Lakoff and the Question of Language and Gender

Abstract

Gender has a significant effect on how we speak. In many languages, the sheer choice of what word endings we use depends on whether we are men or women. Studies have also shown that women tend to speak more “properly” than men, using the prestigious or “standard” alternatives of variables, worldwide— likely out of a drive to express legitimacy through speech, which men feel less need for because of their historical status as breadwinners. Men also dominate women in taking the floor conversationally.