AS Unit 1 & 2: Gender and Language

Back to Verbal and Non-verbal Codes

Back to Language and Personal Identity

Articles
Extract 1from "Women, Men and Language" Jennifer Coates

Extract 2 from "Women, Men and Language" Jennifer Coates

Extract "Women's Language" Robin Lakoff
"Characteristics of male and female speech' Keith and Shuttleworth

"Men and Women in their Speech Communities" edited Coates and Cameron

Your identity, self image and self presentation are all affected by your gender. Whether you are male or female affects the way you experience the world and you express this experience using different words and grammar to the opposite gender.

Try some exercises with friends to see what some of these differences are.

Exercise 1

1. In single gender groups, jot down what you think men/boys talk about when they are on their own with other men/boys.
2. Do the same for what girls/women talk about in their groups.
3. Compare these lists with what you think you talk about in mixed gender (boy and girl) groups.
4. Show your lists to other groups - do men agree with women about what they talk about? Do women agree with men about what they, as women talk about? How do both genders change their conversation to accomodate the opposite gender?
5. Read the first paragraph of the article (see lefthand margin of this page) Extract 2 Women, Men and Language by Jennifer Coates. What does she say men and women talk about?

Exercise 2

Let's explore some of the reasons why men and women have conversations, with people of the same gender and of the opposite gender - the purpose of conversation.

Discuss with others and try to fill in the chart below.