Journal of Research (Urdu), BZU - Multan

(جرنل آف ریسرچ (اردو

Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan (Pakistan)
ISSN (print): 1726-9067
ISSN (online): 1816-3424

Feminism, Language Choice and Discourse Practice: A Pakistani Perspective

  • Dr. Mamuna Ghani/
  • Bushra Naz/
  • Rabia Akram/
  • June 30, 2007
Keywords
Linguistic Choice Pakistani Women Feminist Feminism Discouse Approach Dominace Identity
Abstract

The present study focuses on investigating the nature of linguistic choices made by Pakistani women in interpersonal discourse in the background of feminism. The relationship between attitudes, social backdrop and language was explored. It was hypothesized that the exploitation of linguistic choices in the spoken discourse  would correspond the explanations provided by Dominance approach about the difference in language use between men and women. For the purpose of the present study, we observed and analyzed thirteen groups of subjects (women), varied in number of subjects. All the participants were students of university level, approximately aged between18 to 25. Data were obtained by recording the conversation. The participants did not belong to any particular social class.The topics of their conversation were various, and ranged from personal and general to quite universal and emotional. Results indicate that the extensive uses of linguistic choices, significantly, support the feminist view of language use, and that there are certain distinctive features that characterize women language. For instance, there is a considerable correlation between the power structures in society and language use.

References

Baalen, Van Irene. “Male and Female Language: growing together?” (HSL/SHL1). 2001.

Cameron, Deborah. Feminism and Linguistic Theory. London,1992.

Cameron, Deborah, and Kulick, Don. Language and sexuality. Cambridge University  

Press, 2003.

Chimombo, Moira and Roseberry, L. Robert. The Power of Discourse: An 

Introduction to Discourse Analysis.  Mahwah, NJ.: Lawrence Erlbaum 

Associates, 1998.

Corbett, G. Greville. Gender.  Cambridge University Press, 1991.

Coulthard, Malcolm, ed. Texts and Practices: Readings in Critical Discourse Analysis.  

New York: Routledge, 1996.

Crawford, Mary.  On  Gender and Language. London: Sage Publications, 1995.

Eckert, Penelope, and McConnell-Ginet, Sally. Language and Gender. Cambridge UP.,   2003.

Edelsky, Carole. Question Intonation and Sex Roles. Language in Society. 1979.

Fishman, Pamela. Interaction: The Work Women Do, in Barrie Throne, Cheris Kramarae and Nancy Henley (eds.), Language, Gender and Society. Rowley, Mass.: Newbury House, 1983.

Holmes, J. (1995) Women, Men and Politeness. London: Longman.

Kalbfleisch, J. Pamela, ed (1995) Gender Power and Communication in Human Relationships. Hillsdale, NJ.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Lakoff, R. (1975) Language and Women’s Place. New York: Harper & Row, Mulac, Anthony, and Thompson, A. Sandra. Men's and Women's Use of Intensifiers and

Hedges in Problem-Solving Interaction: Molar and Molecular Analyses. Journal title:        

Research on Language and Social Interaction. Volume: 28. Santa Barbara: University      

of California, 1995.

Mullany, Louise. The Application of Current Language and Gender Theory to  

Managerial Meeting Discourse. Nottingham Linguistic Circular: 15, 2000.

Notman, T. Malkah, ed. Women and Men: New perspectives on Gender Differences.  

American. Washington, DC: Psychiatric Press, 1991.

Pande, A. Undoing Gender Stereotypes in Hindi. In: Linguistic Online,  Issue April 4: 2004.

www.linguistik-online.de/21_04/pande.html - 67k

Reboul, Anne et al. Reductionism and Contextualism in Pragmatics and Discourse

Analyses. Universite de Genere, 1997.

Reich, M. Nina. Towards a Rearticulation of Women-as-Victims: A Thematic Analysis

of the Construction of Women's Identities Surrounding Gendered Violence. Journal 

Title: Communicating Quarterly. Eastern Communication Association, 2002.

Romaine, Suzanne. Communicating Gender. Mahwah, NJ.: Lawrence Erlbaum

Associates, 1999.

Roy, B. Cynthia. Interpreting as a Discourse Process. New York: Oxford University

Press, 2000.

Schiffrin, D. Approaches to Discourse. Cambridge University Press, 1994.

Shellen, N. Wesley. Gender and Discourse.  New York; Oxford University Press, 1994.

Talbot, M. Mary. Language and Gender. Cambridge Polity Press, 2003.

Tannen, Deborah. Gender and Discourse. Oxford, 1994.

Trudgill, Peter. The Social Differentiation of English in Norwich. Cambridge UP., 1974.

Waldron, Mae Florence. The Battle over Female (In) dependence: Women in New 

England Quebecois Migrant Communities, 1870-1930. Journal title: Frontiers-A Journal

of Women's studies. Volume: 26. University of Nebraska Press, 2005.

Western, Mark, and Baxter Janeen. Reconfigurations of Class and Gender. California:     

Stanford University Press, 2001.

Statistics

Author(s):

Department of English, The Islamia University, Bahawalpur

Pakistan

Bushra Naz

Lecturer

Department of English, The Islamia University, Bahawalpur

Pakistan

Rabia Akram

Research Scholar

Department of English, The Islamia University, Bahawalpur

Pakistan

Details:

Type: Article
Volume: 11
Issue: 1
Language: English
Id: 5e8112a772ead
Pages 9 - 18
Discipline: English
Published June 30, 2007

Statistics

  • 364
  • 172
  • 154

Copyrights

Journal of Research (Urdu) uses Creative Commons license Authors, retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.