Deficit
Jesperson (1922):
Jesperson
thought that men’s language is the standard vocabulary and that female language
is inefficient in comparison to the male ‘norm’. He believed that women had a
less extensive vocabulary than men, have less complex sentence structures, and
speak with less prior though, often leaving their sentences unfinished.
Robin Lakoff 1975):
Lakoff
considered the male language as dominant but not ‘’better than’’ women’s
language. She also proposes that women's speech can be distinguished from that
of men in a number of ways, including:
Hedges: Phrases like "sort
of", "kind of", "it seems like"
Empty adjectives: "divine",
"adorable", "gorgeous"
Super-polite forms: "Would you mind..."
"...if it’s not too much to ask" "Is it o.k if...?"
Apologize more: "I'm sorry, but I think
that..."
Speak less frequently
Avoid coarse language
or expletives
Tag questions: "You don't mind eating this, do
you?".
Hyper-correct grammar
and pronunciation: Use of prestige grammar and clear articulation
Indirect requests: "Wow, I'm so
thirsty." – really asking for a drink
Speak in italics: Use tone to emphasis certain
words, e.g., "so", "very", "quite"
Lakoff also developed the "Politeness
Principle", in which she thought up three maxims that are usually followed
in interaction. These are: Don't impose, give the receiver options, and make the
receiver feel good. She said that these are paramount in good interaction. By
not following these maxims, a speaker is said to be 'flouting the maxims'.
She suggests that women are disadvantaged relative
to men by a basically inferior, less forceful ‘’women’s language’’ which they
learn through socialization. She highlights various female forms and styles
showing weakness, uncertainty and unimportance. She also implies that women who
use ‘’women’s language’’ are ‘’systematically denied access to power’’ as the typical
‘’neutral’’ language (men’s language) is seen as superior.
