Sex-role stereotyping in English usage

Fillmer, H. Thompson; Haswell, Leslie

doi:10.1007/bf00287614

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…In contrast, evidence for a stereotype of linguistic gender styles seems clear (Berryman & Wilcox, 1980;Kramer, 1974;Kramarae, 1981;Siegler & Siegler, 1976). Research using "masculine" and "feminine" sentences derived from Lakoff s descriptions has shown that even students in elementary school follow LakoFs predictions in attributing those sentences to a male or female speaker (Fillmer & Haswell, 1977).…”

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confidence: 99%

Language Style and Gender Stereotypes in Person Perception

Quina

Wingard²,

Bates

1987

Psychology of Women Quarterly

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SUMMARY Twelve sentence pairs representing Lakoff's “women's language” and corresponding “masculine” styles were developed in order to examine gender stereotyping as a function of linguistic pattern usage. College students (77 women and 74 men) read the sentences as transcribed from an interview with a hypothetical male, female, or sex–unknown client, and evaluated the speaker on 31 bipolar adjective scales. Ratings on the masculinity–femininity dimension confirmed Lakoff's “feminin” speech style as a gender stereotype. Factor analysis and subsequent multivariate analyses of variance on factor scores revealed that participants rated the nonfeminine linguistic style significantly higher in competence, but lower in social warmth, than the feminine style. Author gender did not contribute significantly to speaker evaluations. Implications of this importance of style over gender in person perception are discussed. Lakoffs (1975) stereotype of a women's language was found in the present study for 12 representative sentences, although evidence for an equally stereotyped men's language using contrasting speech examples was not obtained. Ratings of hypothetical speakers on adjective pair rating scales revealed two patterns of language style attribution, both operating independently from speaker gender. Authors using Lakoff's feminine style were seen as less competent, but more socially warm; speakers using the counterpart nonfeminine style were viewed as more competent, but not as polite or friendly. The results suggest a need to examine more individual speech patterns, in order to move toward descriptions of effective communication combining competent and supportive impressions.

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confidence: 99%

Language Style and Gender Stereotypes in Person Perception

Quina

Wingard²,

Bates

1987

Psychology of Women Quarterly

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“…The effects of male/female language differences have been investigated in a group of studies in which researchers have used language that they generated, rather than naturally occurring language. Fillmore and Haswell's (1977) investigation of sex role stereotypical English usage indicated that children perceived male/female language differences. Using statements constructed to represent male, female, and neutral linguistic strategies, they found that grade-school children were able to identify the presumed correct speaker sex 69% of the time.…”

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confidence: 99%

Comparison of the gender-linked language effect and sex role stereotypes.

Mulac¹,

Incontro²,

James³

1985

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

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Orthographic transcripts of 6 male and 6 female adults' (aged 26-37 years) spontaneous oral descriptions of landscape photographs served as stimulus language samples. These were rated by 264 university students and 239 older nonstudents who used the Speech Dialect Attitudinal Scale (SDAS), a 12-item semantic differential. Ratings showed high reliability and yielded a consistent factor structure: Socio-Intellectual Status, Aesthetic Quality, and Dynamism. Transcripts were presented in four language/stereotype conditions: (a) gender-linked language effect only (speaker sex not identified), (b) language effect plus stereotype (speaker sex correctly identified), (c) sex role stereotype effect only (language effect nullified), and (d) language effect versus stereotype (speaker sex incorrectly identified). Multivariate analysis of variance results indicated that the gender-linked language effect and sex role stereotypes had operated independently. A correlation of the pattern of effects resulting from the gender-linked language effect with the pattern resulting from sex role stereotypes revealed a striking similarity (r = .93). The findings are discussed in terms of the effects' additivity and mutual reinforcement.A preliminary version of this article was presented at a meeting of the Speech Communication Association, Louisville, Kentucky, November 1982, under the title "A Comparison of Sex Role Stereotypes and the Gender-Linked Language Effect."We thank James J. Bradac and Daphne B. Bugental for their insightful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.Requests for reprints should be sent to

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“…Eckert and McConnel-Ginet (2013) add that boys carry over boyish patterns of self-aggrandizement into manhood, competing with others to establish their claims to hierarchical status, offering instruction instead sympathy, displaying their ideas and claims for others to confirm as well as relishing in defending them against expected attacks, and seeking out large audiences and avoiding showing themselves as vulnerable. Similarly, Fillmer and Haswell (1977) also suggest that males' speech is bold, aggressive, straightforward, and focus on essential things.…”

Section: Literature Review 21 Men's Languagementioning

confidence: 99%

Men’s Language and Masculine Identity Construction in Sexist Jokes

Nursanti¹

2022

JELTL

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<em>The power imbalance between men and women in society is reflected in their language use and it may be reinforced in sexist jokes. This is a sociolinguistic study on men’s language in sexist jokes on the Internet. This study is aimed at investigating men’s linguistic features and the masculine identities represented by those features. This is a descriptive qualitative study with complementary quantitative analysis. The theories of Tannen’s men language (1990) and Kiesling’s masculine identities (2007) were used as references to analyze the data. The results show that men’s identity of competing for solidarity embodied in discourses of insults, teasing, and joking is the most dominant identity represented in sexist jokes. This is in line with the main intention of sexist humor to laugh at women’s inferiority. Meanwhile, men’s dominance realized in report talk becomes the second most prevalent identity. The identities of politeness oaf, indicated by direct command, and freedom, shown by swearing and taboo words, are not influential as both do not contribute to the making of humorous expressions. These imply that context and communication purposes motivate speakers to use gender-related features. Reflecting that most of the masculine identities and the language features in sexist jokes represent men’s superiority, this kind of humor can be a way to maintain gender asymmetry in society. Besides, although humor leads to laughter and is considered healthy, sexist humor is dangerous as the expressions subordinate women. Therefore, being critical when reading the jokes and trying to avoid such jokes in communication is suggested.</em>

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Sex-role stereotyping in English usage

Cited by 8 publications

References 4 publications

Language Style and Gender Stereotypes in Person Perception

Language Style and Gender Stereotypes in Person Perception

Comparison of the gender-linked language effect and sex role stereotypes.

Men’s Language and Masculine Identity Construction in Sexist Jokes

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