Gender essay plan

Evaluate the notion that male language is superior and more authoritative when compared to female language. (30 marks)

Introduction:

Agree that male language is more authorative, supported by Lakoff, Tannen, Fishman. On the other hand, Janet Hyde and O'barr and atkins believe that gender isnt the main factor that determines our language, instead contextual factors such as age and social class.

  Para 1:

Zimmerman and West

·         Dominance theory. They were investigating the presence of uncooperative interactive features, such as interruptions, in conversation. They wanted to find out whether the gender of conversation participants affected the use of these features. they found male language dominated female language. Hilton

Para 2:

Pamela Fishman
·         She believes that women use hedges, polite forums and question tags to help continue a conversation and get everyone involved. She calls this “conversational shitwork” to hold the conversation together and keep it flowing.

Para 3:

Robin Lakoff

·         Her research (1975) is known as the `deficit approach`, this explains that male language is stronger, prestigious and more desirable than a woman’s. It also informs you that men speak more than women.

Para 4:

O'Barr and Atkin's 
Disputed Lakoff, said that it was males and females low of social status who used these linguistic features.

Para 5:
Janet Hyde: 
Believed that there was more similarties between male and female language. differences may come down to contextual factors such as age, social group, or occupation etc.


Conclusion:
Many theorists would support the view that male language is supierior and more authorative. however it is also clear that the most modern theorist Janet Hyde does suggest it isnt no longer the case and perhaps it is changing. Yet no one can ignore the fact that when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister in the 1980s, she took lessons in language to sound less "like a female".