From Silence to Scandal: the Control of Women's Language in Early Modern Era
This article analyzes the ideology about women’s language that is reflected in the treaties of the Early Modern Spanish moralists. I start by paying attention to the attitudes and beliefs about silence and speech inherited from the biblical tradition, to go on to then review the stereotypes about wo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Spanish |
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Universidad de Navarra
2015-12-01
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| Series: | Memoria y Civilización |
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| Online Access: | https://www.unav.edu/publicaciones/revistas/index.php/myc/article/view/3344 |
| Summary: | This article analyzes the ideology about women’s language that is reflected in the treaties of the Early Modern Spanish moralists. I start by paying attention to the attitudes and beliefs about silence and speech inherited from the biblical tradition, to go on to then review the stereotypes about women’s speech, its censorship and stigmatization as reflected in the works of these writers. When direct forms of power and control over one's life were not within reach, women found in language an essential tool to progress and protect their own interests. The participation of women in the life of the community, with their comments, criticisms, accusations and gossip, becomes a linguistic performance that can erode the patriarchal structures of society, thus leading to the great suspicion and concern about women’s language that these works pointedly manifest. |
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| ISSN: | 1139-0107 2254-6367 |