TY - JOUR AU - Jan, Jariah Mohd. PY - 2017/07/05 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Theories of gender and power differences: A discussion JF - Journal of Modern Languages JA - JML VL - 15 IS - 1 SE - Articles DO - UR - https://jml.um.edu.my/index.php/JML/article/view/3786 SP - 121-133 AB - <p>Early studies on gender differences in conversation focused on differences<br>between male and female conversational styles. For nearly all of<br>these issues of stylistic and conversational differences, there are many<br>some contradictory findings, and it seems that one must look closely at<br>the nature of the circumstances in order to predict how men and women<br>will behave verbally.<br>This paper discusses the theories of gender and power differences<br>namely deficit, dominance and sub-cultural as proposed by researchers<br>in the field of language and gender. Most recent research into gender<br>and language challenges the dominant sex-difference oriented approaches.<br>which maintain that women are different from men, whether<br>essentially or by socialisation (e.g., Coales, 1986). This sex-difference<br>view either condemns women's different speech as socially dysfunc-<br>tional and deficient (e.g., Lakoff, 1975), or embraces it as a 'different but<br>equally valid' culture (e.g., Tannen, 1990). the 'different and deficient'<br>approach is criticised for implying that, to improve their social status,<br>individual women should transform their style, and adjust themselves<br>to men's linguistic nouns. Nevertheless, in principle, it is clear that in<br>many circumstances, women and men have access to the same set of<br>linguistic and conversational devices, and tend to use them differently<br>but for the same purposes. Apparent differences in usage reflect differences<br>in status and in goals.</p> ER -