Gender Voices

Language is an important mechanism in creating and perpetuating gender divisions in society and through both direct and indirect means, it affects the lives of individual men and women. The authors take the view that, in order to understand the role that language plays in gender relations, it is often necessary to look outside of language itself and consider the wider social processes in which language plays a part. "Gender Voices" draws on a variety of current ideas in social theory to explain the findings of linguistic research. An introductory chapter sets out the field and explores the relationship between language and social processes. Later chapters cover a wide range of topics: the human voice and traditional notions of `femininity', `masculinity' and sexuality; differences between men and women in pronunciation and choice of words; discourse patterns and power relationships; the sexist structure of language; language and consciousness. A final chapter examines the possibilities for social and linguistic change.
Directed towards students of sociolinguistics, social psychology, sociology of language, language and politics, and women studies (First, Second, Third Year Undergraduates) and towards some general readers.