms, such as vocabulary, syntax and tone, between males and females. And then, the concept of report and rapport talk in women's and men's speech will be examined.
There is no reason to deny that men and women tend to use somewhat different linguistic forms. However, it doesn't prove the existence of woman's language. The research done by Jim Vandergriff in the article “Is there a women's language?” presents the empirical evidences of differences in female's and male's speech. The study summarizes findings of other scholars in vocabulary, pronunciation, syntax and intonation in women's

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