Feminism "damages" our mother tongue (Gelernter) How can I teach my students to write decently when the English language has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Academic-Industrial Complex? Our language used to belong to all its speakers and readers and writers. But in the 1970s and '80s, arrogant ideologues began recasting English into heavy artillery to defend the borders of the New Feminist state. We have allowed ideologues to pocket a priceless property and walk away with it. Our ability to write and read good, clear English connects us to one another and to our common past. But our problem goes deeper than a few silly words and many tedious sentences. "He or she" is the proud marshal of this pathetic parade. When the style-smashers first announced, decades ago, that the neutral "he" meant "male" and excluded "female," they were lying and knew it. E.B. The use of he as a pronoun for nouns embracing both genders is a simple, practical convention rooted in the beginnings of the English language.
www.universalteacher.org.uk/lang/herring.txt +-------------------------------------------------------------+ | ***** Copyright 1994 by Susan Herring ***** | | This document may be freely reproduced and circulated for | | non-commercial purposes *as long as a statement | | containing the full title, author's name, and this | | copyright statement is included* | +-------------------------------------------------------------+ GENDER DIFFERENCES IN COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION: BRINGING FAMILIAR BAGGAGE TO THE NEW FRONTIER Susan Herring Program in Linguistics University of Texas Arlington, TX 76019 susan@utafll.uta.edu (Keynote talk at panel entitled "Making the Net*Work*: Is there a Z39.50 in gender communication?", American Library Association annual convention, Miami, June 27, 1994.) 1.
Expressions & Sayings Index If you prefer to go directly to the meaning and origin of a specific expression, click on its relevant entry in the alphabetical list below. Use this alphabet to speed up your search: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Level Up: English Language - Language and gender Language and Gender There are two different types of Language and Gender questions you could be asked about: representations of gender and gender in action. For instance, magazine articles, adverts and books all include representations of gender (usually stereotypes) and not what males and females are really like. Transcripts, however, will show you how gender differences affect language (unless they are faked, be careful!) A distinction you must understand: The big question in linguistics: does being female affect a person's language, or is it merely the attitude towards feminine that make us think there is a difference? Gender Researchers Many leading linguists have a thing or two to say about language and gender. Difference Theory As the title indicates, the difference theory is the idea that males and females really do converse differently. A big advocate of this approach is Deborah Tannen. She also said of males and females: Well... she's the researcher, I suppose, but..." Christine Howe
Feminism defined International Women's Day rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh, organized by the National Women Workers Trade Union Centre on 8 March 2005. Feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, cultural, and social rights for women.[1][2] This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. A feminist advocates or supports the rights and equality of women.[3] Feminist theory, which emerged from feminist movements, aims to understand the nature of gender inequality by examining women's social roles and lived experience; it has developed theories in a variety of disciplines in order to respond to issues such as the social construction of sex and gender.[4][5] Some of the earlier forms of feminism have been criticized for taking into account only white, middle-class, educated perspectives. History Feminist Suffrage Parade in New York City, 6 May 1912. Mid-twentieth century
NewmanSexDif2007.pdf English: what you need to know about the language english, english language, english lingusitics, english as a second language, english as a foreign language, english as the world What are the world's most widely spoken languages?In which countries is English the language spoken by the majority as a first language?In which countries is English an official language?How many people speak English as a second language? english, english language, english lingusitics, english as a second language, english as a foreign language, english, english as the world language
From Lakoff to Today – The Gender Factor in Spoken Interaction | i love engli... Robin Lakoff’s Predictions: Robin Lakoff, in 1975, published an influential account of women’s language. This was the book Language and Woman’s Place. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. William O’Barr and Bowman Atkins A 1980 study by William O’Barr and Bowman Atkins looked at courtroom cases and witnesses’ speech. “In an article entitled “‘Women’s Language’ or ‘Powerless Language’?” “O’Barr and Atkins concluded from their study that the quoted speech patterns were “neither characteristic of all women nor limited only to women” (McConnell-Ginet, et al., p. 102). Dominance and Difference Studies of language and gender often make use of two models or paradigms – that of dominance and that of difference. Dominance theory This is the theory that in mixed-sex conversations men are more likely to interrupt than women. Dale Spender advocates a radical view of language as embodying structures that sustain male power. Deborah Tannen and Difference Status vs. support
Gender neutrality in English Gender-neutral language is a form of linguistic prescriptivism that aims to minimize assumptions about the gender or biological sex of people referred to in speech or writing. This article discusses aspects of gender neutrality as they relate to the English language. Rationale[edit] Proponents of gender-neutral language argue that the use of gender-specific language often implies male superiority or reflects an unequal state of society.[1][2] According to The Handbook of English Linguistics, generic masculine pronouns and gender-specific job titles are instances "where English linguistic convention has historically treated men as prototypical of the human species."[3] Words that refer to women often devolve in meaning, frequently taking on sexual overtones.[4] These differences in usage are criticized on two grounds: one, that they reflect a biased state of society,[5] and two, that they help to uphold that state. Areas[edit] Job titles[edit] Generic words for humans[edit] Pronouns[edit]
Gender Styles in Computer Meditated Communication A Theory of "Powerless Language" An excerpt from "Men and Women in Conversation: An Analysis of Gender Styles in Language" by SUSAN GITHENS Lafayette College May 1991 O'Barr and Atkins: In an article entitled "'Women's Language' or 'Powerless Language'?" O'Barr and Atkins concluded from their study that the quoted speech patterns were "neither characteristic of all women nor limited only to women" (McConnell-Ginet, et al., p. 102). Return to Thoughts on Gender Styles in Communciation
English idioms Rethinking Language and Gender Research: Theory and Practice - Victoria Bergvall Rethinking Language and Gender Research is the first book focusing on language and gender to explicitly challenge the dichotomy of female and male use of language. It represents a turning point in language and gender studies, addressing the political and social consequences of popular beliefs about women's language and men's language and proposing new ways of looking at language and gender. The essays take a fresh approach to the study of subjects such as language and sex and the use of language to produce and maintain power and prestige. Topics explored in this text include sex and the brain; the language of a rape hearing; teenage language; radio talk show exchanges; discourse strategies of African American women; political implications for language and gender studies; the relationship between sex and gender and the construction of identity through language.
Feminist response to Gelernter by Jess McCabe // 26 February 2008, 20:06 One of the unexpected pleasures of reading right-wing tracts is the excuse to indulge in a heady few minutes of utopian fantasy. According to folk like David Gelernter of the American Enterprise Institute, the feminist revolution is a done deal. In this case, Gelernter sets out how feminists have ruined modern English for sexists such as himself, with our 'he or she' and our 'chairperson'. "College students and full-fledged young English teachers emerge from [a] feminist incubator in which they have spent their whole lives," Gelernter asserts. But his main concern, we are meant to believe, is not to return to a mythical time when men were men and women were women (and mended his socks), but the impact of feminism on written English. How can I (how can any teacher) get students to take the prime rule seriously when virtually the whole educational establishment teaches the opposite? The column is riddled with telling phrases, such as this: Permalink
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