Further Evidence for Revisiting the Notion of ‘Genderlect’ in the Discourse of Margaret Thatcher, Giorgia Meloni, and Liz Truss | ||
| Transcultural Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 30 April 2023 | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/tjhss.2023.180614.1146 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Mohamed Said Negm* 1; Hala Tharwat ElGendy2 | ||
| 1English Language Departent, Faculty of Arts, Tanta University | ||
| 2English Language Department, Faculty of Arts, Tanta University | ||
| Abstract | ||
| It has been traditionally argued that differences between male and female language usage in interactional communication provide illuminating clues about how men and women are positioned socially. This paper supplements Negm's (1998) research paper entitled “The Notion of Genderlect Revisited”, by broadening the spectrum of male and female interaction to include non-literary discourse. The present study dismantles the notion that male/female varieties of language should be viewed in terms of bifurcation. It reconsiders and challenges the ways in which language form and function can reflect gender diversity, applying the theoretical perspectives of feminist linguists notably those of Robin Lakoff (1975), Dale Spender (1980), and Deborah Tannen (1990). Feminist linguistics examines how sexism manifests itself in discourse and analyses whether gender-based linguistic or verbal style can be distinguished. The discourse samples to be investigated in the present study are selected excerpts of Margaret Thatcher's, Giorgia Meloni’s, and Liz Truss’s speeches and interviews. Their discourse reveals how consistently their political/social identity, and their gender-related identity are reflected in their discourse. They have been displaying qualities typically associated with men: dominance, control, determination, and confidence. Their voice has become their vital key for maintaining their identity in the male-dominated political world. It is firm, rigid, emphatic, and assertive. The paper then proceeds to discuss the implications of the analysis for stylistics, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, pragmatics, and TEFL. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Genderlect; Feminist Linguistics; Linguistic Sexism; Identity; Ideology | ||
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