Evaluate the idea that there is a bias against women in the English Language (30 marks)

 In the English Language, there is an idea of bias against women which against and that the English Language doesn't work I their favour. It presents the idea that men have a better standing in Language and many theorists agree and challenge this statement. 

The Deficit model suggests that women speak a 'lesser' version of the English Language suggested by Robin Lakoff (1975). Lakoff believed that women's language was weaker and she discovered this through her research of conversations where women used certain speech devices whilst speaking such as fillers (e.g. 'like'), backchannelling (e.g. 'yeah', 'hmm') and empty adjectives. This softer language and hesitance whilst speaking suggests that in the English Language women are found to be passive and not to speak outwardly or too confidently which may have led to less confidence whilst speaking and in general. This presents the bias in the language as it represents women as lesser and now able to speak properly. Her idea of women's language was backed up by O'Barr and Atkins found however that Lakoff's discoveries of different language were also found in some men so renamed the idea to 'powerless language' which suggests that it is no longer simply biased against women alone. They did this after conducting wider research on men and women that included more conversations than Lakoff used allowing them for more diverse results.

Coats has the idea of the Difference model which suggests that men and women have conflicts in their language, both with their different interests but also their communication methods. Coats developed a range of conflicts in which she divided as one in men and one in women. The majority of the categories that women were places in were weaker and presented them in a more passive way further suggesting the bias of women is presented through this idea fo women are weak and men are strong. This is furthered by Mira Komrovsky's finding on interruptions. She recorded over 400 conversations and found that men interrupt much more regularly than women. Her findings further this idea of women having this passive language and furthermore they are biased against language itself as the men don't allow them to actually speak.

Maltz and Borker studied young school children and found that within their community they had certain relations that differed between boys and girls. Within boys relationships, there was always a leader in a hierarchal pattered group and language used between them was usually very demanding and imperative ('Get the ball'). Whereas in female relationships, the girl usually had a best friend and they were much gentler and more polite with one another ('Please pass me that'). This difference in language even at a young age represents the bias against women in language within how they are made to seem weaker but also that it is almost definite and determined because it happens at such a young age.

Teacher Comments: The theories you include are well explained but you lack the inclusion of the three 'd' theories or any self-found real life examples (18/30 C)

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