Blog #6: Gender Differences in Linguistics

 Blog #6: Gender Bias in Linguistics

A "businessman" resisting the changing societal hierarchy (Tobias, leonardo.ai) 

Introduction

Believe it or not, males and females use language differently. In fact, there is even gender-exclusive language used by both sexes. Pronunciation, intonation, vocabulary, our old friend syntax, manners, etc. are all aspects that gender a language, such as English. "Male and Female Gender Differences in Language" from Learnmate, "Teachers, what is gendered language?" by Jemma Prior, and "Gender Differences in Using Language" by Xiufang Xia are today's sources. Learnmate as a source was cited based on their visual image, as well as some of the information it provided. Xia's academic article was found using Google's scholarly article filter, and Prior's was found by simply searching for gendered language articles.

Summary ♂♀

Gendered language is a bias "towards a particular sex or social gender" that uses gender-specific terms such as "businessman" or "waitress" to "perpetuate" the hierarchy between men and women (Prior). Therefore, women may feel excluded or become invisible due to the hurtful, alienating nature of these words. While socially, gendered language typically isn't acceptable, is it still used spoken by some men. Additionally, there is a bias in the common phrase "boys and girls" or "Mr. and Mrs.", both of which tend to favor the male gender (Prior). In terms of linguistics, gendered language is persuasive according to Prior, and often people are not aware they doing it.

According to Learnmate, female language is more supportive than men's, and builds community, attentive listeners, and females often initiate conversations. In contrast, men "focus less on feelings" and more on "information," and are more authoritative (Learnmate). It is observed that many women use hyperbole quite often, exaggerating in their communication. American English male speakers swear and cuss three times more frequently than females (Learnmate). Additionally, women uses many adjectives, such as adorable, lovely, charming, but men "seldom use them" (Xia 2). This implies that women are more sensitive and empathetic with others' feelings. Xia also notes that men are more likely to swear. Additionally, a study observing a group of boys and girls on a street in Philadelphia found that boys are more demanding and assertive, whereas little girls were more polite and had better manners (Xia 3). 

Critical Analysis

Of the three sources, Learnmate is easily the least reliable and credible. It has no author, but is instead an Australian platform created by tutors who share their knowledge. While the website is academic in its design and approach, the lack of cited authors does hinder their credibility. Coming from British Council, Jemma Prior is an English undergraduate professor in Italy, who has been teaching since 1998. This adds to her own credibility, but the article's precise explanation of gendered language and how it affects women especially is informative. Prior discusses the politics of gendered language, and notes that men often use it to assert their dominance and maintain the patriarchy, lowering women's place in society. Meanwhile, Xia's article was published by the Qingdao University of Science and Technology, China. Its status as a published, scholarly article places some reliability on the information, as does Xia's Master's degree in linguistics and profession as a lecturer. Her article was also supported by studies that were conducted.

Connection to Coursework

There is some connection to the coursework, from what is mentioned in Chapter 6: Morphology from the textbook. The textbook mentions gendered languages, and how some languages have masculine or feminine terms, and nouns are used to show gender differences. This sparked my interest in gender differences and how gendered language can affect women and cause disparities between men and women in society. Specifically, I wanted to learn about how this occurs, what forms this takes, and to determine if I unknowingly was using gender biased language. 

Personal Reflection

This research has educated me on how men are devaluing women in the hierarchy of social status, while also showing how terms such as "fireman" and "businessman" as general terms are biased and sexist against women. The authors overall note that gender-neutral terms such as "firefighter" or "business person" are more adequate in society now. As Xia noted, historically this was all acceptable, but now it has become more and more prohibited. I do believe, as a male, a son, and a future educator, maintaining a gender-neutral vocabulary would be beneficial in the classroom and in my own personal life. I don't ever want anyone, certainly my mother, a daughter if I ever have one, or a female student to be hurt and feel alienated by any gender-biased words I or another individual may say. Additionally, I think in businesses and society, us men have to be more responsible and careful for the sexist gendered words we say. There is definitely room for equality for both men, women, and other genders as they form in America.

Citations

Xia, Xiufang. "Gender differences in using language." Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 3, 

    no. 8, Aug. 2013, pp. 1485+. Gale Literature Resource Center,             

    link.gale.com/apps/doc/A351082013/LitRC?u=anon~d22db76&sid=googleScholar&xid=f994a999.           Accessed 23, Oct. 2024.

“Male and Female Gender Differences in Language.” Learnmate, 12 June 2024, 

    learnmate.com.au/gender-differences-language/#:~:text=Women%20are%20more%20likely%20to,such%20as%20smiling%20and%20nodding. 

Prior, Jemma. “Teachers, What Is Gendered Language?” British Council, 1 Mar. 2017,                                    www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/what-is-gendered-        language#:~:text=So%20gendered%20language%20is%20commonly,particular%20sex%20or%20social        %20gender.