Sociological Study of Language differences between men and women

Subject Areas : sociology

Narmineh Moeinian ¹

1 - عضو هیات علمی گروه علوم اجتماعی، واحد تبریز، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی؛ تبریز- ایران (نویسنده مسئول).

Received: 2017-01-28 Accepted : 2017-01-28 Published : 2017-01-20

Keywords: Taboo, Gendered-Language, Domination Theory, Occupation Theory, Relativity of Language, Role-Expectation,

Abstract :

The present study based on documentary research of sociolinguistic and sociology of language and gender relations shows that, there are differences in the language used by males and females in societies. Furthermore, the content and structure of languages regarding male and female interlocutors is not neutral. There is gendered orientation and gendered use of language between male and female language-users. These differences are related to the tone, style, and diction of language-users (both genders) as well as the structure, internal cohesion and natural characteristics of a language. The reasons for these differences are different depending on different time eras and societies. For example, in some societies these differences are related to taboo words or expressions for the females. Also, some differences are dependent on the domination of one country by the enemy forces and assimilation of the native language of the females of that country by the dominant ones’ language. Moreover, most of the time the differences are related to different social functions performed by each gender as well as the gendered expectations of the society. Also, some feministic linguists who have gendered orientations believe that the difference in language use between males and females are related to the male domination situation of that society. Manifestations of these differences were discussed in the present study. These manifestations include aspects like language representation in the social life of the society, i.e. language echoes the value system and functional aspects of a social system in dealing with males and females and strengthening and foregrounding these gendered differences. According to the relativity of language proposed by Sapir and Whorf, it may result in exploitation, explication, emphasis, strengthening and commonality of these differences and superiorities between males and females. The present study uses the theoretical framework of the relativity of language proposed by Sapir and Whorf, the theory of taboo, the theory of domination, the theory of the differences in functions, and the theory of the domination in explanation or definition. The research methodology is of qualitative type with interpretive-comparative approach using documentary data with reference to sociology of language and sociolinguistics. The population comprises different languages of the world.  

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