User:Andrewanthony15/Language and gender

Gender and Language History

Verbal language has been around for over 150,000 years and non-verbal communication has existed since the beginning of the first bipedal locomotive species. Homo Sapiens began evolving 150,000 years ago along with tool use, cultural practices, and communication with other hunter-gatherers to get their kill or gather different varieties of fruits. Men and women worked together well to continue to adapt and survive. The term Genderlect which means the difference between how men and women communicate was coined by Robin Lakoff .Genderlect was discussed by the linguist Deborah Tannen (born June 7, 1945). She introduced this term in her book titled "You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation". In other words, it's a way of speaking that tends to be characteristic of a certain gender. Tannen proposed that men and women tend to have different styles of communication, and these differences can be so significant that they're almost like different dialects or 'genderlects'. According to Tannen, "For most women, the language of conversation is primarily a language of rapport: a way of establishing connections and negotiating relationships. For most men, talk is a primary means to preserve independence and negotiate and maintain a status in the hierarchical social order." (Tannen 1990 Pg.77). Deborah Tannen is one of the leading linguists to establish the difference between how males and females tend to communicate. Males tend to focus on who is up and who is down, while females tend to focus on the closeness/distance dimension, though both are concerned with both. There is a power dynamic between male and female, female and female, and male and male. Deborah Tannn addresses gender differences as a type of cross-cultural communication and emphasizes that they occur in addition to geographic, ethnic, class, age and many other cultural influences. Deborah Tannen was inspired by Robin Lakoff (born November 27, 1942) who wrote the book titled, "Language and Woman's Place."(Lakoff 1975)

The Power of Language and Symbolism

Language is one of the most powerful ways of communicating with a wide variety of people in different contexts. Humans look for symbolism and meaning in the world. Language is a way of communicating how a person perceives the world and how one builds connections with oneself and others. Linguistic abilities hold power and change through the lens of culture and gender. According to Susan Gal (born 1949) in the book Language, Gender, and Power, Such visions are inscribed in language, and most important, enacted in interaction. Although women's everyday talk and women's voice or consciousness have been studied separately, I have argued that both can be understood as strategic responses, often of resistance, to dominate hegemonic cultural forms." (Gal 1997) Dominant language is assumed through the male perspective and is considered assertive, direct, and a need for the individual to express their needs and desires. The other form of speech is submissive which many people assume is the female voice which consists of indirectness, politeness, and a focus on the listener's needs. These stereotypes are culturally based and are not always the reality of how individuals communicate or view the world. According to Robin Lakoff book, Language and A Woman's Place,"It will be found that the overall effect of 'women's language' - meaning both language restricted in use to women and language descriptive of women alone - is this: it submerges a woman's personal identity, by denying her the means of expressing herself strongly, on the one hand, and encouraging expressions that suggest triviality in subject matter and uncertainty about it; and, when a woman is being discussed, by treating her as an object - sexual or otherwise - but never a serious person with individual views." (Lakoff 1975) Women were expected to be polite and not as direct to fit the gender perceived role of women being homemakers and emotional which is not an accurate statement in today's society, although it differs from society to society. Men were given more privileges than females in American Society and that power dynamic created an unequal playing field for many years.

The Role of Family and Linguistics

Family dynamics and communication are very diverse and have many layers attached to the way interpersonal relationships are conducted. Family hierarchies exist between family members and show a social order when it comes to interpersonal family relations. According to Elinor Ochs (born Oct 22, 1944) and Carolyn Taylor who authored the article, "The Fathers Knows Best" Dynamic, addressed the narrative roles that are relevant in the construction of gender identities within families. These roles are protagonist, introducer, primary recipient, problematizer, and problematizee." The first is the protagonist which the main character in a narrative who drives the story forward. The protagonist is the family member who is leading the conversation at the dinner table or in the household. In the "Father Knows Best" dynamic, the father often assumes this role. The character introduces a topic or issue to be discussed or resolved within the narrative. This person according to Ochs and Taylor is the introducer. The primary recipient is the character who is the main receiver of the information or action within the narrative. The problematizer is the character who identifies a problem or conflict within the narrative. The problematizee is the character who is the subject of the problem or conflict within the narrative. Through analyzing the roles each family member plays in conversation, there is a power dynamic that is unspoken through non-verbal communication. Gender and race also play a role in family dynamics because the family we are born with teach us principles and changes our perception of the world. Communication is the most powerful tool individuals and groups of people have because it can shape our views in a positive or negative way.