Teaching a course on male and female speech

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Published: Nov 21, 2018
Keywords:
pedagogy, feminism, sociolinguistics

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Alice F. Freed

Abstract

Two seemingly unrelated areas of study are presented in this course on men, women and language; these are introduced at the very outset of the class and are interwoven throughout the semester. Students are simultaneously introduced to the subject of language and linguistics (most specifically sociolinguistics) and to feminism as a scholarly perspective. By considering these two topics side by side, we arrive at the principal questions of the course: (1) Do men and women use language differently, in what ways and why? and (2) Does our language use (or speak of) men and women differently and why? It quickly becomes apparent through a discussion of male and female roles in our culture that gender stereotypes, sexist attitudes and beliefs, etc. are reinforced by our language and that young boys and girls are encouraged, if not actually taught, to speak differently and to express themselves differently, even though they are using the same language.

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Article Details

Issue
Vol. 17 No. 4 (2017): Special Volume: Reissue of Innovations in Linguistic Education, Volume 3
Section
Articles

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