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Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
1. Children’s play is very important in how they become socialized into speech communities.
a. True
b. False
2. Research has shown people think male generic language includes men and women.
a. True
b. False
3. Masculine speech community members are less likely than feminine speech community members to want to talk about
the “state of the relationship.”
a. True
b. False
4. Masculine speakers tend to make eye contact, nod, and say things like “tell me more,” while speaking to others.
a. True
b. False
5. Speakers socialized in a masculine speech community tend to use talk to gain and show status.
a. True
b. False
6. The common belief that women are more talkative than men is supported by research.
a. True
b. False
7. Women tend to interrupt others more than men.
a. True
b. False
8. Categorizing women as emotional and weak and men as rational and strong is an example of stereotypes.
a. True
b. False
9.
Sex-segregated groups and forms of play remain the norm for children in the United States.
a. True
b. False
Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
10. Establishing equality between people is an important feature of __________ communication.
a. Feminine
b. Masculine
c. Parallel
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d. Emotional
11. Which of the following is true of masculine speech community members?
a. They tend to regard language as important for accomplishing instrumental tasks, gaining status, and maintaining
control of the conversation.
b. Only men are masculine speech community members.
c. They do not think talking is important.
d. They are not as skilled at using language as members of female speech communities.
12. Language reflects social views of women as _________ and men as _________ participants in sexual activity.
a. active; passive
b. passive; active
c. active; active
d. passive; passive
13. Women who are effective public speakers tend to
a. Adopt a masculine style of speaking
b. Adopt a feminine style of speaking.
c. Adopt a style of speaking that balances masculine and feminine stylistic factors.
d. Adopt a style of speaking that is gender neutral; there are no masculine or feminine aspects to their style.
14.
_______ language means equivalent terms.
a. Generic
b. Feminine
c. Parallel
d. Situational
15. ____ speech communities tend to regard talk as a way to accomplish concrete goals, exert control, preserve
independence, entertain, and enhance status.
a. Feminine
b. Masculine
c. Parallel
d. Emotional
Instructions: Identify the following:
16. Tag question
17. Benevolent sexism
18. Matriarchal
Instructions: Identify the following:
19. Androgynous people
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20. Speech community
21. Gender-linked language effect
22. Stereotype
23. Polarized thinking
24. The Point of the Story
25. Minimal response cues
26. Your friend Marcie tells you that she is frustrated with her boyfriend. She says, “Lucas never wants to talk about us-
really he doesn’t want to talk about anything! His idea of a great time together is going to a basketball game. Honestly,
why doesn’t he realize that talk is the basis of a relationship?” Given what you know about speech communities and
models of closeness, how might you respond to Marcie about her assumptions and alternatives she might make instead?
Be sure to use specific terms and material from class.
27. When home on break, you hear a friend use male-generic language. When you tell your friend it is sexist, your friend
wants to know why. Based on what you have learned in this class, how might you explain to your friend that using such
language is problematic?
28. Wood argues that language defines men and women differently. Explain the different ways men and women are
defined and provide examples to support your claims.
29. One of the connections between language and gender identified in your textbook is that language evaluates gender.
What implications does this insight have for individuals’ language use?
30. There are several common communication problems that may occur when people from different gendered speech
communities interact. List and describe 3 of them.
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Answer Key
1. True
2. False
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masculine avatar, they speaking style tends to become more masculine and when men were assigned a feminine avatar,
their speaking style becomes more feminine.
22. A generalization about an entire class of people based on some knowledge about some members of the class.
23. Conceiving of things as opposites; e.g. good or bad, right or wrong.
24. A cause of much misunderstanding between feminine and masculine communicators, feminine speakers tend to tell
stories in a way that includes a great deal of detail, the larger context of the situation, and increases the involvement of
people around them whereas masculine speakers tend to be linear, chronological, and to the point with their stories.
25. Short verbalizations or sounds (e.g. “yeah, umhmm”) typically used by members of the masculine speech community.
26. It sounds like Marcie has been socialized into a feminine speech community in which talk is used to gain and maintain
closeness. To Marcie, talking about the relationship is important. However, Lucas may favor a more masculine speech
style in which talk is used for more instrumental tasks, like making plans and making decisions. He may think there is no
reason to talk about the relationship if there are no problems. Like many people in masculine speech communities, Lucas
may see going to a basketball game together as a way to build closeness with Marcie. He may do things to show his
affection rather than saying things.
If Marcie were willing to recognize Lucas’ instrumental displays of affection as efforts at closeness, she may be more
satisfied in the relationship. However, she may also want to share her concerns with Lucas. If he understood that Marcie’s
desire to talk about the relationship stems from a desire for closeness, he may not see it as a red flag and be more willing
to talk.
27. Male-generic language is language that is supposed to include men and women but only uses male words, such as “he”
or “mankind.” Some people may think using inclusive language is not a big deal; however, research has shown that when
people hear or read male-generic language they think of men, not men and women. Male-generic language assumes that
men are the standard and the norm and devalues women and their experiences. Some people argue that using male-generic
language is more efficient (e.g., “he” is shorter than “he or she”); however, because male-generics (and not female) are
always the standard, it suggests that men are valued more.
28. Women typically are defined in terms of relationships and appearances whereas men typically are defined through
accomplishments and activities. Examples of this can be found in sportscasters who comment on women athletes’ hair,
weight, and clothing rather than their athletic abilities. It would be rare to hear similar comments about men; instead,
sportscasters generally reference men’s athletic abilities. Another example can be found in the ways politicians are
discussed. In the 2008 presidential election, a great deal of attention was paid to Hillary Clinton’s and Sarah Palin’s
appearance; male politicians were not subject to the same scrutiny. Other topics discussed by Wood include rape cases in
which judges commented on the alleged female victim’s appearance in rendering judgment; language for heterosexual
activity that implies men are the active parties whereas women are passive, etc.
29. Language reflects cultural values and is an influence on our perceptions. Many common terms for women frame them
as juvenile and immature (baby, girlie, etc)., equate them with food (dish, sweetie, etc.), or animals (chick, bitch).
Sexually active women are called sluts while sexually active men are called studs.
30. The textbook covers 5 common problems:
1. Showing Support: Masculine communicators tend to assume someone will talk about her or his problems if s/he
wants to, and don’t probe for information, while feminine communicators want to give and be given sympathy.
This may leave masculine people feeling intruded upon and feminine people feeling abandoned when someone
does not communicate with them in their preferred style.
2. Troubles Talk: People who are socialized into feminine speech communities tend to want and give support by
validating someone’s experience and being sympathetic. Feminine communicators often want (and try to be for
others) a shoulder to cry on. People socialized into masculine speech communities tend to want and give support
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in the form of advice and problem-solving. Because of this, both feminine and masculine communicators are
often left feeling unsupported by members of other speech communities.
3. The Point of the Story: Masculine communicators tend to tell stories in linear ways without many details.
Feminine communicators tend to tell stories in more non-linear ways with lots of details and connections.
Feminine communicators tend to be frustrated with masculine communicators’ lack of details, and masculine
communicators are often lost in feminine communicators’ wandering, detailed stories.
4. Relationship Talk: People who are members of feminine speech communities often want to regularly talk about
the state of a relationship, whereas masculine speech community members don’t tend to talk about the relationship
unless there is a problem. Feminine communicators are often frustrated when masculine partners do not
understand their desire for state-of-the-relationship talks. Masculine communicators tend to be worried when their
feminine partners want to have SOTR talks.
5. Public Speaking: Historically hallmarks of masculine speech communities have been valued as effective public
speaking. This means that feminine communicators are at a disadvantage when speaking in a realm that values
traditional public speaking styles.