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Language and Gender

  • Ann Weatherall
    ,
  • Nancy A Naples
    ,
  • J Michael Ryan
    ,
  • Renée C Hoogland
    ,
  • Maithree Wickramsing
    ,
  • Wai Ching Angela Wong
Research Output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding Chapter Peer-review

Abstract

The relationships between language and gender are complex. Feminist researchers have importantly documented the ways language reflects, maintains, and even produces gender. This entry describes two issues that have dominated the research. The first is the matter of gender differences in language use. Despite widely held beliefs to the contrary, there is a lack of evidence that women and men use language differently. The second issue is sexism in language. It is now widely accepted that gender in language can reflect sexism. More recently constructionist theories expand the role of language to consider the ways discourse, conceptualized as broader meaning systems, produces beliefs about gender and sexuality.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding Chapter Peer-review

Original language

English

Publication milestones

  • Published - 21/04/2016

Publication status

Published - 21/04/2016

Publisher

John Wiley & Sons Inc., Japan, Australia, United States, Canada, China, United Kingdom, Denmark

ISBN (Print)

9781405196949

ISBN (Electronic)

9781118663219

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/626246
  • Scopus: 105025988042

Host publication title

Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies

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