The Structure of English: Pronominal Gender and Implications for Sociolinguistics - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... The research into the sociolinguistic implications of gender dates back to the middle of the 1960s. At that time, sociolinguists became extremely concerned about the phonological variations in male and female language, as well as the ways female and male conversational styles interacted in a broad language discourse. Unfortunately, the current knowledge of the female-male variations in language behaviors is rather scarce. Studies of gender differences in sociolinguistics are heavily influenced by the researchers’ implicit beliefs and assumptions about gender and sex. This is one of the reasons why the meaning and implications of gender for language are severely under-researched and require further analysis. This is also the reason why this research into gender and its implications for sociolinguistics is required and justified. The key aim of this research is to expose and confirm a reciprocal link between gender and language behaviors. Put simply, the research is designed to prove that (a) gender is a separate linguistic category, which manifests in pronominal variations and gender agreement in complex sentences and phrases, and (b) gender profoundly affects the ways, in which individuals construct their language structures. ...
This is also the reason why this research into gender and its implications for sociolinguistics is required and justified. The key aim of this research is to expose and confirm a reciprocal link between gender and language behaviors. Put simply, the research is designed to prove that (a) gender is a separate linguistic category, which manifests in pronominal variations and gender agreement in complex sentences and phrases, and (b) gender profoundly affects the ways, in which individuals construct their language structures. The principal research questions include: How is gender a sociolinguistic category? What are the semantic criteria of gender in British English? How are gender and language interrelated? How do pronominal agreements work in written British English? How does gender affect the language patterns used by women and men in their oral and written communication? The researcher expects that this study will help to create a complete picture of gender, its implications for sociolinguistics and the effects of gender perceptions and beliefs on language behaviors and patterns. This research will also provide a direction for the future analysis of gender in the context of the language science. Literature review That gender is a sociolinguistic category cannot be denied. More often than not, gender is rightly considered as one of the central sociolinguistic universals (Hudson 1996). The current state of research treats gender as one of the most controversial and complex objects of the linguistic analysis. Unfortunately, little is known of how gender works in British English and how it affects the development of various ...Download file to see next pagesRead More