Language and Gender

• Tielke Vogt, Hauptstudium, LN
• Svenja Follmann, Hauptstudium, LN
• Julia Selzer, Grundstudium, TN
• Meike Tadken, Grundstudium, LN
• Judith Mertens, Hauptstudium, TN
• Sonja Schröder, Grundstudium, TN

• Language and Gender

• Prof. Penelope Eckert

• Prof. Sally McConnell-Ginet

Contents

• Constructing gender (Tielke)
• Linking the linguistic to the social (Svenja)
• Organizing talk (Julia)
• Making social moves (Meike)
• Positioning ideas and subjects (Judith)
• Working the market: use of varieties (Sonja)

Constructing gender - Introduction

• The study of language and gender got started as a result to an article by Robin Lakoff entitled “Language and woman’s place”
• Difference approach
• Dominance approach
• Later: consideration of context
• What is the nature of the diversity among men and among women?
• How do these diversities structure gender?

Constructing gender - Sex vs. Gender

• Sex: biological categorization based primarily on reproductive potential
• Gender: social elaboration of biological sex – gender as social construction

Constructing gender - Learning to be gendered (1)

• Dichotomous beginnings: It’s a boy! It’s a girl
• By the (different) treatment and expectations from others children learn to adapt to their gender role – a child learns to be male or female
• Learning asymmetry
• Males are more engaged in enforcing gender difference than females
• Result: behaviour and activities of boys are more valued than that of girls, and boys are discouraged from having interest in girl’s behaviour or activities
• Tomboy vs. Sissy

Constructing gender - Learning to be gendered (2)

• The heterosexual market
• End of elementary school: beginning of a social market
• structured system of social evaluation
• Matches are initially short lived – the number of “trades” (with the “right” Partner) establishing one’s value
• This activity precedes actual sexual activity
• Developing desire
• Gender: conscious element of desire
• Girls: want to feel small and delicate, learn to display their emotions to others at the appropriate time
• Boys: want to feel big and strong, learn to control their emotions