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ENGL 441 Language & Gender <Week 3>

ENGL 441 Language & Gender <Week 3>. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender. Recap on Week 2 Lecture. 1. Earlier L & G studies: functions and limitations 2. Gender in Grammar: Implications to Language. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender. Programme in Week 3. A. Common Gendered Discourses

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ENGL 441 Language & Gender <Week 3>

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  1. ENGL 441Language&Gender<Week 3>

  2. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender Recap on Week 2 Lecture 1. Earlier L & G studies: functions and limitations 2. Gender in Grammar: Implications to Language

  3. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender Programme in Week 3 A. Common Gendered Discourses B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism

  4. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses “Discourse” - written / spoken communication  verbal - verbal media: e.g. books, newspapers, magazines, songs, movies, chats, advertisements…

  5. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses “Discourse” - written / spoken communication  verbal - verbal media: e.g. books, newspapers, magazines, songs, movies, chats, classroom teaching… “Language and Gender Discourses” - Ways the above media discuss/describe & INTENSIFY gender NORMS in our society

  6. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 1. “Gender Differences” Discourse 2. “Compulsory Heterosexuality” Discourse 3. “Employment Opportunities” Discourse 4. “Menopause” Discourse 5. “Teenage girls' Consciousness-raising” Discourse

  7. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 1. “Gender Differences” Discourse Verbal media examples:

  8. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 1. “Gender Differences” Discourse Gender differences … - a universal truth - inexplorable - mutual incomprehension - an essentialist phenomenon

  9. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 1. “Gender Differences” Discourse The Discourse … - Men: norm; Women: deviation  WOMEN are DIFFERENT

  10. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 1. “Gender Differences” Discourse The Discourse … - Men: norm; Women: deviation  WOMEN are DIFFERENT - Hidden sexism…  Patriarchy= the way of portraying the world  Feminist: fighting for women’s right = assuming females as victims = women have to BE HELPED

  11. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 2. “Compulsory Heterosexuality” Discourse Verbal media examples:

  12. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 2. “Compulsory Heterosexuality” Discourse Compulsory Heterosexuality … - politically correct - mutually beneficial: gender differences - a need, an impersonal decision - same-sex affection: risky, transgressive  TABOO

  13. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 2. “Compulsory Heterosexuality” Discourse Women … - Sources of care and nurture for children - INEVITABLE relationship with men - Anti-lesbianism: conscience & consciousness

  14. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses • 2. “Compulsory Heterosexuality” Discourse • Women … • - Sources of care and nurture for children • - INEVITABLE relationship with men • - Anti-lesbianism: conscience & consciousness • e.g.“I don’t mind living in a man’s world as long • as I am a woman in it.” • by Marilyn Monroe

  15. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 2. “Compulsory Heterosexuality” Discourse Women … - “Have/Hold” discourse:  every women: Janus (dual character) e.g. Mary/Eve; wife/mistress; virgin/whore

  16. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 2. “Compulsory Heterosexuality” Discourse Women … - “Have/Hold” discourse:  every women: Janus (dual character) e.g. Mary/Eve; wife/mistress; virgin/whore  Potential danger in relationship e.g. “GET your man and KEEP it” HAVE HOLD

  17. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 2. “Compulsory Heterosexuality” Discourse Men … - Sexual drive towards women = commonsensical  Tolerated e.g. “I attended an all-boys school… and we all whistled at the girls, of course”

  18. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 3. “Employment Opportunities” Discourse Examples: Gettyimages.com - Nurse - Engineer

  19. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 3. “Employment Opportunities” Discourse Verbal examples:

  20. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 3. “Employment Opportunities” Discourse Verbal examples: 2012Presidential Election in Taiwan Reporter: Are you ready to be the first female president of Taiwan? Ing-wen Tsai: Yes, I am.

  21. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 3. “Employment Opportunities” Discourse Employment Opportunities … - popular topics amongst undergrads - gender: an issue in job-seeking - initiated by M/F proportion in academic fields

  22. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses • 3. “Employment Opportunities” Discourse • Jobs … • - attached to gender NATURALLY • - MEN as Nurse = MALE nurse • - WOMEN as Engineer = female engineer  stereotyping jobs  affecting teenagers’ academic decision

  23. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses • 4. “Menopause” Discourse • Verbal examples:

  24. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses • 4. “Menopause” Discourse • Verbal examples:

  25. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses • 4. “Menopause” Discourse • Verbal examples: • - Pharmaceutical brochures • - Popular media • - Emancipatory feminist texts

  26. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 4. “Menopause” Discourse Menopause … - age, lifespan - youth, sexuality - reproductive ability - physical attractiveness - cosmetics, fashion - lifestyle

  27. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses • 4. “Menopause” Discourse • Menopause in … • [Pharmaceutical brochure / Popular media]: • - an abnormal physiological condition • - to be “corrected” • - need both medication and mental therapy

  28. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 4. “Menopause” Discourse Menopause in … [Emancipatory feminist texts]: - a positive change = REAL GROWTH (c.f. youth = immaturity) - stability / relief - to be “celebrated” - Carefree sex (VS contraception / birth control)

  29. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 5. “Teenage Girls’ Consciousness-raising” Discourse Verbal examples: - Magazines - Phone conversations - Face-to-face chats - Readings for teenage girls

  30. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 5. “Teenage Girls’ Consciousness-raising” Discourse Teenage girls … - adolescent girls aged 12-15 - “picking up” feminine discoursal styles  performing femininity

  31. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses 5. “Teenage Girls’ Consciousness-raising” Discourse Common topics amongst teenage girls … - Factual; scientific/pseudo-scientific - Maternal - Repressive - Romantic love - Resistant/feminist; liberal

  32. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses • 5. “Teenage Girls’ Consciousness-raising” Discourse • “Women’s Movement” in 50s/60s … • - Met regularly • - Experiencing sharing: not unique • - Empowered through talking

  33. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses • 5. “Teenage Girls’ Consciousness-raising” Discourse • Modern teenage girls … •  Mothers were born in 50s/60s • - About the opposite sex • - Subjective • - Reciprocal • - Affecting and Affected

  34. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender A. Common Gendered Discourses • Summary: • - Women as the target subjects • - Influenced by and intensifying themselves • - Interrelated = mutually strengthening

  35. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism • 1. Linguistic Sexism • Major Roles in Linguistic Development • a. Regulators • e.g. lexicographers, grammarians • b. Users • e.g. speakers, writers

  36. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 1. Linguistic Sexism Major Roles in Linguistic Development

  37. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 1. Linguistic Sexism Major Roles in Linguistic Development

  38. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 1. Linguistic Sexism Major Roles in Linguistic Development

  39. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 1. Linguistic Sexism Teachers as Language norm-enforcers a. Language teaching b. Language taught = language used by kids

  40. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 1. Linguistic Sexism Teachers as Language norm-enforcers a. Language teaching b. Language taught = language used by kids So… Women = Language Controllers?  Not exactly     autonomy in teaching selection    teaching norms set by men

  41. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 1. Linguistic Sexism Teachers as Language norm-enforcers Example: Situation in Hong Kong

  42. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 1. Linguistic Sexism Language Androcentrism (i.e. language as a patriarchal product) a. Masculine linguistic form = Generic form e.g. “he” = every human being “-man” compounds = M/F identity b. Dictionary definitions - by men

  43. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 2. Linguistic Activism - Confronting Linguistic Sexism - A feminist movement

  44. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 2. Linguistic Activism Causes: a. Marginalised females in language planning b. Problematising feminine language c. Addition of feminine suffixes (-ette, -ess)

  45. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 2. Linguistic Activism Goals of linguistic activists: a. To expose the sexist nature of language Method: Linguistic Disruption i. Breaking morphological rules e.g. History  Herstory

  46. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 2. Linguistic Activism Goals of linguistic activists: a. To expose the sexist nature of language Method: Linguistic Disruption ii. Breaking grammatical conventions e.g. Generic “he”  Generic “she”

  47. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 2. Linguistic Activism Goals of linguistic activists: a. To expose the sexist nature of language Method: Linguistic Disruption iii. Alternative spelling to erase masculinity e.g. women  wimmin

  48. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 2. Linguistic Activism Goals of linguistic activists: a. To expose the sexist nature of language Method: Linguistic Disruption iv. Inverting gender stereotypes e.g. “Mr. Dami, who was carefully groomed and with the full set of jewellery he inherited from his mum on…”

  49. ENGL 441 – Language and Gender B. Linguistic Sexism & Activism 2. Linguistic Activism Goals of linguistic activists: b. To express reality from women’s mentality Method: Invention of Female Language Systems e.g. Láadan by Suzette Hadan Elgin Écriture féminine by postmodern feminists

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