Does being female affect a person’s language, or is it merely the attitude towards feminine that make us think there is a difference?
In preparing for this topic candidates should study how gender is represented and reproduced in the everyday texts that surround us, for example in advertising, fiction and non-fiction texts etc. Candidates should also study how gender is performed by language users in interactions, for example in single-sex and mixed-sex encounters.
There are two different types of Language and Gender questions you could be asked about: representations of gender and gender in action. For example, magazine articles, adverts and books all include representations of gender which are usually stereotypical, and not what males and females are really like. It’s the perception of a gender difference, not a real gender difference. Transcripts (spontaneous speech) will show you how gender differences affect language (not if the discourse is planned, however).
Want to know more? This website is super useful.
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