Gender Differences in the Use of Adjectives and Intensifiers
University of Debrecen
Gender Differences in the Use of Adjectives and Intensifiers
Sánta Diána Supervisor: Koczogh Helga Vanda
2012
| 1. Introduction
The investigation of male and female speech differences is a major topic in sociolinguistics. The literature on this issue is vast; it has been one of the biggest within sociolinguistics in recent years. A number of linguists have investigated this field of study; among them Robin Lakoff (1975), Janet Holmes (2001), Deborah Tanen (1990), Jennifer Coates (1998), Susan U. Philips (1980) and others. 2. Theoretical background Robin Lakoff (1975) is one of the first linguists to address gender directly the topic of language. Lakoff describes the features of language differentiating men’s and women's speech which she thinks makes women's speech less powerful than men's (Philips, 1980). These features are the following:
1. Women use vocabulary items that men do not use. Lakoff uses mauve as an example.
2. Female speakers use more "empty" adjectives, like divine, cute, and sweet.
3. Women use question forms in environments where men would use declaratives.
4. Women use more polite forms, like "please" and "thank you".
5. Women use more "hedges," or forms that convey uncertainty, like well, you know, I guess, I think, I wonder.
6. Female speakers tend to apply the intensive "so" more, as in "I'm so hungry," and later Lakoff added other intensifiers like very and really as more typical of women.
7. Women tend to use "hypercorrect" grammar, so they were less likely than men to say ain't and drop the ends of words as in doin' and goin' (Philips, 1980:532). In another article Lakoff (1973) states that women use colour terms like mauve, beige, aquamarine, lavender and magenta. She maintains that adjectives such
Gender Differences in the Use of Adjectives and Intensifiers
Sánta Diána Supervisor: Koczogh Helga Vanda
2012
| 1. Introduction
The investigation of male and female speech differences is a major topic in sociolinguistics. The literature on this issue is vast; it has been one of the biggest within sociolinguistics in recent years. A number of linguists have investigated this field of study; among them Robin Lakoff (1975), Janet Holmes (2001), Deborah Tanen (1990), Jennifer Coates (1998), Susan U. Philips (1980) and others. 2. Theoretical background Robin Lakoff (1975) is one of the first linguists to address gender directly the topic of language. Lakoff describes the features of language differentiating men’s and women's speech which she thinks makes women's speech less powerful than men's (Philips, 1980). These features are the following:
1. Women use vocabulary items that men do not use. Lakoff uses mauve as an example.
2. Female speakers use more "empty" adjectives, like divine, cute, and sweet.
3. Women use question forms in environments where men would use declaratives.
4. Women use more polite forms, like "please" and "thank you".
5. Women use more "hedges," or forms that convey uncertainty, like well, you know, I guess, I think, I wonder.
6. Female speakers tend to apply the intensive "so" more, as in "I'm so hungry," and later Lakoff added other intensifiers like very and really as more typical of women.
7. Women tend to use "hypercorrect" grammar, so they were less likely than men to say ain't and drop the ends of words as in doin' and goin' (Philips, 1980:532). In another article Lakoff (1973) states that women use colour terms like mauve, beige, aquamarine, lavender and magenta. She maintains that adjectives such
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